2020 Edgewater 340 CC

Overview

Remember the 50/50 bars you got from the ice cream truck? Vanilla ice cream on the inside and orange popsicle on the outside, they were the perfect treat on a hot day.

EdgeWater’s new 340CC hearkens back to the 50/50 with an artful blend of fishing features and cruising. It doesn’t seem to sacrifice either, striking a balance that makes the 340CC an easy sell to families looking for satisfying tastes of both.

Interior and Accessories

For example, some family-centric center-consoles offer only a modicum of bait capacity, but the 340CC features a pressurized 32-gallon transom well in the starboard quarter, plus an optional built-in pressurized 38-gallon livewell ($3,873) abaft the helm seating that includes a full-height aquarium-style viewing window. Our test boat, however, had the optional Super Leaning Post Package ($3,230) with a sink and freshwater faucet, a basin for stashing rigged trolling baits, three drawers of tackle stowage and an Isotherm fridge. The standard leaning post includes adjustable helm seats with flip-up bolsters, a 48-quart cooler, pull-out shower with sink, and cutting board. A pair of insulated in-sole fish lockers flanked the aft deck, and two more are tucked under the 23-inch-wide walkway aside the console.

Looking for comfort? Gaze forward, where the optional Bow Comfort Package ($3,495) includes backrests that turn the wraparound seating into a pair of inviting loungers. A cantilever-style pedestal table lets you serve a mean charcuterie, while recessed drink holders keep beverages secure. Lose the table and seat upholstery, and anglers have a great place to fish off the bow or man the anchor line that deploys from an in-stem anchor roller and retrieves using an electric windlass.

Ready to relax again? Settle into the lounge for two on the forward console. Underneath resides a cavernous step-down garage that include racks for scuba tanks, six fishing rods, and room for a pair of 5-gallon buckets.

In the stern, a foldout transom bench offers a seat bottom that extends far enough to offer good thigh support. It quickly folds away to clear the deck and get to fishin’ using the five rod holders that line the transom. The aft cockpit deck measures more than 9 feet wide by 6 feet long, giving you room to dance, be it with a significant other or a leaping sailfish.

A standard inward-opening portside dive door eases the embarking process, and the removable boarding ladder offers a graceful means of reboarding after swimming, snorkeling or scuba diving. A transom gate in the starboard quarter provides another way to embark.

The 340CC’s fiberglass hardtop, full-height glass windshield and center console integrate seamlessly. An electric vent at the top of windshield allows a cooling breeze. A built-in hardtop hatch offers easy access aloft in case you add a tower. A pair of high-back helm seats offer comfort, with footrests at the base of the console to brace yourself.

EdgeWater has engineered a standard visibility step that folds out from the seat base to add 4½ inches of elevation to the helm pad for those who can’t see over the console.

The 42-inch-wide dash panel on our test boat was filled with a pair of optional flush-mounted Garmin 8616 multifunction displays ($22,114), a Yamaha CL7 engine monitor, a standard Fusion stereo (controlling eight JL speakers, including two subwoofers), and Yamaha’s Helm Master joystick as part of the twin Yamaha 425 XTO propulsion package (a $64,894 upgrade). Twin Yamaha F300s are standard.

A tray atop the dash and another under the switch panel are handy for stashing mobile phones. An overhead electronics box housed a Garmin Reactor autopilot control ($4,538). There’s a redundant switch panel on the port side of the leaning-post module for the livewell pumps, washdown systems and fish-locker pump-outs.

Inside the step-down console interior, accessible from the portside companionway, is an impressive panel to control the onboard electrical system, as well as a sink, freshwater pull-out shower and electric-flush head.

Looking for a comparison boat? Look at Scout’s 330 LXF ($406,469 base with twin Yamaha 425 XTOs and Helm Master), which is similarly sized, but has a step-hull and a greater emphasis on cruising luxury.

The 340CC is built with composite and foam structural stringers with knitted fiberglass and vinylester resins in a closed-vacuum process that EdgeWater calls Single-Piece Infusion. That pays off in a solid-feeling boat that’s free of creaks and rattles.

Engine

The deep-V running surface knifes smoothly through rough seas, and corners at high speed with confidence-inspiring precision. The twin Yamaha 425 hp outboards on our test boat propelled the 340CC to plane in a head-snapping 3 seconds, reaching 30 mph in just 6 seconds. Top speed was 59 mph at 6,000 rpm.

They say a good compromise leaves all parties unhappy, but the EdgeWater 340CC seems to has achieved just the opposite. Both sides of its nature—the fishy part and family part—meld into a pleasing combination that will put a smile on everyone’s face. Just like a 50/50 bar.

How We Tested

• Engines: Twin 425 hp Yamaha 425 XTO V-8
• Drive/Prop: Outboard/Yamaha XTO 16 3/8″ x 20″ 3-blade stainless steel
• Gear Ratio: 1.79:1 Fuel Load: 200 gal. Crew Weight: 400 lb.

High Points

• Fold-down visibility step offers 4 inches of extra elevation at the helm.
• Enjoy 70 gallons of livewell capacity, with the aquarium well optioned in the rigging center.
• Abundant seating in the bow will please the socialites among family and friends.

Low Points

• Visibility step creates a tripping point if you don’t fold it back up.
• Gap at the bottom of the windshield drains the console top, but it can also let water in.

Pricing and Specs

Speed, Efficiency, Operation

EdgeWater Boats – Edgewater, Florida; 386-426-5457; ewboats.com