Pursuit got the Drummond Runner 3480 exactly right. It���s stylish and built to very high standards. It���s fast, seakindly, reasonably economical to operate, and priced to match its quality. These are bold statements to be sure, and whether or not you agree with them depends on what you want from a boat. I���ll wager, though, that you���ll be hard-pressed to find another boat in this category that fulfills its design brief as well as the 3480.

���I wanted a boat that would get us from our home in Holland, Michigan, to the upper reaches of Lake Michigan and the Drummond Island area in fewer hours than we normally spend traveling to the island,��� said Leon Slikkers, chairman of S2 Yachts and founder of Pursuit. ���When I saw how well the 3480 Center Console performed, I knew we could make it into the perfect island runner.��� Slikkers said that he can make the 300-mile trip in less than eight hours cruising at 40 mph and arriving with nearly a quarter-tank of fuel to spare.

When I caught up with the Drummond Runner 3480 this April, she was perched on her three-axle aluminum trailer at a public launching ramp in Lake Worth, Florida. Before we launched, I spent several minutes studying the bottom.

The Drummond Runner rides on a robust deep-V bottom���robust because Pursuit employs a solid laminate below the waterline. Like most deep-V hulls I���ve seen, this one sprouts two lifting strakes on each side of the keel. The bottom joins the topsides in chine flats of modest width and a barely perceptible down-angle���both elements less pronounced than is common. Designers rely on the width and down-angle of chine flats to enhance lift, provide lateral stability and damp roll. The 3480 is narrow for her length (beam/length ratio of 3 and change)���more like a high-performance sport boat than a family-style boat (beam/length ratio of 2.5). The Pursuit 3480 may roll more easily at rest or trolling speeds, but the motion will be gentler (less snappy) than you can expect from beamier boats with shallower deadrise and wider chine flats. Capt. Eric Hess, a key member of Pursuit���s engineering staff, told me that the company had experimented with more down-angle in the chine flats, but these created an unpleasantly loud slap as the boat sped across the water���the production 3480 doesn���t slap a bit.

Time to launch���a procedure that one shouldn���t take lightly when the boat weighs nearly 11,000 pounds. Patrick, from Tuppens Marine & Tackle, Pursuit���s dealer in Lake Worth, simply backed the trailer into the water until the 3480 began to float. Hess fired up the V-6 Yamaha outboards and simply backed her off the trailer���as slick as you please���and this into winds of 20 knots, and more.

We idled lazily about 50 yards off the launching area, letting the engines warm and my hand-held GPS locate itself. In spite of the strong wind, Lake Worth, which is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, showed us only a foot or two of chop, depending on our location. In these conditions, the Drummond Runner was pleasantly stable, dancing only lightly in the wavelets. The Yamaha 4-stroke motors were remarkably quiet, even at their maximum of 6,000 rpm.

In the channel, Hess and I motored north and south to record the sound levels at the helm and speed over the ground at 500-rpm intervals from 1000 to maximum. During these trials, I discovered that the Drummond Runner doesn���t have an obvious hump in its transition from displacement speeds to planing. Normally, the helmsman simply opens the throttle and gets the boat onto plane as soon as possible���to keep the engines from laboring and to get the bow down. In order to get my numbers, we approached planing speed so gradually that the characteristic deep-V hump would have been accentuated. Its absence surprised me, especially because the bottom is narrow and steep. Later in the afternoon while I drove, I opened the throttles full-on from idle, and the 3480 simply lifted herself up like a polite lady rushing for a taxi on Park Avenue and scooted. I always had a clear view of the water in front of the boat. In fact, the view from the helm was excellent on every point of the compass.

Pursuit equips the Drummond Runner with a high-quality hardtop, which blends reasonably well with the boat���s styling. It rests on a beefy anodized aluminum frame, which provides a number of conveniently located handholds. The hardtop also houses the spreader lights, speakers, red LED lighting for night running and white LED lighting for every other occasion. The top also anchors the canvas enclosure and serves as a mounting platform for the radar, GPS, and VHF antennas. As practical as the hardtop is, I don���t like the way it stands proud of the windscreen. If I were buying a 3480, I���d ask Pursuit to leave the top at the factory. Without it, I could satisfy my New Englander���s prejudice for a bass-boat-style express bridge. Notwithstanding my petty carping, I was happy to be under the hardtop, sheltered from the hot sun.

Standing at the helm, one hand on the wheel the other on the throttles, ignited my desire to point the bow toward Lake Worth Inlet and set a course for the Bahamas. The Drummond Runner feels reassuringly able���buttoned down the way a fine touring automobile feels. The hydraulic steering, working through a cylinder for each engine, wants a bit of muscle, but the feedback is top drawer, and the effort keeps you from over-steering. I wouldn���t have it any other way. The 3480 corners with precision and responds immediately to steering inputs. What more could a person ask?

Although the 3480 is mostly a day boat��� the huge cockpit is a dead giveaway���it doesn���t cheat the owner who wants to cruise in minimalist style. The cabin is cozy and appears to be comfortable for two adults. I love the little settee between the V-berth and the foot of the companionway stairs on the starboard side. I cruise solo and can picture myself at anchor sipping a single malt scotch and reading one of John Updike���s novels I���d missed when it was new. The head is small, but usable. Who cares? Just how much time does a person spend in the head, anyway?

Most in keeping with the day-boat theme, the galley lives in the cockpit, and what a piece of work it is. We could say that it is an island unto itself. The island in question is paved in Corian and sits directly behind the helm. It houses a sink, a microwave oven, a singleburner cooktop, a top-loading DC refrigerator/ freezer, lots of stowage for galley stuff, and a removable waste bin.

Pursuit offers the basic Drummond Runner, with a pair of Yamaha 250 4- stroke outboards, for $250,795. The Westerbeke gasoline-fueled generator adds $12,100, air conditioning another $4,175. Priced to match its quality, for sure, but I reckon it���s a bargain.

Contact: Pursuit, (772) 465-6006, www.pursuitboats.com.