Dorado 272 CC 2023 review

May 07, 2023

There's a new brand in town and it's called Dorado, a name adopted from with the golden-hued sportsfish these US-made boats are made to chase. The saltwater fibreglass fishing specialist makes a range of centre console boats with one of its most popular being the Dorado 272 CC.

Centre consoles are like belly buttons; everyone who makes boats has one. In a crowded corner of the market, then, it's important to stand out from the crowd.

US-based fishing boat specialist Sailfish has a range of centre consoles that, from afar, look as though they would thrive in Australian waters.

Sharp-looking, with attractive profiles and performance-focused deep-vee hulls, they look as though they’d be as comfortable punching across Sydney Harbour's confused chop as they would taming Moreton Bay's fast-changing conditions.

Sailfish builds its range of fishing-focussed centre console, dual console and walkaround boats at its factory in the southern US state of Georgia, within easy driving distance of the Gulf of Mexico.

But there's a twist. Because the Sailfish name is already used on a range of Australian-made catamarans, the US brand's boats are sold here wearing a "Dorado" decal.

The 8.94-metre Dorado 272 CC, the subject of our test, falls into the middle of a range of centre console models ranging from the entry-level 6.5-metre 220 CC to the flagship 11.0-metre 360 CC.

Queensland Marine Centre has the Dorado 272 CC priced from $419,500 sail away and fitted with a pair of the maximum-rated 200hp 3.6-litre V6 Mercury Fourstroke outboard engines with hydraulic steering. Our test boat used white versions of the engine that come at an extra cost over the standard black, and contrast nicely with the optional Cortez Blue hull.

The standard equipment list is pretty rich, featuring a four-rung boarding ladder; cockpit bolster pads; the centre console including windshields, wiper, rod holders; spreader and courtesy lights; cockpit bolster pads and toe rails; extended transom with cooler box; port dive door with stainless steel grab handle and ladder; powder-coated T-top; 14 stainless steel cupholders; through-hull windlass system; transom-mounted raw water washdown and freshwater shower; trim tabs; transom door; low-profile bow rails; LED navigation and anchor lights; horn; battery charging system; 110-litre transom and 130-litre leaning post plumbed live wells; two insulated bow kill boxes and two aft ones with overboard pump-out system; 50-litre coolbox under the forward jump seat; 14 stainless steel rod holders; four fender cleats and six flush-mount line cleats; engraved Sailfish plates on the engine mounts; head with sink, pull-out shower and mirror; console glovebox; forward and aft automatic bilge pumps; and two USB recharging points.

Our test boat included an entertainment pack that added features such as a ski tow pole, a removable bow table and underwater lights.

Also from the options list were an extra jump seat in the aft cockpit, a bow shower and rod holders, an upgrade to the overboard discharge system, a two-tone hardtop and a three-bank battery charger.

The Sailfish 272 CC is a conventionally laid out centre console model featuring a two-seat helm protected by a substantial console, deep-sided walkaround decks and a Portofino-styled transom. Below the console is a large space that provides privacy for a head or as a changeroom.

Sailfish boats are built using a foam core sandwich that layers an inner and outer fibreglass skin over a rigid foam middle section. This creates a strong but lightweight build that gives the hull a level flotation standard, meaning that if the Dorado 272 CC is swamped, it will float level with the water's surface – an important safety factor should the worst happen.

The Dorado 272 CC sits on Sailfish's "VDS" hull featuring variable deadrise steps that get shallower the further sideways you get from the keel line. The sixth-generation hull starts with a sharp 58-degree bow entry before moving to a 24-degree deadrise, then to a 23-degree angle, and finishes with a 22-degree section that ends in a reversed chine. The steeper section is meant to cut through rough water, the mid-section creates lift, and the shallower outer section provides "stability and comfort".

The build uses no wood, with the stringers formed using hand-laid fibreglass sections that are then filled with closed-cell foam. The deck uses lightweight closed-cell foam-filed beams wrapped in fibreglass and carbonfibre to help prevent the floor from feeling spongey as the boat ages.

High-stress points throughout the boat are finished using Kevlar to improve their durability. Points where fixtures mount use an inner skin of Trevira, a felt-like material that once coated in resin and cured, holds screws as well as aluminium.

The transom is built with a core of Coosa, a lightweight fibreglass-reinforced high-density polyurethane foam that is 10 times stronger than wood.

The Dorado 272 CC features a wide Carolina-style flare forward that makes the hull better at deflecting spray away from the boat rather than inside it.

The centre console layout is a fishing boat staple, and the only difference between them comes down to how individual makers fit out the real estate.

The outboard engines sit on their own pod, framed to either side by elevated duckboards that house a 20-litre cooler box to port and a drop-down extending transom ladder to starboard. Because the duckboards sit well above the waterline and there's no grab rail up high, reboarding via the transom ladder may be a bit tricky.

The coamings drop away as they go aft to create a Portofino-style transom. A gate to starboard provides walk-through access to the cockpit.

The side decks offer easy access forward past the centre console. The entire interior of the Dorado 272 CC is lined with soft bolsters to make it more comfortable to lean over the coamings where toe rails are not fitted.

Up forward of the console is a bow lounge if the cushions are fitted, or a casting deck if the cushions are removed and stowed beneath the seats. A low stainless steel rail, angled inwards to make a very low profile, lines both topdecks.

Used as a bow lounge, the space includes forward-facing seatbacks that raise or lower as needed to create a great place to sit while underway or, once a table is inserted, sit around and relax. The front of the console has a jump seat built in above it, while below the lift-up seat squab is a large draining storage bin.

Another large drained storage bin is built into the floor of the bow lounge.

As a fishing platform, the bow lounge works well. An infill closes off the gap between the benches to create a single elevated platform. There are no dedicated steps up to the platform, apart from stepping up on a small shelf built into the coamings.

An electric anchor winch is housed in the chain locker in the forepeak, with the anchor hidden in the stem of the bow so it is not visible from deck level.

The Dorado 272 CC uses a flip-up navigation light in the bow and a removable all-around anchor light. All the cleats recess into the topdecks when not in use.

One thing you’ll notice with US-built boats is that even though they’re mass-produced, the fit and finish and everything down to the quality of the fittings are right up there with the best of them.

The helm is where centre consoles shine, and the Dorado 272 CC is an example of why.

Sailfish has created the helm as a true two-seater, providing high-set supportive and comfortable adjustable-reach captain's chairs for skipper and crew, and a tall but narrow console that is well protected from weather.

The stainless steel wheel is offset to port, with the shift and throttle controls for the twin 200hp Mercury Fourstroke outboard engines fitted to our test boat located centrally on the console – well away where passing bodies can knock them while walking past.

In front of the seats is a large, gloss black space to mount a pair of large flush-mount multifunction touchscreens and framed at the top with a bank of switches. More switches to control the exterior lights, as well as a small storage box and a zippered mesh storage pocket for life jackets, are mounted overhead on the hardtop, as are six rocket launcher rod holders.

A lower section to the helm houses the head unit for a Fusion audio system and controls for the trim tabs and a bow thruster. On the crew's side of the console are a large glovebox and a couple of cupholders.

The aft section of the console contains a lidded storage space that doubles as a footrest, while a pair of stainless steel rails mounted below the seats also act as footrests.

The aluminium T-top frame is powdercoated, and fitted with three panes of glass that stop short of extending to the top of the console to allow airflow. The forward pane is fitted with a large windscreen wiper.

The port side of the console opens to reveal a large standing space below that on our test boat is fitted with an electric flushing head and a freshwater sink with a removable faucet that doubles as a shower head. Oddly, the wet head shares space with the boat's main electrical switchboard. An opening porthole lets fresh air into the space.

The space atop the console isn't wasted. Sailfish has fitted this space with a large clear-topped and weather-sealed lid covering a number of compartments that will be ideal for storing lures and smaller bits of gear. It also has a pair of 5.0-volt USB charging ports.

The cockpit is best described as cosy, as it is much wider than it is deep. However, it's large enough for two people to work side-by-side to land or tag a gamefish.

Most of the fishing action is to port, where there is a plumbed and aerated live bait tank finished in a neutral blue and fitted with a clear lid. Just forward of it is a large-opening door in the coaming that swings in and forward to give easy access to the water, and the boat includes an expanding ladder stowed in the console to fit this opening.

The Dorado 272 CC features a self-draining cockpit floor but with a decent internal freeboard so you always feel safe inside it. The padded coamings aft come in handy as there are no toe rails or deck-level recesses to step up close to the sides.

The aft section of the cockpit is fitted with a raw water washdown system and a freshwater shower that tucks away into the transom, as well as six recessed stainless steel fishing rod holders. In the centre is a pop-up ski pole that, fully extended, holds a tow rope above the twin Mercurys.

When not fishing, a pair of fold-down jump seats pop out of the transom and the starboard coamings to provide extra accommodations for passengers. The transom seat is mounted on a lift-up panel that provides access to the bilge.

The aft section of the centre console houses a large plumbed live bait tank on one side and a freshwater sink and faucet on the other. In between are a couple of recessed stainless steel cupholders that are likely to end up holding sinkers. There's no bait board or prep station in this layout, so this surface will have to double as somewhere to rig up.

The bottom of this station has two draws for storing terminal tackle as well as a small magnetic cutting board.

Forward of the cockpit on each side of the console is a small recessed section of the coaming with a toe rail. The recess also houses a trio of rod holders that allows you to stow rods without breaking them down.

Two large underfloor fish bins are on either side of the console.

Sailfish specialises in saltwater fishing boats built to tackle the Gulf of Mexico. In light of this, a relatively calm day with a 1.5-metre swell on the ocean side of the Gold Coast Broadwater, the location for our test, was never going to challenge the Dorado 272 CC.

In these conditions, the big centre console was completely at home.

The helm seat sits high, with great views forward and around the console. The arrangement of the throttle and shift control and the switches for the electronics are all in easy reach.

The twin 200hp Mercury Fourtstroke outboard engines hanging off the transom provide plenty of flexibility to the Dorado 272 CC. The hull's light weight means the boat powers up onto the plane quite quickly despite the deep vee hull beneath it, and tracks beautifully, responding instantly to inputs from the helm.

Throttle down, the big, lazy swell presented no problem to fast running, with soft landings off the crests and the big, flared bow pushing spray aside.

The boat is fitted with trim tabs that do help to keep the nose down in fast running, but with two people onboard and half a tank of fuel in its belly the Dorado 272 CC was happy to sit flat and level on its own.

Performance

*Both enginesMaximum range on 5% reserve of 670L fuel tank: 352nm@3500rpm

Heading inside the Broadwater, the Dorado 272 CC's fine bow entry easily cut through the wakes of passing boats without needing to slow down.

There's a lot to like about the Dorado 272 CC, and not much to complain about. It's a good-looking, quality-driven bluewater platform with quality workmanship helping it to stand out in what's a pretty crowded corner of the market.

The large overhead hardtop and protective centre console mean it is a boat that you can use in a mix of conditions and not just fair weather days.

However, don't think you’re buying it as a crossover boat, though, as it is clearly more focused on fishing than family.

SpecificationsModel: Dorado 272 CCLength overall: 8.94mBeam: 2.77mDraft: 0.45m (hull only)Weight: 3020kg (est)Engines: 2x150hp (min)/2x200hp (max)Fuel: 670LWater: 53L

Priced from: TBA including four-rung boarding ladder; cockpit bolster pads; the centre console including windshields, wiper, rod holders; spreader and courtesy lights; cockpit bolster pads and toe rails; extended transom with cooler box; port dive door with stainless steel grab handle and ladder; powder-coated T-top; 14 stainless steel cupholders; through-hull windlass system; transom-mounted raw water washdown and freshwater shower; trim tabs; transom door; low-profile bow rails; LED navigation and anchor lights; horn; battery charging system; 110L transom and 130L leaning post plumbed live wells; two insulated bow kill boxes and two aft ones with overboard pump-out system; 50-litre coolbox under the forward jump seat; 14 stainless steel rod holders; four fender cleats and six flush-mount line cleats; engraved Sailfish plates on the engine mounts; head with sink, pull-out shower and mirror; console glovebox; forward and aft automatic bilge pumps; and two USB recharging points.

Price as tested: $419,500 including twin 200hp Mercury Verado outboard engines with electric steering; premium hull colour; entertainment pack including ski tow pole, removable bow table and underwater lights; jump seat in the aft cockpit; bow shower and rod holders; upgraded overboard discharge system; two-tone hardtop; a three-bank battery charger.

Supplied by: Queensland Marine Centre

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