ONE THE DELTA ...THIS ONE IS LOADED, JOYSTICK CONTROL, THRUSTER, POP UP TV IN COCKPIT, SAT TV, RADAR, PLOTTER, UPGRADED SOUND, BBQ, MISTER SYSTEM, POWER AFT SUNSHADE, HEAT AND AC, GEN SET IN SOUND SHIELD, AND MORE….IS LOADED, JOYSTICK CONTROL, THRUSTER, POP UP TV IN COCKPIT, SAT TV, RADAR, PLOTTER, UPGRADED SOUND, BBQ, MISTER SYSTEM, POWER AFT SUNSHADE, HEAT AND AC, GEN SET IN SOUND SHIELD, AND MORE….
If we had to think of a "head-turning" 30-something American-made day boat in a moment’s notice, the MasterCraft 300 would most likely be first to pop to mind. She has graceful curvy lines and over abundance of teak throughout and – to our eye – is so hot she is cool. You rarely find this sort of yacht-like quality in a day boat this small. But beyond her looks, we found this boat to have functions that make her a great example to show what a day boat can and should offer. We've been writing and drooling over the MasterCraft 300 for a year now, so the question obviously begged: is she all show and no go?SpecificationsMasterCraft300 (2011-) Specifications33' 9'' 10.3 m | Dry Weight14,000 lbs. 6,350 kg (gas) |
11' 3.4 m | Fuel Cap200 gal. 757 L |
36'' .9m | Water Cap30 gal. 114 L |
16 deg. | Bridge Clearance12' 0'' 3.6 w/electronics |
6' 1'' 1.82 m | |
Prices, features, designs, and equipment are subject to change. Please see your local dealer or visit the builder's website for the latest information available on this boat model. |
33' 9'' 10.3 m | Dry Weight14,000 lbs. 6,350 kg (gas) |
11' 3.4 m | Fuel Cap200 gal. 757 L |
36'' .9m | Water Cap30 gal. 114 L |
16 deg. | Bridge Clearance12' 0'' 3.6 w/electronics |
6' 1'' 1.82 m | |
Prices, features, designs, and equipment are subject to change. Please see your local dealer or visit the builder's website for the latest information available on this boat model. |
About the MC 300
While the sheer size of the MasterCraft 300 is commanding, it is the refined, yacht-like luxury that will ultimately cause deep and aspiring admiration among MasterCraft fans. Access to the bow is by either the offset walk-through windshield, or traversing the narrow side decks. The walk-through option is made easy by the interlinked window latches - open the top and the bottom latch follows. As if the teak, everywhere on the decks, weren’t abundant enough, the steps are also teak, a nice feature that illustrates the extra mile that MasterCraft is willing to go with this premier edition.
MasterCraft managed to keep their trademark pickle-fork bow in the design of the MC 300. They also tested her for over a year, continually making refinements and tweaking the design.
Bathed in soft red lighting for night piloting the MasterCraft 300 conjures up all sorts of possibilities for an evening cruising adventure. Hardtop lights cycle through white, red, and blue to suit most any mood.
The cockpit has some features usually found in much larger boats. At the ergonomically designed helm, the driver is greeted by a either a Raymarine C80 or optional E80 display – this lets the driver monitor all the boat’s systems, including electronic charts, radar and a 3-D reading of the ocean floor. Luxurious touches, like the lined personal electronics drawer and the hardwood trim, make piloting the MasterCraft 300 a luxurious affair. Dual vertical rows of electrical switches line both sides of the main display.
Add the optional Joystick Maneuvering System to the automatic trim tab system and no one will have a problem taking the MC 300 for a spin or bringing her back again.
It’s a joystick controlled boat so anyone can dock the 300 with ease and look like a pro every time.
The Cockpit
The cockpit continues the tradition of lavishness. For starters, each side has a wet bar comprised of custom, high-gloss hardwood cabinets. The port wet bar is topped with a Karadon countertop, stainless steel sink and a 25 quart removable cooler. On the other side, the starboard wet bar also has a Karadon countertop with the option of adding an electric grill, stainless steel refrigerator or icemaker and waterproof flat screen TV that lifts up from its expertly finished hiding spot beneath the countertop.
Plenty of room for sunbathing both on the stern and the sunpads, and there are two more sun pads on the bow.
As guests move further back they will discover transom seating, wrapped in their choice of top-grade, well-appointed vinyl or exterior grade Ultra-Leather, adjustable to different positions for customizable comfort.
Misty Glass Top
In addition to the standard sport arch, the MasterCraft 300 also offers a unique glass hardtop. Framed in top-grade aluminum, it has tinted glass to reduce the amount of UV light allowed into the cockpit yet does not limit the view of the sky and the feeling of being out in the open. The hardtop frame incorporates numerous task lights that alternate between white, blue, and red depending on your mood and visibility requirements. A misting system is designed to spray occupants with a fine, cooling mist of water.
Below Deck
After taking a few steps down, guests enter a salon that is standard with customized hardwood cabinets, hardwood flooring and ultra-leather fabrics that can be ordered to taste. Immediately to port is the standard stand-up shower and head with full size entrance door. Next to this is the galley with Karadon quartz countertops, microwave, refrigerator/freezer and sink. Straight ahead toward the bow is a sleeping area laden with yacht-grade fabrics and appointments and is as large as found on a 34 or 36 foot cruiser.
Because of the “twin-tip” bow the MasterCraft 300 has the beam forward to put the double berth athwartships. This means that there is more room left in the salon/galley. We like it.
Abaft the bed is the semi-circular settee with fold out table where people can eat, or relax and watch the standard 26” HD LCD TV. And if that were not enough, the MC 300 comes standard withContour Zone,a programmable 12v control system that allows anyone onboard to manage all the boat’s electrical systems including lights, A/C, alarms and more from one device.
Our first glimpse of the 300 was several months ago, and that boat had a large utility room under the cockpit deck. This test boat had that room replaced with a aft cabin. Access to the cabin is narrow and would best be described as a crawl space. Once inside, a double wide berth with roughly 2.5’ (.71 m) of headroom awaits. A word of caution: There is a recessed hatch in the middle of the overhead that protrudes down about 3” (.62 cm) and if you aren’t aware of it, you’ll likely hit your head on it - but only once.
The “twin-tip” MC 300 has a LOA of 33’9” (10.3 m), a beam of 11’ (3.4 m), and a draft of 2’10” (.86 m). She has a dry weight of 12,500 lbs. (5,670 kg) carries 200 gallons (757 L) of fuel and 30 gallons (113.6 L) freshwater.
There is a lot to like about the MasterCraft 300, and we find ourselves wondering where MasterCraft will be going from here.
About the MC 300
While the sheer size of the MasterCraft 300 is commanding, it is the refined, yacht-like luxury that will ultimately cause deep and aspiring admiration among MasterCraft fans. Access to the bow is by either the offset walk-through windshield, or traversing the narrow side decks. The walk-through option is made easy by the interlinked window latches - open the top and the bottom latch follows. As if the teak, everywhere on the decks, weren’t abundant enough, the steps are also teak, a nice feature that illustrates the extra mile that MasterCraft is willing to go with this premier edition.
MasterCraft managed to keep their trademark pickle-fork bow in the design of the MC 300. They also tested her for over a year, continually making refinements and tweaking the design.
Bathed in soft red lighting for night piloting the MasterCraft 300 conjures up all sorts of possibilities for an evening cruising adventure. Hardtop lights cycle through white, red, and blue to suit most any mood.
The cockpit has some features usually found in much larger boats. At the ergonomically designed helm, the driver is greeted by a either a Raymarine C80 or optional E80 display – this lets the driver monitor all the boat’s systems, including electronic charts, radar and a 3-D reading of the ocean floor. Luxurious touches, like the lined personal electronics drawer and the hardwood trim, make piloting the MasterCraft 300 a luxurious affair. Dual vertical rows of electrical switches line both sides of the main display.
Add the optional Joystick Maneuvering System to the automatic trim tab system and no one will have a problem taking the MC 300 for a spin or bringing her back again.
Performance and Handling
On test day, we had seas offshore running 3’ (.9 m)- 4’ (1.21 m) with heavy rollers in the inlet. We attempted it to see what it would be like, and not surprisingly, it wasn’t good. At slow speed, the bow was level, and with the dropping sheer line, the waves would easily come over the bow and drench the camera crew in the cockpit. Adding more power helped bring the nose up, but it was still too rough, and to have gone out through the rollers in the inlet would have only been asking for trouble in any 30-footer. One of the first responsibilities of a captain, even a test captain, is to keep his crew and boat safe and not run needless risks.
Back inshore, we found the 300 handled much better. The 6L gas Indmars have turbo chargers that take a fair amount of time to spool up, and therefore acceleration was slow to moderate. Once up on plane, visibility was good, again due to the dropping sheer line of the bow. She takes a bit of room to turn, and that translates into “comfortable” for those on board. Nothing gets thrown to the outside of a turn and everything, and everyone, will stay calm and at ease, regardless of how hard you attempt to turn.
Steering was butter soft thanks to the power steering, but I found that the automatic trim tab system could use a little more tweaking. It just didn’t seem to keep us level, and I found myself disconnecting the system to do it myself. This is not a MasterCraft issue as much as a software issue and it is very easy to rectify; we suspect that has already been fixed.
It’s a joystick controlled boat so anyone can dock the 300 with ease and look like a pro every time.
The Cockpit
The cockpit continues the tradition of lavishness. For starters, each side has a wet bar comprised of custom, high-gloss hardwood cabinets. The port wet bar is topped with a Karadon countertop, stainless steel sink and a 25 quart removable cooler. On the other side, the starboard wet bar also has a Karadon countertop with the option of adding an electric grill, stainless steel refrigerator or icemaker and waterproof flat screen TV that lifts up from its expertly finished hiding spot beneath the countertop.
Plenty of room for sunbathing both on the stern and the sunpads, and there are two more sun pads on the bow.
As guests move further back they will discover transom seating, wrapped in their choice of top-grade, well-appointed vinyl or exterior grade Ultra-Leather, adjustable to different positions for customizable comfort.
Misty Glass Top
In addition to the standard sport arch, the MasterCraft 300 also offers a unique glass hardtop. Framed in top-grade aluminum, it has tinted glass to reduce the amount of UV light allowed into the cockpit yet does not limit the view of the sky and the feeling of being out in the open. The hardtop frame incorporates numerous task lights that alternate between white, blue, and red depending on your mood and visibility requirements. A misting system is designed to spray occupants with a fine, cooling mist of water.
Below Deck
After taking a few steps down, guests enter a salon that is standard with customized hardwood cabinets, hardwood flooring and ultra-leather fabrics that can be ordered to taste. Immediately to port is the standard stand-up shower and head with full size entrance door. Next to this is the galley with Karadon quartz countertops, microwave, refrigerator/freezer and sink. Straight ahead toward the bow is a sleeping area laden with yacht-grade fabrics and appointments and is as large as found on a 34 or 36 foot cruiser.
Because of the “twin-tip” bow the MasterCraft 300 has the beam forward to put the double berth athwartships. This means that there is more room left in the salon/galley. We like it.
Abaft the bed is the semi-circular settee with fold out table where people can eat, or relax and watch the standard 26” HD LCD TV. And if that were not enough, the MC 300 comes standard withContour Zone,a programmable 12v control system that allows anyone onboard to manage all the boat’s electrical systems including lights, A/C, alarms and more from one device.
Our first glimpse of the 300 was several months ago, and that boat had a large utility room under the cockpit deck. This test boat had that room replaced with a aft cabin. Access to the cabin is narrow and would best be described as a crawl space. Once inside, a double wide berth with roughly 2.5’ (.71 m) of headroom awaits. A word of caution: There is a recessed hatch in the middle of the overhead that protrudes down about 3” (.62 cm) and if you aren’t aware of it, you’ll likely hit your head on it - but only once.
The “twin-tip” MC 300 has a LOA of 33’9” (10.3 m), a beam of 11’ (3.4 m), and a draft of 2’10” (.86 m). She has a dry weight of 12,500 lbs. (5,670 kg) carries 200 gallons (757 L) of fuel and 30 gallons (113.6 L) freshwater.
There is a lot to like about the MasterCraft 300, and we find ourselves wondering where MasterCraft will be going from here.