Boat Test: 2025 Scout 670 LXS

Overview

Most boat buyers know Scout Boats—well-built, solid-performing center-consoles, served with a heaping of luxury.

So, I dearly wish that I could have been a mouse in the conference room when a Scout executive said: “Hey, let’s build a big boat! About 67 feet! Three luxurious staterooms! Five (count ’em!) Mercury V-12 outboards of 600 hp! Sixty mph!”

The new Scout 670 LXS, appropriately named “Project Everest” after that fateful meeting, raises the bar in so many ways. It’s the largest outboard-powered sport-fishing yacht in the world. The 60 cylinders of the Mercury Verado V-12s blast this 15-ton yacht, with its three staterooms, two heads, and acres of entertaining space, to a freckle shy of a mile-a-minute, or 60 mph. 

Interior and Accessories

The 670 LXS is a delight for anglers, with a pair of settees overlooking the teak-planked cockpit with its 30-gallon livewells, 60-gallon fish ­boxes and an ice machine. But Scout asserts, and we adamantly support the ­position, that this is not a center-console. It is a sport yacht.

The cockpit also covers a Seakeeper 14 gyrostabilizer, Kohler 24 kW genset, and a spacious workroom that you could turn into a teenage’s bedroom. As is the fashion, the cockpit sides fold outboard to increase the beam to nearly 20 feet, creating a watersports play area spanning the boat. And, to help tuck this 67-footer into a tight berth, a docking station with throttle and thruster controls is hidden in the cockpit.

The fiberglass hardtop boasts Scout’s patented retractable rocket launcher, with nine rod holders, which extends electrically when needed from the top, and even lowers to allow reaching the rods. The hardtop also has a garage for the electric cockpit shade, and the rocket launchers retract to ­protect the shade from wear and dirt.

The upper cockpit, under the hardtop, is called “the breezeway,” with settee, folding table, and a trio of swivel bar stools facing the salon when the window lowers electrically.  

That L-shaped galley to port in the salon checks all the gourmet boxes: induction ­cooktop, convection oven and Jennair drawer fridge. ­Opposite is a C-shaped settee with another ­high-low folding table.  

The skipper and three companions share a pair of bolstered helm seats, two on each side, and each twosome can view a massive dash with twin 22-inch Garmin 9022 displays. Other niceties include Zipwake trim tabs, bow and stern Sleipner thrusters, and soft-touch switches. Need air? A 4-by-5-foot sunroof opens overhead, and the 60-inch windows on each side of the helm seats retract.

The lower salon is open to the windshield above, creating a bright atrium. Aft, one door leads to a VIP cabin with full-size berth; 6 feet, 6 inches of headroom; and access to a day head. I liked the 36-inch shower width. Another cabin for a captain or kids is to starboard with singles. You can finish the lower salon to your needs. Our test boat featured a 43-inch TV, a refrigerator and an ice maker. Or you can opt for rod racks, or a breakfast galley with coffee maker.

The owner’s cabin has a wider-than-queen berth, plus a private head with 30-by-40-inch shower. The high level of finish in the interior (our test boat had the salt-washed oak look) emphasizes that the 670 XLS is a yacht styled like a convertible rather than a center-console.

Walk-around side decks are secure, with tall 41-inch-high coamings and recessed handrails in both the rail and cabin top. Forward, we found triple sun pads plus a retracting dinette for ­alfresco sundowners. Anchoring is handled via a hidden Maxwell all-chain windlass from either the bow or helm—a feature we like.  

Engines

The quintuplet of Merc 600s is unique because only their lower units turn when steering. If you haven’t experienced it, it’s a bit unnerving when the engines don’t move as you spin the wheel, but that feature also eliminates the usual transom clutter of cables and steering rods. One gets used to it quickly. 

Construction of the 670 LXS hull, deck and hardtop consists of carbon fiber—­epoxy-infused for strength and light weight—while the bilge stringers are high-density foam encased in ­carbon fiber. Underway, this Scout begs you to put the hammer down. It jumps onto plane in under 11 seconds, and a spin of the Gussi Italia wheel gives you a comfortable bank into as many doughnuts as you want. Even Aunt Edna won’t be concerned.  

Another interesting point: We all know that multiple engines will get you home when a single engine can leave you stranded. But when using just three of the engines, you can cruise comfortably at 32 mph, while four engines give you 45 mph. This allows you to tailor your engine hours.

Once we tired of slaloming the Intracoastal, the lumpy Gulf Stream did not challenge the Scout 670 XLS. The Seakeeper gyrostabilizer took all the roll out of beam seas and, at all speeds, it tracked straight up and down seas.

Read Next: Scout 400 LXF Li-Ion Fathom E-Power System

Shopping around? Outboard sport yachts at 67 feet in length overall are scarce. Check out the HCB Estrella 65 ($3,500,000). It’s a big center-console with limited cabin, up to six Mercury 600s, and capable of 70 mph.  

If you can’t live without a flybridge, Scout is offering the XLF (fishing) and XLC (cruising) versions with bridge arrangements to suit each.

The Scout 670 XLS raises the bar for all ­outboard-powered yachts. It’s not inexpensive, but it combines angling needs with a weeks-aboard lifestyle, and it’s impeccably designed and built. I loved it!

How We Tested

• Engines: Quint 600 hp Mercury Verado V-12 outboards
• Drive/Prop: Outboard/Prop set stainless-steel Verado 12SS
• Gear Ratio: Two-speed 2.97:1and 2.50:1 Fuel Load: 1,000 gal. Water on Board: 25 gal. Crew Weight: 1,225 lb.

High Points

• Fold-down cockpit steps make boarding from docks safe and easy.
• A convenient, eye-level electrical panel lives just inside the salon door.  
• The 670 LXS’s twin-stepped hull gave us great speed in smooth conditions and enough V-bottom and air to cushion the ride in rough water.
• Twin 22-inch Garmin screens reside in front of skipper and companions as well.

Low Points

• Eleven feet from skipper’s eyes to ­windshield reduces effective windshield height.
• Needs a better handrail going through belowdecks through the companionway. 

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation