anyone know why Searay nixed the 370 Venture? I assume it was a lack of demand but I thought it was a novel concept and seemed to garner rave reviews in the boating press.
Boating press is a mixed bag and each has their own motivations. Rarely do I buy in the hype. Sales probably killed it off. It was a Marine Max driven product model decision and used an outside design/engineering firm that really did nothing special. I think they committed to 12 boats upfront. SR product development was left to make it work but had little input in the upfront design. Marine Max wields a big sales stick and have done other boat design and build ventures on their own as well: http://www.aquilaboats.com/about-us
Check out club sea ray and there is a string on the venture from a few years ago. If I remember correctly it was a bit underpowered and for various reasons it did not catch on. There are still a few people on the site who have them. I still think that it is a viable concept for boats in that size, especially if a diesel outboard could be used.