The New Open 352: A Completely Reimagined Offshore Fishing Machine

As soon as you walk up to the dock and see the 2027 Open 352, you can immediately start spotting the differences from the first-generation boat.

The first thing that hits you from afar is the much bigger hardtop — 18” larger, to be exact. This gives the boat a more aggressive, commanding look. As you get closer, you notice the console and hardtop tubing look different. We have completely redesigned and revolutionized the consoles on the 30–40 ft boats.

Starting last year with the 402, we began using panoramic seamless glass windshields, giving far better visibility. The rounded front glass and smaller frame posts give the view from the helm a wide-open feel.

As you enter the boat from the side door, you’ll notice an entirely new bow setup compared to previous years. We kept the hull and running surfaces the same since it already provides a proven ride that’s dry and fast, but we took the deck and console and completely reimagined them.

The new bow layout features RGB JL Audio speakers, cup holders, storage, and, of course, the newly designed bow table. We’ve always liked the powerlift tables, but after hearing your complaints over the years, we knew it was time to improve them — so we chamfered the edges, making entry to the seats around the table much easier.

Once on board, it becomes clear that this boat is nothing like the previous Open 352s.

As you look around, you’ll see upgraded upholstery throughout the boat. The Serenity Series Sileather wraps everything, and when you walk up front and grab a bow cushion, you’ll notice there are no snaps.

All cushions now have hard bottoms and magnets. The hard bottoms keep the cushions fresh and wrinkle-free when stored, and the self-centering magnets make removal and installation quick and easy.

When you’re ready to go, open the panel on the leaning post and use the new one-touch electronic battery switches to fire everything up.

At the helm, you’ll see two large 9022-series Garmins, with a 1543xsv mounted above for extra monitoring. I like to use the engine page and keep my gauges up there to free up the main screens, but you can display anything you want.

We also upgraded to the new Fusion 800-series touchscreen radio, pushing thousands of watts to all the RGB JL Audio M6 speakers and subs on board.

Once underway, you have nothing to worry about with the optional joystick for tight maneuvering and the standard Seakeeper Ride keeping the boat perfectly trimmed at all times.

Once out of the no-wake zone and you drop the throttles, you feel the triple engines come alive. All engine packages jump out of the hole with the help of Ride and will push you to a top speed in the high 60s with Yamaha and into the 70s with the triple Mercs.

At cruise, the boat is extremely stable, comfortable, and easy to handle.

I had the pleasure of captaining hull #1 in the Wounded Warrior Bonito Blast fishing tournament out of Stuart, and let me tell you — this thing can fish.

With two massive 30-gallon pressurized aquarium-style livewells, you can keep plenty of bait alive while running all over the ocean. We ran out deep early, and with around 350 gallons of fuel on board and over 1 MPG at cruise, range was never a concern.

The boat I ran was equipped with the new Taco GS300 outriggers and a Seakeeper Gyro, making trolling comfortable and easy.

But where the real difference comes into play is when you open the newly designed cabin door with its panographic hinge and step down into the head.

We completely gutted the old model and rebuilt it from scratch. The second you step down, you notice the wood-trimmed cabinets, hard-surface countertop and sink, the high-end porcelain toilet, and the bed.

The entire space is cooled by the 12-volt, 3,500 BTU AC system. Before taking a nap, rinse off with the pullout shower and cool down.

Once you’re ready to call it a night and the boat is back at the slip, throw the rods in the floor rod holders and lock up the console.

I’ve had the privilege of running every boat we make for years, and the newly designed Open 352 is a home run.

When I heard we were redoing the Open 352, I wondered how we could make this boat better — and I was wrong. Our product development and design teams worked for months and created one of the best boats I’ve been on to date.

This boat can do it all and feels like it was built for it — whether it’s a sunset cruise with friends, a day at the sandbar, or tournament fishing, this boat is ready for anything.

If you’re thinking of upgrading or are in the market for a mid-30s boat, do yourself a favor and at least take a look. You won’t be disappointed.