Wellcraft Boats for Sale

Sarasota, 1955

Wellcraft started with small wooden runabouts and skiffs from 12 to 17 feet and moved to molded fiberglass in the early 1960s. In 1970 C. Raymond Hunt designed five deep-V hulls for Wellcraft with Step Lifts, strakes meant to help the boat plane evenly. The V-20 Step-Lift Fisherman center console came in 1979.

Wellcraft was part of Genmar from the late 1980s, sharing its Sarasota plant with Hydra-Sports. Platinum Equity bought it in 2010, and it joined Groupe Beneteau in 2014.

Models with a following

• 248 Sportsman (1980): a walkaround launched for Wellcraft's 25th anniversary.
• Scarab 377 Special Edition (1983): the high-performance boat that made the Scarab name.
• 26 Scarab Center Console: the boat seen throughout Baywatch.
• Fisherman 2800 Coastal (1994): an offshore fishing walkaround. The Coastal line later reached 40 feet.
• 35 Scarab Offshore Tournament (2013): rated for over 1,000 hp.
• Fisherman series (2017 on): center consoles.

The current lineup

Wellcraft now builds the Fisherman center consoles (202, 223, 243, 263, 302 and 352), the Explorer (28 and 38) and crossover center consoles in T-Top and Speedster versions (28, 33 and 38 T-Top; 28 and 33 Speedster).

As an example, Wellcraft lists the 263 Fisherman at 26'4" long with a 9-foot beam, about 6,800 lb, 158 gallons of fuel and a 500 hp maximum, usually set up with twin 250s. Twins on a 26-footer are a plus offshore, but they also mean two sets of service bills, so price that in when you compare it with a single-engine boat.

What to check on a used Wellcraft

Older boats. Scarabs and Coastals from the 1980s and 1990s often have wood in the transom and stringers. Check for transom flex, soft decks and stress cracks. A moisture meter survey is worth paying for.

Inboard and sterndrive Coastals. Many Coastals have twin inboards or sterndrives. Check exhaust risers and manifolds, engine mounts, shafts and cutlass bearings, and get compression on every cylinder.

Scarab performance boats. Check how hard the boat has been run. Look at the bottom, drives and engine records closely.

Newer outboard boats. Get hours and dealer records, check the lower units, and run all pumps and electronics.