Lets knock the specs out real quick of the boat before we get into why it is I fell in love with this boat the first time I saw it.
- Length Overall : 33'
- Beam : 10'
- Deadrise at Transom : 22 Degrees
- Freeboard at Console : 30"
- Dry Weight (approx.) : Twin Engines 10,000 lbs
- Draft : 28"
- Bridge Clearance (w/ T Top, no radar) : 8'
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 320 Gal.
- Fresh Water Capacity: 50 Gal.
- Holding Tank Capacity: 20 Gal.
There is a lot we can talk about with regard to Specs, but the most important things that I see on the list is the fact that it drafts 28 inches (can run in fairly shallow water), It has a 22 degree Deadrise which means it should be a decent rough water boat, and most importantly for the sake of this article it has a 10' Beam!! What does that mean you ask? It would
Taking a little tour of the boat we will start at the back and work our way to the front. The boat at the show had two Merc 350's (700HP) and should run in the high 60 mph range (67'ish)
As I entered the boat the picture became very clear what this boat was built for.. Doubtful you'll ever see anyone cutting bait on this, although I suspect the occasional lime might fall victim to the bar. I got to the top of the stairs and immediately noticed a reverse facing bench with seating for two, behind it a forward facing bench with seating for three very comfortably (4 or more in party mode). The seating in this boat is so cool, that I'm not going to use the Thumbnail icons that you click on like I usually do, I want you guys to see what I'm talking about in full screen.
Reverse Facing Bench with built in cooler / bar
Forward Facing Bench / Reverse Facing Bench (Note we are up to 5 passengers in the rear alone right now without being crowded. 7+ in party mode) There is a lot more room between those two benches then it looks like in the pic.
So as we walk around the reverse facing bench this is the next thing that caught my eye.. This is the cockpit of the boat with drop out bolsters (Stand Up / Sit down). It has room for 4 people including the captain, with a "love seat" stand up / drop down bolster! (How cool is that?)
Normally I would stop here and get into the "Helm discussion" and all the features of the boat, but we have been on the topic of seating and "Partyable" the whole time so why stop now? We will continue forward to the bow area. This is a full on West Coast style wrap around Bench seat. (Note in the point of the bow how deep they let the center cushion go out so people sitting sideways can have their feet up if they want.) The center section is easily removable and stowed, or you can leave it in to have a full on "Play Pen" style interior! Another styling cue I really liked was they continued the port side bench all the way back, while leaving the walk way open on the starboard side. The whole setup just screams "good times." I don't think I need to explain that section of the boat any further as it's fairly self explanatory. This thing would absolutely murder the party scene out here in Parker / Havasu.
So lets do the math on this 33' boat here real quick. For real world distance trips you are looking at :
5 in the back area
4 in the cockpit
6-7 in the open bow
Bringing you to a total of 15-16 guests with plenty of elbow room for all..
In a short distance "Party crew" atmosphere like Havasu / Parker are, that # dips into the low 20's pretty easily, especially with chicks piling in the Play Pen like I imagine they would. I'd have them throw in some Deep Impact velour pillows for the play pen area.
We are heading back to the helm, which is pretty much the center point of "Bling" on any respectable center console. The photos are going to speak for themselves here a little bit, but the "Orange" Screen on the right is what Night Vision looks like while inside a convention center. It is on a 2 axis gimble that will alow you to spin it 360 degrees and vertically up and down. While it might sound complicated to use, it took me about two seconds to find the joystick and "track" certain good looking "targets" down the isle and up into other boats in the convention center. This was actually my first experience with FLIR night vision, and in seeing how crystal clear the images are, and how easy it is to use, I could certainly imagine using it in Havasu and out in the Pacific.
The last part we are going to cover on the boat is the cabin, which was larger then most that we looked at during the show, and had a nice touch of class with the black counter top etc.. This would be where I stowed any additional softsided coolers, towels, or things that you wouldn't want out in the elements. If the weather was right, you could easily overnight in this boat, and Shower and Shave in the morning. It holds 50 gallons of fresh water, and 20 gallons of black water. I didn't ask, but I assume grey water just dumps out the side of the boat from the shower and sink.
So to finish up, this boat seats more people then 90% of the deck boats out there, runs the performance #'s you'd expect from a 33' Vee bottom, and can pull double duty to Catalina any day of the week. It has literally 8 times the storage capacity then a traditional deck boat, and the built in coolers mean you don't have to have leaking coolers clogging up the walk ways. The carpet is snap in, so if you bring a wrecking ball style party crew, you can just pull it out and let them spill drinks all they want with a simple hose out at the end of the day, or if you are out with the family you can leave them in, and have a little something nice on your toes.
My only wish was Deep Impact had one in the water for a test ride while we were out there. I would've loved to film this boat, and seen how it performs. It's absolutely perfect for Havasu / Parker / Powell / Mead & Catalina runs etc.. It's not so large that it would be unmanageable with a Husband / Wife team, and it's not so small that you couldn't run it in the worst conditions of any inland lake, or decent conditions out in the pacific.
It is the very definition of my made up word to describe it "Partyable."
To learn more about this boat or other Deep Impacts please visit the website or you can call our very own "Eddie" at Lake of the Ozarks Marine as he is a dealer for them.
Ed Champion (sales) - 573-693-9290
Deep Impact Boats - 305-627-9394
written by RiverDave
Additional Pictures of the Deep Impact 330LS courtesy of Deep Impact Boats