HARRIS CROWNE 270 SL TE
Harris won a National Marine Manufacturers Association Innovation Award for its revolutionary Crowne design in 2013. That the same basic styling still looks as cutting edge today as it did seven years ago is a testament to this pontoon builder’s forward-thinking approach, key to which is the replacement of the traditional pontoon fence enclosures with sleek, curvy fiberglass. Four fiberglass modules occupy the four corners of the deck outline, the forward pair curving aggressively toward the water. Those fiberglass modules incorporate both the Crowne’s outer walls and its seat bases. The result is a boat that fits in at both the sandbar party and the yacht-club cocktail hour.
Step through the stainless-steel bow gate and parallel benches flank the walkway. Harris angles the seat bottom profile to provide a more open, spacious feel, topping off the backrests with comfy pillow tops and accenting the lumbar region with diamond-pattern stitching. Finished stowage with drains is found below.
At the helm, the captain is greeted with billet dash accents, a stainless-steel spoke wheel and an attractive vinyl wrap with accent stitching. A central Medallion Glass Dash touchscreen is standard issue; a second touchscreen control to starboard replaces traditional switches.
On our test boat, both were complemented by an additional Simrad display. Aft, an L-shaped bench includes an optional rear-facing lounger with a powered, flip-flop backrest. Its linear actuated motor was nearly silent and allowed nearly unlimited stages of recline for forward- or aft-facing seating.
Twin Mercury 400 outboards pushed this stable craft onto plane in a mere 3.6 seconds, reaching 30 mph in less than 7 seconds more before topping out at 61.2 mph atop triple 27-inch pontoons with strakes designed specifically for twin-engine performance.
Our test boat’s standout feature, however, was the optional Mercury Joystick Piloting system. This intuitive control allowed us to literally make child’s play of docking, effortlessly maneuvering the Crowne around a tight marina in the stiffest of crosswinds.