Paired with a Yanmar diesel, this roomy boat covers the bases.
Captain Tom Straus is one of those natural salesmen he sells trucking services for a fulltime job so he’s the ideal guy to give a tour of his new SportCraft 302 Express Hard-Top.
“It’s roomier than any boat in its size,” says Straus of the 30 footer with its massive cockpit, made more usable by unique fish box/coolers built into the transom-no in floor fish compartments and no need for extra floor-hogging coolers, either. I was lucky enough to accompany Straus and Kevin Gottron, sales manager, along with Happy Days’ employees Terry Bartrum and Brian Grosjean on a trolling trip with the goal of shooting a cover photo and reviewing the boat. The mission was accomplished despite a dark and drizzly November day.
And we did it while the big boat sipped diesel, with its optional 315-hp Yanmar diesel, an in-line six cylinder design. While the engine pushed us to a top speed of 34 mph, it’s fuel consumption gauge said we were only burning 12 gallons an hour. Backing off to 25 mph,a steady, comfortable cruise, the boat burned 8.5 gph. Trolling, it barely burns any: “You’ll burn more in your lawnmower,” jokes Straus, hardly exaggerating. In three hours of trolling, with three-mile runs on either side of our fishing tie, the boat burned a total of just 2.7 gallons of fuel.
“With the diesel, this boat will practically pay for itself, if you use it enough, in less than four years,” claims Straus. Incidentally, with two, 48 inch trolling bags deployed, we were able to slow down to 1.7 mph. Straus is looking at adding a Yanmar trolling valve kit to get even slower for when the walleyes get extremely picky, but notes he’s probably fine without it. Indeed, we landed some nice walleyes trolling Reef Runners at 1.7 mph on a day when many anglers struggled.
The diesel engine adds about $14,000 to the price of the inboard model, which comes standard with a gas engine for about $81,000. Twin outboard and single stern drive models are also available. A quick walk-through showed cozy sleeping accommodations in the cabin, and ample room to store a mega load of different rod and reel combos. Bringing along enough lures and tackle to pursue walleyes and steelhead or salmon the same weekend would not be a problem. Another nice feature was a live well tank, just behind the helm, which could accommodate minnows, or serve as a livewell for a tournament catch in a live-release contest.
Straus is sold on the quiet, almost odor free Yanmar, not just because of fuel economy, but for its long intended service life as well.
“You don’t have to do a rebuild until after 15,000 hours,” says Straus. “Gas engines need rebuilt sometimes after just 5,000 hours. The diesel adds to the resale value of the boat for sure.”
Not that he ever intends to sell it.
Click here for a printable copy of the article from Great Lakes Angler Magazine.
r,” jokes Straus, hardly exaggerating. In three hours of trolling, with three-mile runs on either side of our fishing tie, the boat burned a total of just 2.7 gallons of fuel. 
