Scout 357 LXF S-Class: Angling Indulgence
If you want to go fishing in luxury, the new Scout 357 LXF S-Class will make it happen.
Can you find true luxury in a fishing boat? Scout’s unequivocal answer is “yes,” and the new 357 LXF S-Class, one of Scout’s three new fishing boats for 2024, provides plenty of evidence that they’re right. Replacing Scout’s 355, this all-new hull and design take comfort to a new level while maintaining solid fishability — and just wait until you learn how it performs when you unleash the throttles.
Scout 357 LXF S-Class Construction
The way this boat is built is a highlight, setting it apart from the vast majority of the 30-something center consoles out on the water today. High-tech touches include the twin-stepped hull being epoxy-infused, Zipwakes dynamic trim tabs on the transom, an anchor camera integrated into the bow stem, and control of the systems via digital switching with touchscreens at the helm. On top of that the pipework is powder-coated and the boat is bolstered 360-degrees around. Optional build items many will want to consider include solar panels integrated into the hard top which charge the house battery system, and plumbed engine flush kits.
An inspection of the boat exposes a sky-high level of fit and finish. Hatches are smooth on both sides, have gas-assist struts where appropriate, are guttered, and gasketed. The hard top integrates lights, speakers, and switch panels. Grigio upholstery is two-tone with diamond stitching, and comes in multiple color patterns of your choice. If the devil’s in the detail, this boat has got the devil beat.
Scout 357 LXF S-Class Comfort Features
We’ve been saying from the start that the 357 LXF S-Class is all about luxury, and there’s plenty to talk about in that regard. Kick back in the helm chairs on a chilly morning and you can turn on the heated seats. Sit in the cockpit under a blazing sun and you can turn on the helm air conditioning and extend the sunshade from the hard top. Or, decide to stretch out on the bow sunpad rather than the forward console double-lounger, and you can drop the dinette table to lounger level at the press of a button.
On top of sitting and stretching in luxury you can also lie down and nap belowdecks on this boat, even though it’s a center console under the 40-foot mark. Scout still manages to incorporate a double berth/dinette in the console compartment, along with a refrigerator, a 19” flat-screen TV, a removable teak table, and the head. And yes, of course there’s air conditioning down there, too.
Luxury isn’t just about plopping down in comfy cushions, it’s also about designing a smarter boat to reduce your workload. And in several ways the 357 LXF S-Class makes it happen. Swing open the extra door in the side of the console, and you’ll discover a cabinet with rope hangers and upright racks for your mops and brushes; that means no more bending down to get a scrub brush out of the under-gunwale holders. Or use the raw or freshwater washdown, and instead of fighting with the hoses you’ll find they’re contained and auto-stowed on reels.
Scout 357 LXF S-Class Fishing Features
Scout’s roots lay in the fishing boat world, and even as they up the ante on the luxury factor they maintain an emphasis on fishing features. In fact, other than trading off a bit of deck space to the larger console (making room for the cabin) there really aren’t any angling sacrifices that need to be made. The transom houses a 47-gallon livewell and a 60-gallon fishbox, and additional deck boxes have 43 gallons of capacity. The 357 LXF S-Class gets a healthy selection of 10 flush-mount rodholders, far more than the usual four or six, and there are six rocket launchers on the hard top. Tackle stowage drawers are built into the side of the leaning post and an extra transom compartment next to the fold-out bench seat can house additional tackleboxes.
A Garmin 8612 is in the helm of the stock boat, but upgrading to a pair or a pair of 8616s won’t hurt any angler’s feelings and there are four transducers to choose from. Other options you may or may not want depending on fishing style include Taco outriggers on the hard top, electric reel plugs wired under the gunwales, and underwater lights in the transom.
Scout 357 LXF S-Class Performance
We’ve already learned that the Scout 357 LXF S-Class is both a luxury boat and a fishing boat, but on top of that it’s also a high-performance boat — by anyone’s standards. Rigged with triple 400-hp Mercury Verado V10 outboards this multitalented marine machine can hit a hair-whipping 72.2 mph with three people aboard and a half tank of fuel. Dial it back to a mellow 4500 rpm cruise and this boat is still tearing along at a hair over 50 mph. Those are impressive numbers to post for a boat of any type, much less a 35-foot luxury fishing machine.
Scout 357 LXF S-Class Specifications
- Length Overall: 35’3”
- Beam: 10’9”
- Weight: TBD
- Draft (minimum, approx.): 2’0”
- Transom Deadrise: 22 degrees
- Max HP: 1200
- Fuel Capacity: 319 gal.
So, let’s get back to that original question: can you really find true luxury in a fishing boat? The 357 LXF S-Class proves beyond the shadow of a doubt that the answer is yes. But it also proves that we’re asking the wrong question. Really, we should be asking if you can have true luxury and red-hot performance in a fishing boat. Again, there’s no need to litigate — the 357 LXF S-Class provides all the evidence we need.
See Scout 357 LXF S-Class boats for sale on boats.com.
