Pursuit's New 325 Offshore

It takes guts for a manufacturer to replace a beloved boat in its lineup with a new model of the same size. But after nearly a decade of service, the team at Pursuit Boats decided it was time for its popular OS 325 Offshore center console, which first launched in 2015, to make way for an updated version.

“It has seen a good life cycle, and it was time for it to be revamped and come up to speed with some of the evolution that we’ve been seeing in the marketplace,” said Mark Taiclet, Pursuit director of brand management, during our sea trial of the OS 325 in Fort Pierce, Florida, near where the factory is located.

While the 2025 model has the same LOA, beam and name as the one it replaces, Pursuit wound up building all-new hull and deck molds in order to accommodate all the customer-driven changes the team incorporated into its design.

“We started the project with an in-depth customer focus group of people who owned the OS 325 and were really serious boaters,” Taiclet said. “They’re staying the night on their boat, they’re fishing, they’re cruising and entertaining.”

One of the main requests the focus group made of Pursuit had to do with easing the transition from cockpit to bridgedeck. On the older OS 325 model, the steps to the bridge are located to starboard and slanted at an angle. “That was the biggest thing our customers were asking about. They wanted to know how we could make it more comfortable to get into the bridgedeck area without having to rub shoulders with everybody who was walking by and worrying about those steps,” Taiclet reported. 

Pursuit’s solution was to relocate the rear-facing cockpit seat to starboard, creating a centerline passageway with two straight, molded-in steps leading up to the bridge. This is a big improvement, as I quickly learned while moving around the boat with five other adults on board.

On the other hand, the Pursuit team originally had planned to eliminate the boat’s transom locker to gain more cockpit space, but the focus group stopped that idea in its tracks. “Don’t get rid of it, whatever you do,” Taiclet repeated the owners as saying. “When you open up this locker, it’s a simple little tub, but if you take that out, you’ve got full access to all your batteries. So, it just makes it that much more convenient.”

Many of the tweaks the Pursuit design team made to the older OS 325 were subtle, like expanding access to the machinery space in the cockpit sole and dropping the floor in the head to gain two inches of headroom, but the new model also features a number of major changes. For example, due to advances in outboard rigging technology, the transom platform is now flatter and has more usable space.

“There’s no motor well because the only engines we offer have the digital electric steering already built in. So, we don’t need all that [cable] back there,” Taiclet said.

Pursuit also enlarged the swim-step extensions on either side of the outboards to the maximum width possible without restricting the swing of the outdrives. “Some of our competitors don’t use those extensions, but we still embrace them as they make it easy to get on and off the boat,” he said. “And you can change a prop from the side of the boat instead of having to be in the water.”

To enhance the OS 325’s fishability, Pursuit enlarged the transom live well and gave it a new glass lid. A cutting board was added for prepping baits and cleaning fish, and the new boat has rod holders that are integral to the transom rather than bolted on. Plus, the capacity of each of the two in-sole fishboxes has been expanded.

Another major update was the addition of a port-side dive door, engineered to swing open 180 degrees. “You can actually sit there with the dive tank on and get it in and out of the boat,” Taiclet said. The design team was able to add the door without losing any cockpit seating; the fold-up seat originally on the port gunwale has been moved to the starboard side, where it makes a nice companion to the repositioned rear-facing seat.

The cockpit entertainment center also has been redesigned. The designers optimized storage space, added tackle drawers and enlarged the sink. In tune with the current trend toward outdoor galleys on boats, Pursuit also made the barbecue grill standard equipment. “Now the grill is the primary cooking device on the boat. We eliminated the cooktop at the inside galley because everybody said they never use it, and it’s not required for a tax write-off anymore. You can use this [grill] as that tax write-off,” Taiclet said.

In the older model, the large galley made access to the mid-cabin behind it feel restricted. So, the design team moved the larger refrigerator up to the bridgedeck, mounting it behind the helm seat, and replaced it below with a smaller, drawer-style fridge. They left the microwave and galley counter in the cabin, but moving the main cooking facilities to the cockpit has really opened up the interior.

The OS 325’s driving experience has been enhanced. The new model comes with a standard Garmin electronics package that includes a dual GPSMAP 8616 system with 16-inch monitors (upgraded from 12-inch). A Siren Marine Connected Boat Smart Boat Monitoring & Theft Deterrent System is standard, as is a premium JL Audio sound system. A drinkholder that can accommodate a 30-ounce Yeti mug and smartphone charger are two more nods to the modern era. The entire helm unit tilts open to allow access to the back of the electronics.

The large helm seat has adjustable armrests and a flip-up bolster, facilitating a seated or standing position at the helm. I chose to sit, which was comfortable thanks to the molded-in footrest. Visibility was excellent through the boat’s side windows, which have been enlarged, and the windshield. The skylights are also larger, measuring 17 inches by 17 inches.

Pursuit packages its boats exclusively with Yamaha outboards. Twin F300s are standard power, but our test boat was equipped with two F350s linked to an optional joystick control.

The 350s offered a great hole shot. The boat planed off smoothly and accelerated to a nice, fast cruise speed of 35.6 mph at 4200 rpm on the calm ICW. The factory pegs the most efficient cruise speed with these engines at 33.5 mph (4000 rpm), with a fuel consumption of 26.3 gph, which gives the boat a range of 326 miles at cruise. Top speed is 52.6 mph at 5800 rpm. I was impressed by the boat’s performance, but I found the F350s to be loud at speed. I would opt for the quieter F300s.

So, if the old Pursuit OS 325 was so great, is the new one better? According to Taiclet, the owners who saw the 2025 model at the Pursuit Owners’ Rendezvous in Bimini this summer gave it a big thumbs up. For my part, I would sum up all the improvements in two words: enhanced ergonomics. In every part of this boat, Pursuit has made the experience of moving about, interacting with the cabinetry and equipment, as well as with fellow passengers, easy and effortless.

“This has been a really good boat for us, and that’s why we didn’t feel like we needed to make it bigger,” said Taiclet. “Instead, we tried to take the same envelope and make it more functional. By doing that, it really turned up the value.”

Specifications

LOA: 34’6”

Beam: 10’10”

Draft (motors up): 2’2”

Weight (dry): 13,740 lbs.

Fuel: 300 gals.

Water: 30 gals.

Power: (2) Yamaha F350s

Base price (w/power): $557,935

This article was originally published in the November 2024 issue.