Pursuit OS 315 Offshore – twin Yamaha 300 hp outboards
By Andy Adams
Quick Cruiser, or Fish Raiser?
Depending on what you’re looking for in a boat, Pursuit’s OS 315 Offshore model could either be a quick cruiser or serious fish raiser – better yet, both!
The OS 315 Offshore was designed and built to be a serious blue water sport fishing boat, but we reviewed it on Lake Couchiching near the Narrows at Crates Lake Country Boats and we were in relatively protected waters, close to the Trent Severn system and not far from Georgian Bay.
When our industry researches what people enjoy most about boating, fishing is always high on the list, even among people who are primarily interested in cruising. To be able to take some rods and tackle and hook your own fresh dinner, is an experience that adds greatly to the enjoyment. While not every boat is well-suited to fishing, the Pursuit OS 315 Offshore certainly is.
The twin Yamaha 300 horsepower four-stroke outboards are the first thing to mention. These are great favorites with blue water fishermen who want the high-power, light weight, rugged efficiency of today’s modern high-end outboards. These are very resistant to salt water damage, can usually be tilted up clear of the water when not in use and owners who run 
offshore, run them for hours at high speed. The new four-stroke outboards are purpose-built for marine. That is a very different environment than what a car engine was designed for.
The twin Yamaha 300s are mounted on a transom that is finished as a swim platform with a port side stainless steel boarding ladder under a cover, transom door and a freshwater shower so you can rinse off after taking a dip.
If you hook into a serious big fish, the transom door also lets you bring that in easily. Across the transom in the cockpit is a bench seat that could handle three people and lifts up to reveal a 38 gallon cooler underneath.
Beside that, is an Oceana Blue-coloured 32 gallon recirculating live well with bottom drain plug, cutting board and a clear lid. There are four stainless steel rod holders, toe rails and padded coaming bolsters on both sides for safety and comfort when fishing. Other thoughtful features include rod storage for two rods on each side, storage for six fishing rods in the cabin (where you can lock up) and two insulated 39 gallon fishboxes with discharge pump out are under the cockpit floor.
More fishing features include recessed cleats so you don’t snag a line, tackle drawers and storage in the companionway plus, the OS 315’s 284 gallon fuel capacity gives you impressive range, even running well offshore.
Certainly the cockpit with full fiberglass liner and big scuppers is where most people will spend their time but our test boat was a hardtop model with a beautifully finished, powder coated superstructure providing countless places to grab and hang on when fishing or running in rough water and there are overhead LED and spreader lights as well.
The hardtop gives an enclosed helm with opening windshield section, big glass areas for great sight lines and optimal weather protection and comfort for everyone on board.
Pursuit’s own helm seat is very comfortable and supportive with a flip up bolster and a swiveling mechanism as well as arms that can fold out of the way. We found that our feet dangled a bit and we couldn’t drop the seat any lower so you may want to check the “fit” but most people will stand when running a boat like this anyway and the seated position gives you great visibility.
A tilting, destroyer-style wheel makes managing the SeaStar hydraulic steering easier and we noticed that the Yamaha’s had a mechanical tie bar to ensure engine alignment in rough running; nice rigging.
Our test boat was brand-new and had not yet been rigged out with any navigation or fish fighting equipment; just a single Yamaha multifunction display screen was included but there’s plenty of room to mount any navigation suite, sonar and communications equipment. Also, we noticed that the entire helm binnacle is hinged to swing up for easy service access.
A 4.2 kw generator is available as is air conditioning for the cabin. With the genny, you can also get a Raymarine ST70 autopilot system. Great for long runs.
The standard companion side seating is easily big enough for four adults and has handy drink holders. There is an optional rearward facing backrest for fishing and watersports watching.
This boat has an impressive and comfortable cabin. For its size, the boat has good headroom located down four steps through the sliding cabin hatch.
Directly ahead is the forward berth / convertible dinette with storage under the cushions and a high / low table with a gorgeous inlaid wood finish; very handsome. Real teak and holly flooring is used as an overlay to the full fiberglass inner liner. There’s a big deck hatch as well as port and starboard opening hatches.
On the starboard side underneath the helm area is a fully enclosed head which can be curtained off to use the shower. There’s a mirrored door, vessel sink and vaccuum flush MSD system. We didn’t see a mirror for shaving over the sink but the kind of guy who buys a boat like this may prefer a bit of stubble!
Opposite, on the port side is quite good galley unit with a small size refrigerator, three drawers, turntable type microwave, single burner Kenyon stove and a small sink. We like the sliding cover over the stove. It is a nice convenience touch.
Aft of that and lying below the bridge deck is a mid-ship berth with an opening port hole and an escape hatch out to the cockpit. There are three storage lockers alongside and it would be very comfortable single berth or a double for newlyweds. Actually, two young children could comfortably sleep there too.
Overall, the Pursuit OS 315 has comfortable and complete enough accommodations that you could easily spend the weekend on board and with the very strong performance, you can do more extended cruising through the Great Lakes, Trent Severn system, Georgian Bay or the Thousand Islands. It could handle the Great Loop in record time too!
One of the brilliant things with the new outboards is that they can be remarkably fuel-efficient. The Yamaha multifunction display was showing us readings of 1.7 and 1.8 mile per gallon running in the 22 to 25 mile-per-hour range. What’s remarkable for a boat this size and weight is that you can get that kind of economy out of a pair of 300 hp outboards. That’s a total of 600 hp! No wonder the Pursuit OS 315 can run over 50 mph.
You would expect this boat to handle the rough water beautifully and it certainly seemed up to it as we made our way through a nasty chop on Lake Simcoe. Construction felt very solid, the steering is light and effortless and it’s an adjustable system as well so you can change the effort level to suit your preferences or the conditions.
Tight turns, even at speed were handled impressively well and we could sum it up by saying with the twin Yamaha F300s, the Pursuit OS 315 delivers thoroughbred performance.
This boat seems to us, to deliver a great combination of attributes that could expand your boating horizons significantly.
SPECIFICATIONS
Test boat engines: Twin Yamaha F300 Offshore, 300 hp, 4.2 L / 254.4 ci, V6 four-stroke engines with dual overhead cams, variable vale timing and 24 valve layout, multi-point electronic fuel injection, stainless steel props.
ENGINE RPM SPEED MPH
Idle 3.6
1000 5.9
1500 8.3
2000 9.7
2500 10.2
3000 12.2
3500 25.2
4000 32.7
4500 37.2
5000 41.7
5500 45.9
5750 49.9
CRUISING SPEED rpm / mph
3500 / 25.2
LENGTH OA: 32’9” / 9.96 m
BEAM: 10’8”/ 3.25 m
DRY WEIGHT: 11,015 lbs / 4,989 kg
FUEL CAPACITY: 284 gal / 1,075 L
WATER CAPACITY: 30 gal / 113.6 L
WASTE CAPACITY: 18 gal / 68.1 L
AS TESTED PRICE: $298,387 USD MSRP
Test boat provided by and price quoted by: Crates Lake Country Boats, www.crateslakecountryboats.com
Performance data by: Pursuit Boats, www.pursuitboats.com
Photo Captions
Photo 1 – With the twin 300 hp Yamahas, the Pursuit OS 315 Offshore is capable of 50 mile-per-hour speeds.
Photo 2 – This gives a better look at the mid-cabin berth. You see the companionway steps and door on the left side.
Photo 3 – This is looking aft into the mid-cabin berth. Notice the rod holders and the open feel in this area.
Photo 4 – The transom door is open to the engines and the swim platform where you see the flip down boarding ladder.
Photo 5 – The cabin is nicely appointed and you could sleep two in the vee berth.
