Boat Test: 2023 Phenom Yachts 37

Overview

The Phenom 37 is a spare-no-expense offshore fishing boat loaded with standards that are almost always options aboard other boats, including a Seakeeper 3 gyrostabilizer, Mercury Joystick Docking for Outboards, a Vetus 571 Bow Pro thruster that acts in concert with the joystick, and Zipwake trim control.

Interior and Accessories 

Because Phenom is a semi-custom builder that sells direct to the public, owners can customize their bling in ways like adding more than three Gemlux rod holders per gunwale. There’s an impressive array of 13 rocket launchers set into two tiers on the back side of the hardtop. Fishy features include twin 30-gallon livewells at opposing corners of the transom. An automatic system that pressurizes each livewell to 0.5 psi keeps the tanks full to eliminate sloshing no matter the speed or sea condition. Two pumps per livewell add ­redundancy, and they all reside in a pump box to prevent air from getting into the lines when running in rough water. 

For overnighting, there’s a lockable, air-conditioned cabin with a 6-foot-long berth wide enough for two that converts to a rear-facing bench seat thanks to the seatback that deploys in two seconds. There’s also a standard electric Dometic head with a pump-out, and a sink with a shower attachment. 

At the helm are three side-by-side captain’s chairs with individual electronic fore and aft sliders, and the backrests have a venting system to deliver air or heat. The dash on our test boat had twin 22-inch Garmin 8622 touchscreen displays. The three-sided tempered-glass windscreen has a vent that opens electronically. 

Read Next: High-Performance Marine Engine Features

Engines

Phenom’s twin-vented NexStep hull reduces surface tension for better efficiency and higher speeds, and its designers used a three-strake hull design with chamfered edges rather than rounded ones to further decrease drag and reduce slamming in rough seas. The Phenom 37’s hull is ready to do battle with the chop, with a sharp 65 degrees of entry and 23 degrees of deadrise at the stern. Normally, this could make a boat tender in rolling ocean swells, but Phenom’s standard gyrostabilizer keeps the deck earth-steady. Our test boat sported triple 400 hp Mercury V-10 Verado outboards. While Phenom has been able to coax speeds of more than 70 mph during performance runs, our test results fell just short of that mark at 68.3 mph.

How We Tested

• Engines: Triple 400 hp Mercury Verados
• Drive/Props: Outboard/Merc Revolution X 14 5/8″ x 27″ 4-blade
• Gear Ratio: 2.80:1 Fuel Load: 270 gal. Crew Weight: 625 lb.

High Points

• Port and starboard dive doors assist with passenger boarding and landing large fish.
• Access to features, like the Vetus 571 Bow Pro thruster and Seakeeper 3 gyrostabilizer, is exceptional.
• Lumitec RGB lighting system uses 17 lights to create a magical and safer nighttime experience.

Low Points

• Use of SeaSuckers to secure outrigger halyards seems like an uncharacteristically low-tech workaround for this advanced boat.
• No windshield-wiper option to keep the forward glass clean during hard offshore runs.

Toughest Competitor

Formula’s 387 center-console is similar in size, performance and mission. The biggest difference between the models is Formula does not include the Seakeeper 3 gyrostabilizer as a standard feature. When added, it makes the Formula about $200,000 more expensive.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation