It's 6:30 a.m. on a Saturday. You're backing the S 288 down the ramp while your crew loads the cooler. By 7:15, you're 12 miles offshore, lines in the water, twin Yamaha F300s idling in flat calm. At 10:00, the bite slows. You pull the rods, fire up the engines, and run 20 miles south to a sandbar your buddy mentioned. You anchor stern-to in three feet of water. The kids jump off the transom. Your wife unfolds the Mediterranean shade. By 2:00 p.m., you're back at the dock. The boat is hosed down and covered by 3:00. That's the S 288 in a single morning. It doesn't ask you to choose between fishing and family time. It delivers both without compromise.
Who It's For
The S 288 is built for the owner who runs a 30-footer like most people run a 24. You want the fishability of a center console and the comfort of a dual console. You need a boat that can handle inlet chop on the way out and still feel composed when the afternoon wind kicks up. You're not interested in a floating lounge. You want a tool that works.
This is not a boat for someone who needs a cabin with a V-berth and a galley. It's not for the owner who wants to spend weekends on the hook. The S 288 is a day boat. It's designed to leave early, run hard, and come home clean. If that's your profile, keep reading.
Design & Layout: Every Inch Has a Job
Pursuit didn't waste space on the S 288. The console is large enough to house a full head compartment with an electric flush marine head, a Corian countertop, and a 9-gallon holding tank. The door is a two-piece fiberglass unit with a gasket and locking latch. It's not an afterthought. It's a real head.
The helm seating is split-bolster with teak accents and fore-aft adjustment. The companion seat folds down to face aft when you're working the cockpit. The forward bow seating has insulated storage below and folding backrests. The transom seat adjusts to face forward or aft. Every seat has a purpose beyond sitting.
The cockpit is self-draining with a molded non-skid pattern. There are two 30-gallon insulated fish boxes with diaphragm pumps — 60 gallons between them. A 24-gallon recirculating livewell with an acrylic lid. Four gunwale rod holders and four vertical transom holders. Under-gunwale rod storage with embroidered reel protector pads. This is a fishing boat that happens to be comfortable, not the other way around.
The hardtop is full-beam fiberglass with an acrylic access hatch, integrated stereo speakers, and fore-aft spreader lights. The windshield is tempered glass with a single wiper. There's a molded hull-side boarding door on the starboard side. The transom has a walk-through with a hinged door and magnetic catch. You can board from the dock or the water without climbing over anything.
Performance: Speed Is Freedom
The S 288 is offered with twin Yamaha F300 V6 Offshores or twin Mercury 300 V8 Verados. Either way that is 600 horsepower against a 10,049-pound dry weight, on a hull rated to a 600-horsepower ceiling.
Ask your dealer to run the boat with the propellers you intend to order, and get the observed numbers in writing at sea trial.
The hull carries 24 degrees of deadrise at the transom. It's hand-laminated with vinyl ester resin and engineered fabrics. The transom is a five-ply resin-infused composite system with a patented reinforcement grid. The structural grid is foam-filled and infused with an integrated bilge water management system. This is not a boat that flexes or creaks.
The fuel capacity is 217 gallons, and Pursuit is careful to note that EPA-required fuel system components, temperature and loading will cost you roughly 10 percent of that in usable terms. It is still a lot of fuel for a 30-footer, and it is what lets you run well offshore, fish a full day, and come home without doing arithmetic on the way in.
The Lenco electric trim tabs have auto-retract. The Teleflex hydraulic power steering is responsive without being twitchy. The Yamaha Command Link Plus display gives you real-time fuel flow, engine diagnostics, and trip data. The Garmin dual 8612 displays with custom Pursuit UI are mounted at eye level. The electronics package includes a B175M 1kW CHIRP transducer and VHF radio. You're not guessing. You're informed.
The Ownership Conversation
The S 288 is owner-operated. You don't need crew. You don't need a captain. You drive it, you clean it, you maintain it. That's part of the appeal. It's a boat you can run yourself without feeling like you're managing a small yacht.
Maintenance is straightforward. Twin outboards mean no inboard service, no raw-water cooling systems, no shaft seals — routine oil changes, lower-unit service and fuel-system upkeep, all of it handled by any Yamaha or Mercury dealer.
Where to Start
The S 288 is a serious boat for serious owners. It's not trying to be everything to everyone. It's a 30-foot center console that fishes hard, runs fast, and brings the family along without apology. If that's what you're looking for, this is where the search ends.
Explore full specifications at YachtSpecsDirect.com
Browse available Pursuit inventory at mintedyachts.com/pursuit