Nor-Tech 390 Sport Review, the Center Console That Built Nortech Boats

The boat that defined Nortech boats for a generation

Ask performance boaters to name one model from Nortech boats and most will say the 390 Sport. It was not Nor-Tech's idea at first. Terry Sobo, the company's sales and marketing director in 2009, believed customers who owned fast boats also wanted something they could fish, dive and tool around in, and he was so convinced that he paid for the tooling of the first 390 CC himself when Nor-Tech principals Trond Schou and Nils Johnsen hesitated.

Johnson designed the boat with Sobo's input, and performance-boat builder Doug Wright handled the hull and deck tooling. Sobo described a triple-outboard boat with lots of seating and bling but nothing that compromised fishing or cruising, with a flared bow and reverse strakes. The first one ran 73 mph and, in Sobo's words, turned like a Sea-Doo. It made its public debut at the February 2010 Miami show.

The model then became the backbone of Nor-Tech's center console business. Hull No. 100 arrived in early 2016 and No. 200 was celebrated at the 2018 Fort Lauderdale show. The same 39-foot, 10-foot-beam hull also underpins Nor-Tech's 420 Monte Carlo sport cruiser, which shows how much the company trusts it.

Four test reports, four engine packages

The 390 Sport has been tested repeatedly as outboards evolved, which makes it one of the better-documented boats in its class. In 2014 Boating ran a quad Verado 300 boat at 78 mph and noted that the quad setup was 7 mph faster than triple 350s while running on 87-octane fuel. That year Nor-Tech also reported 89.7 mph from a 390 Open Sport on triple 557-hp Seven Marine outboards.

When Mercury released the Verado 400R, Boating tested a quad 400R boat to a top speed of 92.2 mph at 7,000 rpm in its 2015 report (an accompanying news item quoted 93.2 mph), and noted it would cruise at 70 mph. In February 2016, dealer Double R Performance and Nor-Tech's Trond Schou ran hull No. 100, a fully optioned production boat on quad 400Rs and jack plates, to a GPS-recorded 101 mph, billed as the first outboard-powered center console past 100 mph.

Boating's 2019 test of a triple 400R boat is the most useful for typical buyers. It planed in 5.9 seconds, reached 30 mph in 7.1 seconds and broke 80 mph, and the testers called the mileage surprisingly good for three big outboards turning 25-inch props. Nor-Tech's current sheet quotes a 45 to 50 mph cruise on its standard triple 300R package.

• Quad Verado 300: 78 mph (Boating, 2014)
• Triple Seven Marine 557: 89.7 mph (Nor-Tech, 2014)
• Quad Verado 400R: 92.2 mph at 7,000 rpm (Boating, 2015)
• Quad Verado 400R on jack plates: 101 mph GPS (hull No. 100, 2016)
• Triple Racing 400R: over 80 mph, 5.9 seconds to plane (Boating, 2019)

Under the paint: how the 39 is built

Boating's 2014 tester climbed into the Imron-painted bilge and described the structure. The bottom is cored with composite board for about 6 feet forward of the transom, and from there forward it is reinforced with Kevlar and carbon fiber. Stringers and deck are foam-cored. To carry four big outboards, the transom knees run full height, the composite transom is 4 inches thick and a stainless steel plate sandwiches the structure before the engines are bolted on.

The twin-step bottom with reverse chines and flared bow kept the bow seats dry even in crosswinds, and Boating's 2019 crew wrote that there was nothing unpredictable about the boat: sharp turns got sharper as they fed in throttle. Published deadrise has been 23 degrees in earlier specs and 24 degrees in 2019.

Deck plan and the hidden fishing package

A 10-foot beam lets Nor-Tech put three individual stand-up bolsters behind the console, with an optional second row and a sliding cooler seat that forms mezzanine seating. Forward of the console a chaise lounge with LED cupholders and fold-down armrests seats two, and wraparound seating rings the bow. A starboard dive door comes standard, along with gunwale steps that make boarding easier.

Boating's 2019 test boat carried what Nor-Tech calls the hidden fishing package: a livewell under the transom walk-through, rod holders in the gunwales, transom and hardtop, and seats that can be swapped for livewells to open a fighting cockpit. Today's option sheet lists a 65-gallon aft-seat livewell, outriggers, electric reel outlets and a Seakeeper 3 (which requires the Nor-Tech tackle center).

Below, the console cabin has a double berth just shy of 6 feet with seated headroom aft, a head with holding tank, a sink, a skylight and portlights; Boating measured 6 feet 6 inches of maximum headroom in 2019. Air conditioning was available as early as 2014.

Running a triple or quad 390

Plan on roughly $30,000 to $70,000 a year depending on engine count, use and where you keep the boat. Mercury Racing outboards need dealer service, and boats used on long poker runs burn a lot of fuel; Nor-Tech notes that Mercury's Zero Effort controls are required above 85 mph, which tells you how fast quad boats run.

The 390's popularity is a practical advantage. Parts, trailers, lifts and technicians familiar with the model are easy to find from Florida to Ontario, and Nor-Tech's dealer network keeps growing; Unlimited Marine in Kentucky became the brand's first dealer in that state in 2025.

Pricing used Nor-Tech boats for sale

With more than 200 built, the 390 Sport is the most liquid model on the market for used Nor-Tech boats for sale. Asking prices we saw include a 2011 fishing-rigged boat on triple Verado 300s with 470 hours at $249,000 in 2017, a 2019 boat with about 290 hours at $515,000, 2022 boats at $624,900 and $799,900, and 2025 boats on quad 400R V10s at $775,000 to $839,900.

New-boat pricing has climbed with Mercury's Racing V8 and V10 outboards: from $585,000 base with triple 400Rs in 2019 to an $850,000 list on a 2025 boat. Our 2026 new estimate of $800,000 to $1,000,000 reflects triple versus quad packages and options. Older Verado 300 boats remain the value play and can be repowered later.