Canadian Yachting October 2022 - 35

Bringing the outdoors in is easy with the aft cabin bulkhead glass door sections both open, three sunroof sections and the big starboard side
sliding door. Notice the forward-facing seats in the cabin at the helm and companion positions and the dinette as well. The galley is to port
with sink, stove, refrigerator and storage under the counter.
The idea is to go from the dock to the
adventure and back in a day. These boats
often have minimal overnight accommodation.
The emphasis is on a day outdoors.
The Wellcraft 355 delivers that brilliantly
and much more.
We are calling it a commuter. Commuter
yachts first appeared during the 1920s.
Executives and captains of industry in
places like New York and along the eastern
seaboard, would leave their waterfront
mansions and travel in the exclusive speed
and comfort of their commuter yachts, to
their offices in downtown Manhattan.
The Wellcraft 355 could fill that role
today, and at far higher speeds! Our test
boat topped out at 51 knots. That's 59.7
mph! A more useful measure is the effortless
and economical cruising speed at
3,500 to 4,000 rpm travelling between 24
and 30 knots. Range at that speed is over
180 miles with a 20% reserve.
The 355s rugged good looks are from
Pawel Denert and Camillo Garonni while
the seaworthiness and handling are the
work of Michael Peters Yacht Design. I
spoke at length with Chris Critchett, the
naval architect leading the development
of the 355s hull and running surface at
Michael Peters'. It's impressive how
much development went into refining a
shape that can deliver high speeds while
riding comfortably, even in conditions
like we had for the review. Rolling ocean
swells were overlaid with a sharp twoand-a-half-foot
ocean chop on test day.
By the way, at moderate planning speeds,
we could crank the wheel hard over and
found the 355 hung on without cavitation
to carve a crazy tight turn. You might even
drive it like that if you were pulling tubes
or wakeboarders.
EXTERIOR FEATURES
Starting at the stern, our Wellcraft 355
test boat had a stainless-steel cockpit
arch for towed sports or providing an
emergency tow. This includes a rack for
six fenders, transom safety gates, and
separate swim platforms flanking the
triple engines with a boarding ladder on
the port side. Big stainless-steel pull-up
cleats are well-located and keep the decks
clear when not in use. We thought all the
hardware was oversized and solid.
Under the cockpit floor is storage space
for bulky items like scuba gear, ropes
and boards. There are also big port and
starboard drained live-wells on the sides
of the cockpit. An impressive standard
feature on the 355 are port and starboard
hull-side doors making boarding from the
dock easier. Plus, brackets built into the
thresholds accommodate hanging a dive
ladder on either side, so you can swim
and board well away from the engines.
The cockpit sole is easily large enough
for serious fishing and there is an optional
fishing accessory package available.
Our test boat was fitted out more as the
adventure and entertaining version with a
stunning audio system putting sub-woofers
and speakers seemingly everywhere.
For added convenience when entertaining,
the test boat had RGB Underwater
lighting, overhead cockpit lighting and a
roof-mounted LED headlight.
All the 355s are designed with asymmetrical
deck layouts. You get an impressive
starboard side walkway, with lots of
freeboard and large diameter rails for easy
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Canadian Yachting October 2022

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