Boat test for the 2008 Davis 70 with boat pictures, boat specifications, and boat test results. Includes pricing, videos, engine test reviews, and ratings for the 2008 Davis 70.

But even ignoring her price (as if you could), you have to appreciate the way the 70 is engineered and built. The boat is so solid she feels like she was carved from a block of stone, when in reality she's cored throughout (including bulkheads) with Divinycell foam that's resin-infused. So while 117,000 pounds (with full fuel) may not sound exactly svelte, it is a moderate displacement for a boat of this size. And speaking of fuel, the 70 carries plenty of it—2,000 gallons with prop pockets, 2,200 gallons without—in three tanks: two saddle units forward of the engine room and the main one under the cockpit. Thanks to a fuel-transfer system and cross-over manifolding, you can top off any and all tanks from any fill. Better yet, you can leave the forward tanks empty for those times when you don't need the range, which should enhance running attitude and maybe add a knot or two.

Not that our boat needed more knots. She topped out at a respectable 32 (36.8 mph), despite an annoying vibration that told me something was amiss in the drive train. The captain said he didn't feel it, but I surely did. Regardless, the phantom shake didn't affect our sound levels, which stayed in the mid-70s most of the time. I thought the muffler system was particularly effective, as it eliminated any resonance during planing, something I've heard on other boats powered by C32s.

The bridge is accessed only from the saloon; its helm is well aft, which providies plenty of seating space.

A good turn of speed is pretty important in a sportfishing boat, and this is a sportfishing boat, although inside she felt more like a motoryacht. (She hadn't been campaigned when I was aboard her in early January.) Stand in the massive cockpit, and you can easily imagine chasing down billfish somewhere warm and far away, even without the chair installed. (The backing plate for it is.) Not only is the cockpit big, but there's also the de rigueur mezzanine with enough seating for eight and loads of stowage and a bank of tackle drawers below.

Access to the engine room is also beneath the mezzanine, via a centerline hatch that leads to a Diamond Sea Glaze watertight door and then into the mechanicals space. Once inside you're treated to serious features like dual engine-driven crash pumps plus demisters and big 24-volt intake and exhaust fans by Delta T. Although the area was air conditioned, I was told that it's somewhat superfluous as the temperature here rarely exceeds 90ºF. The Cats were aglow with the optional chrome trim package, but what really caught my eye were the polished stainless steel plates on the overheads above the engines. They make for a dazzling show but also stand off from the overhead by about three inches, which allows air to circulate behind them and prevents heat from radiating into the saloon above.

Ah, the saloon. This being a custom boat, you can have it just about any way you want. I liked this layout because the galley and saloon are basically one space, separated by only one step. I did think the lovely circular stairway to the bridge (the only way up there) intruded a bit on the interior, and I didn't get the point of having the 3'x3' hatch at the top of the stairway open electrically while the small door opens manually. But I guess on a boat like this, one does such things because one can.

And anyway, what you're really buying with the Davis 70 is a palette on which you can paint your dreams. Lots of custom builders can sell you that. In the end, it's the hull into which all those goodies go that makes the difference.

For more information on Davis Yachts, including contact information, click here.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Smart Stowage

It doesn't matter whether your boat is 17 feet or 70, you never have enough stowage space. But of all the places I've seen where builders look to add room to stow stuff, I've never seen one use the space under a bunk. It's a great place to lay out clothes you don't want wrinkled—or just stow a couple more rods.—R.T.

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