Boat Spotlights: Aviara, Boston Whaler, Jeanneau, Sea Ray

Boston Whaler 280 Vantage The unsinkable legend for active families. R iding on an all-new hull designed to make the most of today’s high-performance engines, Boston Whaler’s 280 Vantage delivers a fresh take that is tailor-made for the Great Lakes.

Stepping aboard couldn’t be easier with the standard portside dive door. Plush seating throughout the spacious aft cockpit invites guests to get comfy, including a neat transom seat that folds away when not required. A standard starboard-side prep station — complete with a sink and cutting board — says fishing to the anglers and cocktails to everyone else. A pair of 30-gallon fish boxes in the cockpit sole also pull double-duty, accommodating the day’s catch or gear.

The versatile portside lounge provides forward- or aft-facing seating, or can lay flat to transform into a sunpad. Lifting the aft seat cushion creates another lounge option. A discreet metal bracket in the seat base accepts a removable cockpit table, providing a great space to relax and watch the sunset in comfort.

Drivers get spoiled by the helm, which has plenty of space for a choice of available Raymarine touch-screen displays. Joystick piloting is also available as a popular and worthwhile upgrade, while a standard hardtop overhead provides a welcome escape from the midday sun.

The passenger console houses a porcelain head with a vacu-flush toilet. There’s also a sink, solidsurface counter and residential-style faucet.

Step through the elegant walk-through windshield and you’ll find spacious wraparound seating in the bow, complete with cup holders, a control head for the stereo and a trash chute in the helm console. Recessed stainless steel rails offer security without getting in the way, while a freshwater shower, fed by a 20-gallon system, comes with both bow and stern sprayers. A bow anchor locker, complete with a windlass, also conceals a retractable bow boarding ladder for the ultimate in convenience. ★

SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 27’9” Beam: 9’6”

Draft: 21” Weight: 6,700 lbs. Fuel Capacity: 185 gals. Base Power: 2 x Mercury 250-hp Verado MSRP: $242,703 BOSTONWHALER.COM

DEALERS

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SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 29’11” Beam: 9’9”

Draft: 2’1” Weight: 5,247 lbs. Fuel Capacity: 140 gals. Power: 2 x 200 hp MSRP: Approx. $125,000 JEANNEAUAMERICA.COM

DEALERS

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Jeanneau Leader 9.0 CC Master of all trades. S tretching 29 feet, 11 inches in length and riding on a roomy 9-foot, 9-inch beam, Jeanneau’s Leader 9.0 CC is more than just a spacious and versatile dayboat — it’s also a terrific weekender that can easily handle overnight getaways with the family.

Step aboard and you’ll be quickly impressed with the abundance of deck space in both the bow and stern cockpits. The aft cockpit features an inviting lounge seat across the transom, plus a pull-out seat to starboard that retracts into the gunnel when no longer needed. Available cockpit tables include a traditional model with removable legs, or a retractable model with telescopic legs that collapse to support a large aft sunpad. A huge in-floor lazarette stows bulky gear, or provides space for adding a generator or Seakeeper if desired.

Up in the bow, a large central sofa forward of the console is the ideal place to stretch out, while an aft-facing wraparound bow seat creates a delightful, private area for conversations. Generous storage is found under each of the seat bases.

The helm is designed for comfort, with tilt steering, plenty of space for available Garmin 9- or 12-inch screens, a VHF, engine instrumentation, cup holders and storage for small items. It also includes something you don’t often see on a center console: A sliding door that leads below to the spacious cabin, complete with a large forward double berth and a separate head compartment with a marine toilet, sink and shower.

Available with twin 200- or 300-hp engines, the 9.0 CC offers thrilling performance with its modern Michael Peters-designed hull.

“Because Jeanneau has had this model available in Europe for several years, they’ve positioned this boat at about $75,000 to $100,000 less than competing models,” says Larsen Marine’s Paul Petersen. “It’s a remarkable value for a well-designed, great running boat.” ★

Sea Ray SLX-R 400e Outboard High-class meets high-tech. U nveiled at this year’s CES show in Las Vegas, Sea

Ray’s all-new SLX-R 400e Outboard model sets an entirely new standard for high-tech on the water.

The new model takes all of the remarkable features from the original SLX 400 Outboard model and adds its own enhancements, including special-edition shadow metallic gel paint, upgraded upholstery with contrast stitching, red underwater lighting and red accent lighting throughout. But it retains the original’s luxurious seating for 22, belowdecks accommodations for four, dedicated paddleboard storage in the stern, and Sea Ray’s drop-down swim terrace that forms a massive aft cockpit patio. A fully customizable cockpit galley — with the option for two fridges, one fridge and storage, or one fridge and a wine cooler — and a customized cooking area with optional grills takes entertaining to an entirely new level.

The R designation in the new boat’s name refers to its power, in the form of three Mercury Racing 450R outboards with joystick piloting. Those combined 1,350 ponies push the big Sea Ray to 65 mph, giving it the power to explore distant ports of call with ease.

An exclusive glass dash helm with dual NSO evo3 16-inch touch-screen displays and a standard Fusion Apollo RA770 marine audio system give the boat a clean, contemporary look while keeping operation easy and intuitive. The boat also comes standard with the Sea Ray Connect remote monitoring system powered by Nautic-On.

“As stunning as the boat looks and as amazing as the 450R Mercury Racing outboard engines sound, one of the greatest things about the SLX-R 400e Outboard is what you do not see or hear,” says Ritch Ragle, director of North America sales. “Replacing the generator with the Fathom e-Power system allows for whisper-quiet operation of all your electronic accessories, and a full day or night on the water without the hum of a generator and the additional fuel consumption.” H

SPECIFICATIONS LOA: 41’11”

Beam: 12’1” Draft: 45”/32” Weight: 18,537 lbs. Fuel Capacity: 375 gals. Standard Power: 3 x Mercury Racing 450R MSRP: Contact dealer SEARAY.COM

DEALERS