Seize the Day Boat
by Marine Riley 7 Mar 2020 14:17 PST

Scout 530 LXF © Marine Riley
Last weekend I had the pleasure of watching the Sail GP on Sydney Harbour, what an event...
I was skippering one of our 8.5m RIBS with a 350hp Suzuki outboard. Our client's friends and clients thought it was amazing, plenty of room for 8 big guys, a toilet and shower, a fridge, an open galley on deck with a large bimini giving plenty of shade.
With 8 big guys on this boat, we cruised at 35 knots, idled around at 6 knots whilst the racing was on and shot back to the marina at 45 knots at the end of the day, we only used $90 of fuel for the whole day.
The next day we went out with 5 adults and 6 kids, what a day! Swimming, picnic on board, great music, watching the racing and a lovely easy day out with a quick hose off when we finished...
The harbour was packed with boats, but the most interesting point was the huge amount of day boats, five years ago there would have been big cruisers and yachts gunnel to gunnel, but yesterday there where day boats from 22 to 50ft, the majority outboard powered, coupled with massive deck space and all the amenities you could want for a perfect day out.
Why are seeing such massive growth in this market?
- a lot of people don't overnight on their boats anymore, why run a big boat with all the cabins and expense that you don't use anymore
- ease of use, hop on and go
- very low running costs, cheap and easy to service, and very low fuel use with outboards
- extremely low maintenance, no anti fouling required as you can keep on a floating dock or in a Seapen
- so much deck space, plenty of room on board for two or three families, most day boats have more usable deck space than cruisers twice their size
- all the amenities you could ever need for a day out, toilets, showers, on deck galleys, shade, bbq's... it is all there
- excellent performance, with outboards up to 625hp you can have outboard powered day boats at 45ft doing 50 knots or just cruising along at six knots all day long.
Importantly, most of us are pretty short on time and sometimes only have a couple of hours to go boating, with day boats you can be onboard and gone. An easy boat to use, means going boating more often, who doesn't want that! You can have both if you would like, a beautiful cruiser for weekends and holidays afloat and a day boat for when you just want a quick and easy day out on the water. We can cover it all!
Below are some day boat options and a select range of our brokerage boats.
"The worst day on the boat is better then the best day in the garden"
See you on the water
Mark and the Marine Riley Team
Scout 530 LXF
A little over two years ago, Steve Potts owner of Scout Boats, challenged his son, vice president of development, to "create the best recreational vessel on the water."
What came out of that single-minded pursuit is the 530 LXF, rated to handle 2,700 horses, with a top speed of over 65 knots. Scout added a $13 million expansion to their yard outside of Charleston to accommodate the popular new model's twin-stepped, carbon-epoxy hull design.
As for amenities—where to begin? The cockpit features a clean, ergonomic tackle storage/cooking centre abaft of the console. Back here, you can rig baits or bbq your catch on the onyx-marble-topped cooking area, all easily within reach of two movable "floating" bar stools that can be lifted out and stowed while under way.
Hydraulic side gunwales transform the already massive 14-foot, 8-inch beam to 17 feet, 6 inches of deck space for entertaining, swimming or diving. Too much sun? With the touch of a button, you can deploy the SureShade.
Scout pays a lot of attention to seating. To that end, the 530 has plenty of places to sit on board; with seven forward-facing seats in the cabin-style console alone. (A big plus, especially for our southern brethren: the helm seats are heated.) Add to that number, two air-conditioned aft-facing seats abaft of the helm seats, plus a forward sunpad large enough for three people and a fold-up cockpit bench seat, and you're starting to get the picture.
Below deck, you'll find the focal point in the collaboration between Scout and Genesis Interiors—a Ft. Lauderdale outfit that specializes in Italian craftsmanship for the superyacht set.
Over six feet, five inches of head space in the cabin combines with a large galley/lounge area (with a wine chiller), a spacious head, separate shower and a well-appointed master stateroom. And while the 530 LXF is heavy on luxury, this boat also you to undertake all sorts of on water and underwater activities. A standout, is the transom with dual slide-away dive doors for ease of access to the engines, no matter which configuration is installed.
Production is booked out for the next 18 months, but we have one slot on hold which can get you one in time for next summer, please call us to discuss...