Boston Whaler 320 Vantage, the Dual Console That Earned an Innovation Award

The Boston Whaler 320 Vantage and where it fits

When the Boston Whaler 320 Vantage debuted at the Miami International Boat Show on February 12, 2015, it was the largest dual console Whaler had built. The Vantage series itself was less than three years old, introduced with the 230 and 270 Vantage in the fall of 2012, and Whaler's pitch was simple: a recreational boat that fishes well, rather than a fishing boat with cushions added.

The 320 arrived with an award already attached. It won the National Marine Manufacturers Association Innovation Award in the Deck Boats category at that same Miami show, the third straight year Whaler took home an Innovation Award. Later in 2015 it was shown in Europe at the Cannes Yachting Festival alongside the new 420 Outrage.

It stayed in the catalog for close to a decade. Whaler replaced it with the 330 Vantage, which debuted at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show on October 30, 2024, so the 320 is now a used-only boat with a deep pool of examples from 2015 to 2024.

Hull, dimensions and two conflicting spec sheets

Every source agrees on the basics: 32 feet 1 inch long, 10 feet 4 inches of beam, a draft of about 22 inches and a 21-degree transom deadrise. Boating lists 15 persons and 4,145 pounds of weight capacity, and Sport Fishing gives a maximum of 700 hp, which means twin 350 Verados at the top of the range.

The weight and fuel figures are less consistent. Boating published a dry weight of 9,800 pounds without engines and 285 gallons of fuel, while Sport Fishing's 2015 first look listed 8,900 pounds and 275 gallons. We use Boating's later figures in our spec table, but a buyer should treat both as approximate and check the boat's capacity plate.

The hull uses Whaler's Unibond construction with foam injected between hull and liner. Whaler's launch release promised a soft, safe, dry ride and predictable handling, and that is the reputation the boat has kept among owners.

The transforming port lounge that won the award

The feature the judges noticed sits opposite the helm. Two deep benches can face forward or aft, combine into a large sun lounge, or set up as a dinette with an optional table. The forward seat is electrically actuated and can be used with bolsters up while running, and an aft ottoman extends the arrangement. Boating summed it up as seating for six underway or a dinette at anchor.

The rest of the boat follows the same idea. The aft bench has an elevated backrest and folds away into the transom to open up the cockpit, and the open bow has port and starboard lounges with back and armrests and a large integrated cooler. Add the hardtop, which is integrated with the full windshield, and an electrically deployed cockpit sunshade that extends shade back to the aft bench, and you have a boat built for a crowd on a hot day.

Two consoles, two jobs

Dual consoles live or die by what is inside them. On the 320, the starboard console houses the head, with a VacuFlush porcelain toilet, a sink and a pullout shower nozzle. The port console holds a convertible berth with a fold-up table, a genuinely useful place for a child's nap, a change of clothes or a break from the midday sun.

It is not a cabin, and nobody should buy a 320 Vantage expecting to overnight on it. But compared with the cramped console heads on many 30-foot dual consoles, the 320's two compartments are a strong selling point for families.

Summer galley or bait station: the big option choice

Behind the helm sits a cockpit utility center that defines how a particular 320 was used. The standard setup includes a sink, an 18-gallon cooler and a prep surface, with an electric grill and a refrigerator on the options list. Fishing owners could instead order a deluxe prep center with tackle drawers and a 40-gallon livewell, though Boating noted that it takes away part of the port seating.

The optional Fishing Package added five rod holders across the hardtop, three more in the gunwales on top of the transom holders, a raw-water washdown, toe rails and an under-gunwale storage shelf. A starboard dive door with a removable stainless ladder rounds out the cockpit and makes boarding from the water easy.

• Entertainment setup: sink, 18-gallon cooler, optional grill and refrigerator
• Fishing setup: tackle drawers and a 40-gallon livewell, reduced port seating
• Fishing Package: hardtop and gunwale rod holders, raw-water washdown, toe rails
• Starboard dive door with removable ladder on every boat

Performance on twin Verados

Whaler's factory testing, quoted by Sport Fishing at launch, recorded a top speed of 51 mph, about 44 knots, with twin Mercury Verado 350s, 0.83 miles per gallon at that speed and a time to plane of 8.5 seconds. Boating described speeds in the upper 40s to around 50 mph with the same engines.

We have not found a full published fuel curve for the 320 Vantage, so we are not listing a cruise speed or range. As a guide, twin 350s give the boat its best all-round performance and resale, while boats on the base 250s are adequate for family cruising but feel noticeably softer when loaded with a full crew.

Buying a used 320 Vantage

With roughly ten model years to choose from, focus on configuration and engines rather than hull year. The most liquid boats have twin 350s, the hardtop sunshade, Raymarine or later Simrad electronics and the entertainment galley, because that is what dual-console buyers want. Fishing-package boats sell well in the Southeast, where the 40-gallon livewell gets used.

Running costs sit between a 28-foot center console and a 33-foot express. Budget for twin-engine service, canvas, a slip or rack, insurance and fuel, which we estimate at $18,000 to $34,000 a year depending on use. The electrically actuated seats, sunshade and cooler pumps add complexity, so test every motor before you sign.