SeaVee 400Z Review
One of the most daunting tasks for a boatbuilder is replacing an iconic model in the lineup. When the SeaVee 390Z debuted in 2014—it was the flagship of the new stepped-hull line of boats—it was an instant hit. Ten years later, the SeaVee 400Z replaced it. While it lost its flagship status to the 450Z, this design made several leaps forward.
On paper, the changes look incremental. Its length increased by 4 inches and the beam widened by 3 inches. So why does the 400Z seem to dwarf the 390Z when they are viewed side by side? It’s because the hull and deck are 8 inches taller, which allowed designers to add more capacity underdeck. Instead of a 540-gallon fuel tank, the 400Z has 650 gallons of capacity, with the option to add another 132 gallons, giving it a long range. The maximum power also increased by 400 horsepower, but this doesn’t increase its speed over the 390Z because it also weighs 4,550 pounds more.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the attention to detail in both design and execution. Yes, the 400Z includes some family-friendly features such as bowrider seats, but these amenities don’t get in the way of its fishing ability. Like the others in the SeaVee lineup, including the 370Z it is built by anglers for anglers.
At a Glance: SeaVee 400Z
SeaVee 400Z
- Excellent fishability
- Fuel capacity to make long runs
- Up to 300 gallons of livewell capacity
- Lack of transom boarding access
- Stern bench lacks versatility
- No console cabin
- Owners who take their fishing seriously but want a decent level of comfort
- Anglers who use a lot of live bait for live chumming
Specifications
- LOA: 39 feet, 4 inches
- Beam: 11 feet, 3 inches
- Dry weight: 15,200 pounds
- Deadrise: 22.5 degrees
- Fuel: 650 gallons (782 gallons optional)
- Maximum horsepower: 2,000
- Base price: $790,200 (w/quad V10 Mercury Verado 400s)
Performance
- Engines: Quad Mercury Verado 400
- Cylinders: V10
- Displacement: 5.7L
- Dry weight: 695 pounds
- Top speed: 66.6 mph
- Best cruise: 39.4 mph @ 4000 rpm 46.1 gph = .85 mpg
- Time to plane: 5.1 seconds
- Time to 30 mph: 6.9 seconds
Features We Love
- Stepped hull
- Twin transom 40-gallon livewells
- Triple-wide jump seat ahead of console
- Optional 150-gallon in-deck livewell
- Optional 70-gallon livewell in the bow
- Dedicated stern anchor compartment
- Cockpit compartment for gyro installation
- Standard rod storage for 42 rods
- Fixed mezzanine seat
- Triple Captain’s Edition helm seats
- Twin 24-inch MFDs
- Dometic DG3 gyrostabilizer
Design and Construction
Many marine industry veterans were surprised that SeaVee resisted jumping on the stepped hull bandwagon until 2014. Stepped hulls have been around since 1914, when a patent was granted for a seaplane hull. These vented hulls, which reduced friction to create higher speeds, have been part of performance boats for about 100 years. In 1932, the X-10 Miss America reached a top speed of 124.9 mph, aided by this hull design and four 2,000-hp Packard V12 aircraft engines.
In the 1980s, the go-fast era featured several stepped-hull models, but there was a problem. In the hands of inexperienced drivers, they could sometimes be dangerous. When drivers trimmed the motors in for a hard turn, the bow dropped and became part of the running surface. But because the rear half of the boat had less friction due to air being introduced under the hull, and because the bow had more grip, boats could violently hook up and throw passengers overboard.
SeaVee hired naval architect Robert Kaidy as its vice president of engineering to solve the problem. He and his team created the patented Z Series hull, which uses Speedrails to create vertical positive-pressure surfaces that prevent the aft end from slipping. The result is boats that are easy to drive—the 400Z is an example—and that won’t bite the hand that steers them.
SeaVee 400Z Bow
Usually, the presence of bowrider seats causes hardcore anglers to recoil in horror and derisively label a vessel as a pleasure boat. SeaVee, though, does its best to show that a serious fishing boat can have a few comfortable places to sit and recline without selling out.
Designers wisely left the entire bow open for fishing by not jamming the chaise lounges all the way forward. When not in use, the seatbacks lie flat, increasing seating capacity for social occasions (gasp!). When you need the backrests, they rise electronically, allowing passengers going horizontal to choose the perfect amount of recline. Purists can stop bristling because SeaVee will gladly axe the offending seats if desired.
In front of the console is a triple-wide jump seat with a high backrest for comfort. Does someone need to use the bathroom? Push a button and the right two-thirds of the seat module slides right to reveal the entrance to the head. On our test boat, it was equipped with an optional electric-flush toilet. Instead of bending over to enter, passengers going below can just step down. Thanks to the raised deck, the space features 6 feet, 5 inches of headroom.
The electronics panel is located inside the center console, and prospective buyers should check it out to get a feel for how things are done the SeaVee way. The wiring is neat, color-coded, and firmly affixed. I found zero wire wiggle.
Stern
SeaVee reconfigured the transom to create even more room in the cockpit. So instead of one 65-gallon centerline livewell, buyers get two 40-gallon livewells, one in each corner. I thought the designers would have used this change to offer a flip-down stern bench instead of the ungainly rear bench with supports that pin down the compartments beneath. Instead, they raised the pumps from the bilge and created an easy-to-reach access hatch in the transom.
The SeaVee 400Z is built for live-bait anglers. In addition to the standard 80 gallons, buyers can add another 150-gallon in-deck livewell and a 70-gallon livewell in the bow, to spare anglers up there a long walk to the stern.
SeaVee 400Z Cockpit
Previously, adding a gyrostabilizer to the 390Z meant installing it in the 100-gallon centerline fish box. Not so on the SeaVee 400Z. It has twin in-deck 100-gallon fish boxes to the sides, which leaves the center compartment available as a dedicated gyro mounting location. Also new is a dedicated stern anchor compartment. Two more small outer bilge access compartments have 5-gallon bucket holders. The lazarette has plenty of room for a normal-sized person to enter to service the livewell pumps and the custom sea chest.
SeaVee placed a cooler/storage compartment underneath the fixed mezzanine seat bottom. Magnets hold the seatback in place. When it’s time to fish, remove the seatback to reveal five tackle storage drawers and four Plano tacklebox slots.
Gunwale height is a minimum of 28 inches and increases to waist-high at the bow, so angler containment is excellent. The SeaVee 400Z has standard rod storage for 42, and since it is a custom builder, SeaVee can add more. The in-gunwale rod holders are evenly spaced and go all the way forward, which is a useful addition when kite fishing.
Helm
SeaVee used its 450Z flagship as inspiration for the 400Z’s helm configuration. Previously, the dash could accommodate twin 16-inch multifunction displays, but the new, wider version has room for twin 24-inch MFDs configured in a glass-cockpit arrangement. Previous models utilized a plexiglass cover for the electronics, but it was deemed unnecessary for more modern electronics that have grown increasingly weatherproof. And instead of the usual glossy black dash panel around the screens that is annoyingly reflective, it has a satin, flat-black finish.
Another clever touch is the angled, padded footrests at the bottom of the dash, because that’s where anglers often place their feet when sitting in the helm seats on long hauls. Instead of the standard leaning post-style bench seat, our test 400Z featured the upgraded triple Captain’s Edition helm seats with armrests. Small touches, like seat bottom bolsters that angle when flipped up, add to the comfort level.
One of the few swings and misses on this boat was the hard-top support tubes, which partially intrude into the forward view. But since SeaVee offers this boat with a full upper-station tuna tower or a marlin spotting tower option, it needs robust support.
SeaVee 400Z Engines
As a custom builder, SeaVee will rig boats with Yamaha and Suzuki outboards, but Mercury is SeaVee’s preferred engine builder. One of the reasons is the high-performance 150-amp alternator on its V10 and V12 motors, starting at 350 horsepower. That much juice keeps its optional lithium-ion house battery bank charged up to power high-draw items such as gyrostabilizers, multiple big-screen electronics, a premium stereo, and livewells. While the most common configuration for this model is triple V10 Mercury Verado 400 hp outboards, our test boat had quad V10 Verado 400 hp outboards. Buyers can bump it to quad 500s if they hate wearing hats.
The pricing sweet spot for adding horsepower is upgrading from 350 hp V10 Mercury Verado engines to 400 hp V10 Verados, because they are basically the same engine with different computer mapping. Adding 150 horsepower to go from triple 350s to 400s costs $10,950, while adding 200 horsepower to go from quad 350s to 400s is $14,800.
Conversely, the most expensive Mercury jump is adding 200 horsepower by jumping from quad 400s to Mercury Racing 450s, which costs $75,650. This is because the 400s are normally aspirated 5.7L V10 engines, while the 450 has a smaller 4.6L V8 engine block that has twin-screw superchargers, which give them more power and faster acceleration.
SeaVee 400Z Handling
One of the signature features of a SeaVee’s Z Series hull is its lack of bowrise when launching a holeshot, and the 400Z exemplified this trait. Some twin-stepped hull designs are less efficient than regular hulls at slower speeds, and this was one of many problems Robert Kaidy had to overcome before SeaVee was willing to commit to this design. Their efforts paid off with a hull that feels comfortable at trolling speeds, fast trolling for wahoo, and at slower cruising speeds on days when sea conditions prevent airing it out. During hard turns, the SeaVee 400Z is highly predictable and carves tight-radius changes in direction well.
Our test boat featured the new Dometic DG3 gyrostabilizer option. Although our test day in Miami was annoyingly calm offshore, I kite-fished for sailfish with SeaVee President Ariel Pared aboard a 450Z on a snotty day. That boat was equipped with a Seakeeper 4, which made the experience a pleasure by negating the side-to-side motion that can plague boats with deep-V hulls, like the 22.5-degree deadrise hulls on the Z-Series boats.
Performance and Fuel Economy
Quad V10 Mercury Verado 400 outboards pushed the 400Z well. While triple 400s will get the job done, the extra engine provides snappier acceleration and throttle response. Time to plane was 5.1 seconds, and the 400Z accelerated to 30 mph in 6.9 seconds. It reached a devilishly fast top speed of 66.6 mph.
I found the best cruise speed for fuel economy at 39.4 mph, where the outboards burned a combined 46.1 gph for a 0.85 mpg yield. Pushing it to 50 mph dropped the fuel economy to 0.7 mpg. Our test boat had a couple of hundred gallons of fuel on board, but loading up the 400Z when equipped with the 132-gallon auxiliary tank on top of the 650-gallon standard fuel tank will add nearly 5,000 pounds to the boat’s weight, reducing its fuel economy. Still, its range is almost 500 miles, which means a round-trip from Miami to Hope Town in the Abacos is doable.
Who Is the SeaVee 400Z For?
There are many 40-something fishing-forward center console models that feature abbreviated cabins. Examples include the Scout 425 LXF and the Valhalla V-41. The 400Z does not. Instead, it is designed for owners who take their fishing seriously but want a decent level of comfort. Other boats split fishing prowess and entertaining ability more evenly, but the 400Z skews hard toward a fishing-first mentality.
This boat is ideal for anglers who use a lot of live bait for live chumming to fire up the action. Our test boat featured a custom Sea Chest to prevent air from entering the lines at high speed and disrupting flow.
Trick It Out
SeaVee offers a variety of tops on the 400Z, including soft tops. Most owners, however, order either the Key West hardtop, which is narrower up front to accommodate vertical rod storage, or a hardtop with more coverage.
The bowrider seats are standard, but owners can choose to eliminate them for more room up front; doing so also reduces storage. They can also add a coffin box storage unit.
Most anglers will maximize their fishing options with outriggers for trolling and electric reel outlets for making deep drops.
SeaVee offers the Seakeeper Ride vessel attitude control system that replaces trim tabs and vastly reduces side-to-side roll and the up-and-down pitching motion of the bow on rough days by making 100 corrections a second.
For additional crew comfort, buyers can add a second-row helm-seat option.
SeaVee can also add non-fishy options, such as a summer kitchen with an electric grill and a refrigerator/freezer.
Challenges
The optional stern bench is an install-it-at-the-dock or leave-it-at-the-dock model. Its best use is for entertainment mode.
The area behind the transom includes neither a walkway nor extended platformettes with a swim ladder. This lack of access means passengers boarding from dockside enter from the portside dive/tuna door or swing a leg over the tall gunwale.
I found the curved polycarbonate windshield to be mostly free of distortion, but I prefer a real glass windshield that offers better coverage.
SeaVee 400Z Conclusions
Prospective owners looking for 40-something center-console fishing boats have many options. Those looking for good all-around boats that can perform many tasks, such as offering cabins for overnighting, will probably look elsewhere.
The base price for a model with quad V10 Mercury Verado 400s is $790,200, which is less than the $1,394,462 MSRP of the Scout 425 LXF S-Class. But that boat has a laundry list of standard premium features, such as carbon fiber in the layup and a Seakeeper gyrostabilizer, to name a couple. Yes, owners can easily push the final price past the million-dollar mark, but they can also get a quality boat for six figures.
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Alan Jones
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