Sportsman Boats is debuting this month the all-new Open 352 Center Console, an innovative boat the South Carolina boatbuilder is touting as its new flagship model.
The Open 352 is now the largest model in the company’s lineup of center consoles and bay boats, which start at 21 feet. The new model, which was revealed at the company’s eighth annual Dealer Sales Training Event, will make a public debut at the Progressive Baltimore Boat Show (January 23-26) and the Miami International Boat Show (February 13-17).
“It’s one thing to conceptualize a new boat and imagine all of the intricacies and nuances on paper. But then that design comes to life and you get to be behind the wheel and it just exceeds anything you could have ever imagined,” said Tommy Hancock, president of Sportsman Boats. “The Open 352 delivers everything that we set out to do a year and a half ago when we started this project. We are so proud of the boat and even more proud of the amazing team of world-class boat builders that made this project possible.”
Sportsman designed the Open 352 to offer the best of both worlds for entertaining and fishing. Take the rear cockpit where port and starboard dive doors provide easy access. Two flip-down bench seats and a large removable fiberglass table create a perfect place for entertaining.
When it comes to fishing, stow away the bench seats and enjoy access to two 234-quart in-floor insulated fish boxes, twin 30-gallon pressurized aquarium live wells fed by twin pump sea chest and an 88-quart transom cooler. The boat reportedly has more than 50 square feet of open cockpit space for fishing.
The builder says the Open 352 features the most advanced glass-helm the company has ever produced. The SportLink Electronics Integration System offers space for dual 22” and you won’t find any switches on the dash thanks to SeaStar’s Maximus Digital Switching System. The system integrates all of the 12-volt accessories into the Garmin display.
Sportsman included triple adjustable captain’s chairs at the helm and the console has a wrap-around tempered glass windshield with an actuated vent. The oversized fiberglass hard-top included two integrated Lumitec Razor lights and navigation lights.
Down below the console has a berth for two adults and amenities include a built-in sink and shower along with a porcelain toilet. A starboard window lets in plenty of natural light and Sportsman included integrated floor rod holders that can stow up to five roads.
“We needed the headroom inside of the console but we didn’t want the height of the console to impede with visibility, so we had to innovate using our unique stringer system to achieve the perfect console height while maintaining over 6 feet of headroom inside of the console,” said Jeff Hudson, director of product development for Sportsman Boats.
Sportsman builds the Open 352 using its SportTech Advanced Fabrication System, a proprietary technique that uses resin-infusion technology to improve quality, fit and finish. The build process allowed for the Seakeeper gyroscopic stabilizer to be placed in the optimum position. Access to the Seakeeper is in the rear cockpit area.
The Open 352 is available in two engine configurations, either triple Yamaha 300s or a pair of Yamaha 425 XTO ouboards. With a fuel capacity of 330 gallons, the 35-foot center console has good range.
Coming well equipped, Sportsman the Open 352 has a starting price of $295,905. Sportsman has started taking preorders on the model.
“To see the team come together and deliver such an incredible boat makes me excited for the future of Sportsman Boats,” Hancock said.