News Flash: No matter how closely you’ve followed Boston Whaler boats through the years, the introduction of the 2026 Boston Whaler 330 Outrage is without question one of the most exciting new models ever announced. This is the first Boston Whaler—ever—to run on a twin-stepped hull design.
Now hold on there, partner, Boston Whaler is hyper-careful to make sure all of its Outrages offer turn-on-a-dime handling, and stepped boats are known for sliding in turns, aren’t they? Well, maybe some, but certainly not this one. The “WhalerStep” design has a unique keel-like appendage from the back of the second step aft, which grips the water with ferocity. The net result? Whaler gets the performance enhancements of a stepped hull with the predictable handling its Outrage lineup has always delivered.
Speaking of performance: the 330 Outrage can carry twin Mercury 300-hp V8s or twin 425-hp V10s. Although the boat we checked out was on dry land inside the convention center at the Miami International Boat Show, Boston Whaler has run performance reports with both packages and found that with 600 Verado ponies on the transom you can look for a cruise of right around 40 mph at 4500 rpm and a top-end slightly north of 53 mph. Most efficient cruise comes at 4000 rpm and around 33 mph, where the boat gets almost 1.6 mpg. Opt for max power and cruising speed notches up a hair, while top-end shoots to a blistering 60.9 mph.
Another function of the stepped hull is to help the boat cruise with a flatter running attitude. This is nice when coming up onto plane without a ton of bowrise obscuring the view, but a much bigger benefit comes when you start punching through waves. The flatter running angle means sharper forward sections of the hull meet the seas, and those amidships thumps and bumps that all planing powerboats can experience are reduced. And naturally, like all Boston Whalers, this one’s constructed with the glass-foam-glass sandwich, which absorbs vibrations and feels uber-solid underfoot. So, the new hull design takes a boat that has already bested tough seas without worry and turns it into one that does so with even more comfort than before.
Topsides, anglers will appreciate touches like the 50-gallon livewell in the transom (another 40-gallon well under the leaning post is optional), flush-mount rodholders lining the transom and gunwales, and 57-gallon fishboxes integrated into the deck. Remember, they’re surrounded by foam, so those fishboxes are far better insulated than the norm.
Up in front of the console when you flip up the lounger, rather than finding another fishbox you’ll discover a huge lockable stowage compartment with racks for up to 10 rods, a pair of five-gallon buckets, a dedicated rack for the removable bow cocktail table, and room for a whole lot more. For those who are sick and tired of stacking rods and gear into the car every time they head for the marina, this compartment will save a lot of time and effort.
Many boaters, however, will be more interested in this compartment for what’s on top of it: a huge double-wide lounger with fold-down arm rests. The bow cockpit is similarly comfy, with seats on either side that are padded with coaming bolsters all the way around so they can serve as loungers, forward-facing, aft-facing, or center-facing seats. Note that those bolsters track around the backrests, run all the way aft, and ring the stern cockpit as well. Wherever you lean up against the inwales of this boat, you’ll be leaning against padding rather than hard fiberglass.
More comfort can be found back aft when you swing out the folding transom seat, but the real surprise back here is the aft-facing mezzanine-style seat on the back of the leaning post. It boasts arm rests with cupholders and has a cooler underneath if you don’t opt for the extra livewell, but when fishing is the mission, you can swing down the back and it turns into a table/rigging station of sorts.
You say you’ve been a Boston Whaler fan for decades and have watched through the years as they developed one new model after the next? Us, too. But we’ve never seen one like this before. And considering that WhalerStep, the 2026 330 Outrage might just be this epic boatbuilder’s most exciting introduction yet.
By Lenny Rudow
Boston Whaler 330 Outrage Specifications:
LOA: 33’0”
Beam: 10’2”
Draft: 2’1”
Displacement (dry, no engines): 9800 lbs.
Transom Deadrise: 23 degrees
Fuel Capacity: 300 gal.
Water Capacity: 39 gal.
Max HP: 850