At Scout Boats‘ dealer meeting, a convention where first-issue models are debuted for dealers and select members of the boating press, we tested this new 215 XSF. I was accompanied by a mid-Atlantic Scout rep, who told me he’d just signed a new Scout dealer near where I live. Not long after, I began seeing new Scouts on my local waters. Our test indicated many reasons that these boats should be popular on my waters of coastal Virginia — as well as other places. Scout Boats and the new 215 XSF impressed me.
With a 400-pound combined captain and crew load, plus about 60 gallons of gasoline, Yamaha‘s steadfast F150 pushed us to a 43 mph top speed at 5,500 rpm, twisting a 14¼-inch-by-17-inch Yamaha Reliance three-blade stainless-steel prop. That’s a bit less than the 45-plus mph results Scout published, but our conditions were soupy as we fought rainstorms, high winds and big chop. The rough seas proved beneficial, though, as they gave us good feedback on the 215’s ride. When we pushed it hard through wakes, swells and hard turns, the boat handled confidently and without a complaint. It takes a lot to unnerve this 21-footer; at midrange speeds, we were able to walk about the deck in confidence as the 20-degree deadrise V-hull provided great stability and still delivered a smooth, dry ride without jarring the fillings out of our teeth. A lot of boats this size relegate crew to their seats when underway.
Like all Scout Boats, the 215 XSF is 100 percent hand-laid fiberglass and features a self-bailing cockpit, so you can leave it at the dock in bad weather, without relying solely on bilge pumps and batteries, and know it’ll still be floating come morning. Every detail in the rigging is well-executed, right down to the welded stainless-steel split bow rail, the hand-sewn bow and console cushion seats, and the immaculate rigging under the console and beneath the stern splashwell. Plush coaming pads encircle the cockpit at just the right height to keep the hip bruises at bay when banging around in the rough. The cool transom door makes boating your catch or stepping aboard equally easy. The 215 XSF is chock-full of these trick features. We suggest you go see one up close in person to take them all in.
Comparable Model: Robalo R222ES
