Boat Test: 2025 NorthCoast 415HT

Overview

Heading out from Rhode Island, where the NorthCoast 415HT is built, skippers might continue south past Block Island for 100 miles to fish the fabled Atlantic canyons, or perhaps turn east around Cape Cod and north for 300 miles of harbor hopping along Maine’s coast. The boat, with features well-suited to fishing along with accouterments for cruising, comes ready for either trip.

Weather isn’t likely to be an obstacle. The NorthCoast 415HT’s  broken sheer line and raised, flared hull sides forward — more the lines of a classic sportfisher than a true downeaster — pushed spray away as we knifed through Narraganset Bay, which was whipped into a stiff chop by 20 knot winds during our tests.

Engines

Quad Yamaha 300 XSB outboards ease fret over fuel gauge needles. Even pushing into 20-knot headwinds on our tests, those four V6s provide around 400 miles range from 600 gallons of fuel, allowing a 10 percent safety reserve, while running anywhere between 28 mph and 45 mph. Troll a canyon all day, bounce to a second location, and return home with fuel to spare, or choose favorite cruising harbors, not required fuel stops. Topping off in Newport, the boat can cruise 160 miles to Manhattan and then fish all of Long Island’s south shore on the way home. Pushing throttles near our 55.1 mph top speed (hampered by headwinds compared to Yamaha’s tested 57.6 mph max), hastens the trip home while still covering 300 miles from full tanks.

Yamaha’s Helm Master EX joystick takes the worry out of windy-day docking, as we experienced in a tight corner slip with a steady 15 knots blowing dead on the beam. Navigating, even in fog or at night, is aided by radar, plotter and FLIR, along with Raymarine’s Augmented Reality that overlays AIS traffic, GPS waypoints and more atop nav and video images on dual 19-inch Axiom displays. YachtSense monitors and controls ship’s systems from those screens, too — and all that is also standard equipment.

Interior and Accessories

The classic downeast enclosed pilothouse extends fishing and cruising earlier into spring’s chilly Atlantic waters and later through autumn’s blustery winds while the SeaKeeper 4, which runs quietly from 12-volt batteries alone, flattens pitch and roll. On August afternoons, dual overhead opening hatches, four large opening side windows, and the opening glass aft bulkhead will catch a cool breeze. Or button up, crank the 8kW diesel generator and chill in air conditioning — that’s all standard equipment, by the way.

Twin Release helm seats offer a touch of luxury. The pilothouse settee table adjusts height to serve meals or enjoy cocktails, and it lowers further to create a comfy day bed or add overnight accommodations. With the galley in the pilothouse, no one misses conversation, coastal sights or an impressive fish strike while grabbing a snack or serving up supper, which is aided by ample drawer and counter space along with a microwave, stove top and twin fridge/freezer drawers — again, all standard.

Down below, the private master cabin includes a hanging locker and drawers typical of boats in this class. There is a nice surprise — the foot of the island queen bed lifts, assisted by gas struts, to access a 7-foot-long storage locker ideal for full-length fishing rods, galley dry goods, or bulky items. The head includes a separate stall shower roomy enough to skip walking to marina facilities. The aft cabin is not private but does include a double berth tucked beneath the cockpit, as well as a twin bed outboard. That twin bed also reveals easily accessed full-length storage.

Back up on deck, abundant handholds and ample side decks aid the trip to the bow, whether to fight a feisty fish or anchor in a quiet cove. At the front of the generously sized cockpit, an aft-facing double seat conceals a drink box, while a locker provides tackle drawers. Two live wells in the transom and two fish boxes beneath the deck come rigged with pumps and macerators. Large center hatches provide easy access to oversized sea strainers for the genset, Seakeeper and AC, along with other pumps and equipment. The aft transom door and side gunwale door provide easy access for swimming, boating a fish, or accessing a dinghy or dock — and yup, that’s all standard.

Read Next: NorthCoast 315 HT

NorthCoast’s already well equipped $1,083.514 base price also includes hull-side color choices. Our test boat’s Rupp Top Gun outriggers riggers and teak Arrigoni rocket launcher nudged the bottom line just past $1.1 million [NOTE: $1,104,203]. Cruisers will likely add the aft cockpit settee, instead.

For those less inclined to fish, the Back Cove 390, carries a bit more traditional down-east vibe, both inside and out, along with expanded cockpit seating and an interesting open transition from pilothouse to lower salon. Avid anglers might look at Coastal Craft Yacht’s 42 ExpressFish, which offers six propulsion options from triple Yamaha 425s to quad Mercury 450s.

How We Tested

• Test Engine: Quad 300-hp Yamaha XSB outboard motors.
• Test Drive/Prop: Outboard/15” x 20” (Yamaha Saltwater II stainless 3-blade)
• Gear Ratio: 1.75:1 Fuel Load: 286 Water on Board: 100 gal. Crew Weight: 450 lb.

High Points

• Yamaha’s joystick holds the boat in one spot, either free to swing by the bow or stern, or locked in both location and heading. Similar drift modes can follow a pre-planned course.
• Closing the aft glass bulkhead and door lowered sound levels by 4 decibels at cruising speeds, versus our already quiet readings with the door open.

Low Point

• Down below, the small settee is really just a nook for some alone time, leaving the pilothouse as the only entertaining area.

Extra Point

• With Yamaha’s quad outboards, conventional (outboard turning) props on port and starboard motors, mounted 8 feet apart, aid maneuvering, but the two middle motors turn opposite from conventional rotation to add lift that increases both speed and economy.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation