New Boat: Blackfin 400CC
The latest from Blackfin Boats, the 400CC, is the culmination of the company’s 50-year history. The Williston, Florida-based builder pulled together smart design features from models launched over the years and placed them on a Michael Peters patented two-step SVVT (Stepped Vee Ventilated Tunnel) hull for serious performance.
Stepping aboard the 40-foot center console at a hotel marina in Boca Raton, Florida, my eyes immediately turned toward the seat mounted atop the live well on the transom. I’d seen cutting boards in this space, but I couldn’t recall ever seeing a seat there. When I jumped on the bench chair to get a feel for it, I was impressed with the comfort and the visibility, but what do you do if you want to grab a bait? Blackfin made the seat so you can lift the cushion to access the baits in the well, or slide the seat out and stow it for a day of fishing. That was my first surprise.
Moving forward, I found my second surprise in the tackle center on the backside of the second row of helm seats. When you open the top of this mezzanine-style work area, you’ll find several built-ins for leader spools, pliers, tools and plenty of room to rig baits. Another hatch lets you lift the tackle station to reveal an electric grill and sink. There’s also a cutting board that can be moved from the grilling spot to the tackle area, where it fits into an insert so it won’t slide off. Steps integrated on the side of the workstation give access the hardtop.
A giant hatch in the cockpit sole conceals a massive storage area and access to fuel filters. You could drop a Seakeeper in here. Our test boat held several dive tanks in this area, secured in custom holders. There’s also a dive door on the port side with a ladder for easy boarding.
The 400CC has six helm seats in two rows under the hardtop. The centerline captain’s chair provides great visibility through a large, one-piece windshield and easy access to switches on both sides of the two 24-inch Garmin MFDs. The size of the touchscreens makes it easy to split the displays with radar, navigation and sounder information running simultaneously. The MFDs had me reminiscing about the 25-inch color television my parents bought when I was a kid. At the time, it was the biggest TV on the market.
My next surprise came when we fired up the quad, 400-hp Mercury Verado V10s. Mercury recently released the V10s and I was anxious to feel them in action. I asked Blackfin’s Director of Engineering Mason Cummings about the boat’s top end with the 400s. “About 70,” he said. My chin almost hit the deck.
“I have to feel that,” I said, and Cummings was more than happy to oblige. After waiting for a drawbridge on the ICW, we hammered down the throttles, and the boat shot out of the hole with very little bow rise. The 400CC is equipped with Zipwake interceptors as opposed to trim tabs, but we didn’t really need them on the flat water. The boat was still gaining speed at 57 knots when we ran out of room and had to pull back on the throttles. With more space, I think we would’ve come very close to the 60-knot mark.
Our original plan was to take the boat fishing, but delays and rising seas threw a wrench into the gears. Still, I wanted to see how the boat did out in the Atlantic. The 3- to 5-foot chop was stacked. With Cummings at the wheel, we comfortably cruised in the 26-knot range without taking on much spray. In calmer conditions you can expect a 35-knot cruise burning 0.6 to 0.8 mpg for a cruising range of 300-plus miles with the 475-gallon tank. Cummings throttled down and let me take the wheel, and the boat was very responsive as I picked my line through the seas. Pushing the throttles a bit too far for the conditions, I came over the top of a large wave, caught a little too much air and came down hard, but it certainly wasn’t the boat’s fault.
“Don’t worry, you won’t hurt it,” Cummings said. It reminded me that it takes time to learn a boat’s running angles no matter how high-tech the boat may be.
We stopped over Boca Reef, and the CHIRP transducer pulled up a clear image of the structure and life below us in 80 feet of water. I dropped a knife jig down and started to work it up off the structure. I got a hit and was instantly bitten off. Maybe a barracuda, I thought. We tried a few bucktails but didn’t find any other action, and our time was running out, so we decided to run back to the inlet.
As we idled back toward the dock, I stepped down into the air-conditioned cabin. The 400CC uses a bank of lithium-ion batteries and an inverter system to run the onboard electrics, instead of a genset. This frees up space, as there’s no need for a diesel tank. Cummings said the air conditioning can run all night on battery power without a problem.
The cabin is roomier than I would’ve thought—yet another surprise. The couch unfolds into a bunk that is roomy enough for two, and a small galley is equipped for heating up leftovers or making coffee.
Blackfin took its time creating this boat, and it shows. The goal was to produce a boat that can fish hard, perform well and keep the family entertained. I think the 400CC nails it.
Blackfin 400CC Specifications:
LOA: 40’8”
Beam: 12’
Draft: 3’3”
Displacement: 20,000 lb.
Fuel: 475 gal.
Water: 100 gal.
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Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/outboard/blackfin-400cc-boat-review
