Whaler 305 Conquest - Any Opinions ?

[dmarcian]

I have been looking at the Pursuit 335 OS and like that boat and Pursuit in general but it has some layout issues I am not sure of. Meanwhile the Whaler 305 has caught my eye. The boat comes standard with 250 Verados but can handle 300's. Any opionions on those power choices ? The Whaler 305 has been around for awhile (as has the Pursuit) and wondering about ride and other considerations from those who have owned or been on one. Thanks in advance !

[Graddy-fied]

I've spent a lot of time on a friend's Conquest 305. Whether it's right for you depends on what you plan to use it for. It is a big, wide, nice comfortable boat, but I would not say it is ideally suited for offshore fishing and long runs. The head sea ride can be pretty tough. My friend's boat has twin 225 Opti's and seems underpowered. I'm not sure if we've ever broken 30 mph in the ocean, even on the calmest days. Perhaps it would perform better with different power. At least with my buddy's set-up, the boat seems great for cruising (albeit slowly) but not so great for offshore fishing.

[TunaTeaser1]

What he said. I've never ridden on one so I'm not trying to be that guy but I've heard from several that the ride is lacking compared to others in its class (pursuit, GW, etc) but what will you be using it for?

[Blue Bayou]

I had a 32 Outrage that was probably the worst riding boat I've been on. I wouldn't expect the 305 to be a performer. If you must, make sure it has as much HP as you can throw on the back because it needs it.

[CoveHunter]

Admit it, its allot of fun looking !

[dmarcian]

yes but it is frustrating. salesman lie (alot) and you can't get a feel for a boat with one test drive. Also you can't go out in one day and do good comparative shopping like you can with cars. And, last but not least, after you buy it and go on some of these boards you find out you just bought a POS !!!!!!

[Wolakrab]

I had a '02 Conquest 295--the old hull design. It had a terrible ride, but was laid out wonderfully and was a great boat to fish. I hated the fact that they put such a poorly designed hull on this boat. Late '03 and on models have the redesigned hull and I have heard the ride is improved, but not by much.

My 295 ran in the lower 40's WOT with twin 225HP Optimax. Pretty quick for such a heavy hull.

If you like to fish on rough days, buy the Pursuit.

[dmarcian]

Boats in this class are like min vans on the water, in my view. They serve a purpose and performance is not one of them. As long as they are safe and reliable, that is really all that I can ask for.

[kerno]

I think you'll find universal agreement that the larger Whalers do a lot of good things, but a good ride is not on the list. You could speculate forever on why Whaler would do that, but I suspect that after the buyout, they figured their reputation was strong enough that people would buy them just because they were Whalers. If you are not concerned about the ride, they have a strong following and decent resale.