August 21, 2026
The Pursuit S 388 and the Case for a Galley Below the Waterline
The Pursuit S 388 is a 41-foot 1-inch sport center console on standard triple Yamaha 450 XTOs — 1,350 hp, 59.0 mph top, 29.7 mph best cruise…
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Expert Review, Technical Specifications & Market Analysis
The Essentials
| Feature | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Overall Length | 41' 1" |
| Beam | 12' 0" |
| Draft | 2' 8" (motors up) / 3' 8" (motors down) |
| Displacement | 21,700 lbs (with triple Yamaha 450 XTO engines) |
| Engines | Triple Yamaha 450 XTO (3 x 450 HP) |
| Fuel Capacity | 500 US gallons |
| Water Capacity | 45 US gallons |
| Cabins / Heads | Console cabin with opposing settees converting to a berth with filler cushions; private head compartment with Vacu-Flush elongated porcelain marine head, shower and 22-gallon holding tank |
| Max Speed | 59.0 mph @ 6,000 RPM |
| Cruise Speed | 29.7 mph @ 3,500 RPM |
Source: Spec & Photos courtesy of Pursuit. Specs verified by Tony Smith, USCG 100 Ton Master, on August 20, 2026.
Part of the Pursuit Sport series — see how owners step up through the lineup.
Quick Verdict
- Standard triple Yamaha 450 XTOs make 1,350 hp for 59.0 mph flat out and 0 to 30 mph in 11.1 seconds.
- Best cruise is 29.7 mph at 3,500 rpm on 36.9 gph — 0.80 mpg and 352 miles of range from 500 gallons.
- The below-deck galley carries two 12-volt drawer-style refrigerator/freezers, a microwave and standard 6,000 BTU air conditioning.
Our Take
The S 388 is the boat for the owner who fishes hard and has finally admitted that the rest of the crew matters. What separates it from every other 40-foot center console I look at is not the triples on the transom — it is what Pursuit put under the console. A real galley below deck, on a Corian counter, with a microwave, a slide-out pantry and two 12-volt refrigerator drawers. Two, not one. One drawer gets opened forty times a day for drinks; the other stays shut and keeps food actually cold. Every boat that runs a single insulated box for both jobs does both badly, and I notice it every time.
Pursuit still publishes its homework, and on this hull the homework is good reading. Fifty-nine mph at 6,000 rpm is the number that sells the boat at a show. The number that runs the boat is 3,500 rpm — 29.7 mph on 36.9 gallons an hour, 0.80 miles to the gallon, 352 miles of range out of 500 gallons. Three hundred and fifty-two miles at a 30 mph cruise is genuine offshore reach, and it means the run to the fishing grounds is a planning exercise instead of a hope. The same sheet is honest about the cost: three 450 XTOs burn 36.9 gph to hold that cruise and 112.9 gph flat out. Nobody should be surprised by that, but I would rather you read it here than discover it in August.
The honest limit is scale. Twenty-one thousand seven hundred pounds dry and a 12-foot beam is a lift-and-slip conversation, not a trailer conversation, and 9 feet 6 inches of hardtop clearance has ended more than one storage plan. Forty-five gallons of fresh water is thin for a boat with a shower in the head and two people staying the night. And the cabin sleeps on opposing settees with filler cushions — clever, comfortable, but it is a convertible, not a stateroom. If you want a dedicated forward berth and a second row of forward-facing seats under the hardtop, that is the S 428 and you should go look at it before you sign anything. Buy the S 388 because you want tournament-grade fishing without the day ending at three o'clock.
Watch Our Pursuit S388 Reviews
Official Pursuit Premiere: Inside the Pursuit S388
Video courtesy of Pursuit.
Pursuit S388 Photo Gallery
Photos courtesy of Pursuit.
Pursuit S388 Articles & Guides
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Frequently Asked Questions
What cruise speed and range does Pursuit publish for the S 388?
29.7 mph at 3,500 RPM, burning 36.9 gallons an hour for 0.80 miles per gallon and 352 miles of range on 90 percent of the test-condition fuel. That is the longest published range of any boat in the Sport line, and it comes from carrying 500 gallons rather than from being frugal.
At 4,000 RPM you get 36.9 mph on 49.0 gallons an hour for 330 miles — seven more miles an hour for 22 fewer miles. Top speed is 59.0 mph, where the burn climbs to 112.9 gallons an hour and range falls to 229 miles.
Does the Pursuit S 388 have a cabin?
Yes, in the console, and Pursuit's claim for it is best-in-class space for a centre console this size. Below the helm sit opposing settees that convert to a berth with filler cushions, with hull-side windows, interior valances and pleated privacy shades, solid-wood tongue-and-groove flooring with in-floor storage, and 6,000 BTU of reverse-cycle cabin air conditioning.
The private head compartment carries a Vacu-Flush elongated porcelain marine head, a shower and a 22-gallon holding tank.
On deck the S 388 adds a below-deck galley with two drawer-style refrigerator/freezers, which is the feature that most separates it from the smaller Sport models. Fresh water is 45 gallons.
Should I buy the Pursuit S 388 or the S 428?
The S 388, unless you specifically want the fourth engine and the second row of seats.
Both are large sport centre consoles with a console cabin, a private head with a shower and a 22-gallon holding tank. The S 388 is 41 feet 1 inch, 21,700 pounds dry, triple 450 XTOs, 59.0 mph, 0.80 mpg at best cruise and 352 miles from 500 gallons. The S 428 is 43 feet 9 inches, 26,519 pounds, quad 450 XTOs, 60.7 mph, 0.66 mpg and 315 miles from 518 gallons.
The bigger boat is 1.7 mph faster and travels 37 miles less far on more fuel. What it actually buys is a full-beam hardtop, a second row of powered convertible seats and a proper forward berth instead of converting settees.
How fast is the Pursuit S 388?
59.0 mph at 6,000 RPM on triple Yamaha 450 XTOs. Pursuit's sheet for this boat is a recent one — tested 9/17/2025 at 25,727 pounds with two people aboard, 486 gallons of fuel and full water and diesel tanks, on 16-3/8" x 21" XTO OS propellers.
Nought to thirty takes 11.1 seconds. The three XTOs make 1,350 horsepower, the hull's maximum rating, and the boat carries 22 degrees of deadrise at the transom — two degrees sharper than the Offshore models.