Beam: 10’8″
Draft (max): 3’0″
Displacement (approx.): 11,750 lb.
Transom Deadrise: 22 degrees
Bridge Clearance: 9’0″
Fuel Capacity: 260 gal.
Water Capacity: 51 gal.
Max Horsepower: 700
Available Power: Twin Mercury, Yamaha, Honda or Suzuki gasoline outboards
More Information: belzonamarine.com
Any boat that carries “walk around” in its name should have a bow area that you can, you know, actually walk around. The new Belzona 327 Walk Around sports one of the most accessible and usable bow areas in the category that I’ve tested. But that comes as no surprise, as I noted a lot of innovative features on Belzona’s original offering, the 325 Center Console.
The 327 Walk Around shares many of the same highlights with its predecessor, including the cockpit dive doors that slide aft on a stainless-steel trolley system mounted on a self-lubricating track. While these doors were conceived with divers in mind, it should be noted that Belzona built them to open wide enough to accommodate wheelchair entry from a dock. While they were closed and latched underway, I detected no rattling or water penetration during extreme testing maneuvers such as hard-over turns and crossing of doubled-up wakes at speed. The 327 earned good performance marks overall, due in part to its deep V-hull that sports a flat lifting pad at the keel to help with lift and efficiency.
The 327 also features the same forward-raked windshield that’s seamlessly integrated into the sturdy hardtop, which in turn is supported by a stout fiberglass beam that’s molded into the one-piece fiberglass leaning post unit. The captain and first mate have separate seats with flip-up bolsters and flip-down footrests. There’s an entertainment center built into the back of it. The cockpit’s flip-down transom bench increases creature comforts.
While the cuddy cabin belowdecks is Spartan, there is a galley with a Corian counter, cherry wood cabinets and a V-berth that doubles as a dinette. The head is a highlight; it features a VacuFlush toilet and a separate shower stall behind a bifold door. The overhead port and three fixed windows per side permit ample natural light.
Normally, such a cabin prevents much usability on the bow deck, but this boat sports a deep and wide walkway around the crown that makes for safe passage whether tanning on the sun pad, handling the anchor or lines, or fighting a fish.
Comparable model: Boston Whaler 320 Outrage Cuddy
