Formula 387 CCF Upper Station

When we punched outside of Haulover Inlet in North Miami, Florida, the fishing conditions off the coast of South Florida proved less than ideal. Because of that, we wound up having an ideal day to show off the full range of the Formula 387 CCF. While Formula first introduced the 387 CCF back in 2023, the 2027 version has a brand new major option: a tower with a second helm station.

This equisitely engineered tower integrates a full upper station atop the 387 CCF’s center console hardtop. Far from an uncomfortable, small second helm that you have to risk life and limb to access, this upper station is a full command bridge with electronics, instrumentation and wraparound cushioned seating to the port side. It’s also one of the most easily accessible upper stations I’ve come across. When you want to get a higher vantage point to watch the trolling spread or hunt for working birds, just climb the built-in step-ladder behind the helm, without stepping on cushions or other amenities. The 387 CCf’s aft-facing mezzanine bench slides back. Below that same bench lies an electric slide-out cooler that doubles as a heavy-duty step up to the upper station ladder. Grab handles above the hardtop hatch help with safe transit.

What’s the view like from up top? Rather than offering a standard, leaning post configuration, Formula fitted the starboard-side control station with a cushioned helm chair. To port, a companion lounger gives your spotter or co-captain a comfortable front-row seat to the action. When the fishing trip wraps up or heavy weather rolls in, the seat cushions fold up cleanly and stow away beneath a custom-fitted canvas cover. 

Our original plan was to set up a spread to troll for mahi, so I immediately put the upper station to the test, safely climbing up the ladder while we idled through offshore swells. While Formula veteran and former offshore racer Vic Spellburg worked the throttles, Abe Haines—one of the key product designers of the 387 CCF—set out the baits. In doing so, he showed off one of his genius personal touches that he designed, using quick-release clips normally used for fenders to deploy and secure the Gemlux outriggers. It’s a solution born of hours spent both on the water and in the design studio.

The 387 CCF is a tournament-ready boat equipped with dual 40-gallon pressurized livewells on the transom that feature multi-level LED-lit inlets to keep bait swimming naturally. Backed by a redundant twin-pump system with auto-switchover and helm alarms, you’ll never lose sleep over pump failures on the way to the canyon. Twin 90-gallon insulated fishboxes ensure you can keep your catch fresh.  Directly behind the triple-seat helm, the leaning post houses a comprehensive bait and rigging station complete with a Corian countertop, molded sink, and removable cutting board. The hardtop houses easy-to-reach rocket launchers. Additional rod holders line the gunwales, including rodholder/cupholder combos, to provide space to hold up to 30 rods on board.

South Florida, if you haven’t heard, has had a bit of a sargassum problem of late, which made trolling a futile exercise in clearing weeds from the spread. So, we climbed back up to the upper station to enact plan B, hunt for floating debris or working birds that might clue us into a school of mahi. Here, we got to experience the 387 CCF’s performance chops.

The 387 CCF is built atop Formula’s Fas³Tech multi-stepped hull that forces air under the running surface, reducing drag and increasing lift and fuel efficiency. Combined with a deep-V that tapers to 23 degrees of deadrise at the transom, the 387 can handle almost any conditions outside the inlet. Formula offers several engine combinations from triple Mercury 300s or twin 600 Merc Verados to triple Mercury 500R outboards. Our test boat came with triple Mercury 425 V-10s, which helped propel the 11-ton hull to over a 57.8 mph top end. The 387 reached a comfortable speed in the mid 20 mph range at 4,000  rpm  and settled into a fleet 36.8 mph-plus cruising speed around 4,500 rpm. The Seakeeper Ride system kept us comfortable whether running in down-, cross- or following-seas. The triple-wide helm seating features three independent high-backed chairs with flip-up bolsters so the captain and crew can sit or stand to their preference, with three flush- mounted MFDs in easy reach from the captain’s chair. One of my favorite features proved to be Wind-Armor’s clear acrylic weather doors that fold out from either side of the console to protect crew members at the helm and in the cockpit from wind and salt spray.

After a long run putting the 387 CCF through its paces, we decided to opt for plan C: drifting over a local reef. Spellberg turned on the Seakeeper 4 gyro, which stabilized the boat and prevented any seasickness. We quickly started pulling up a few yellowtail, grouper and other reef fish, giving us the opportunity to enjoy the open space of the cockpit, as well as the coaming bolsters and toe kicks along the gunwales.

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The 387 CCF also has the chops to hang out at the sandbar or cruise to the local restaurant. Crew members can relax on the double-wide forward sun lounge or lounge in the bow’s U-shaped seating area with its electric high-low table. When the sun’s intense, an electric shade rolls out from the hardtop. Belowdeck accommodations are great for overnighting in a cabin boasting 6 feet, 4 inches of headroom. It includes a U-shaped lounge surrounding a dual-height table that converts into a double berth. A full galley features Corian counters, a concealed sink, a microwave, a stainless-steel pull-out refrigerator, and a 32-inch HD Smart TV. A private head features a Vacuflush toilet, vessel sink, and hot/cold shower. The whole thing gets cooled through an 8,000 BTU air conditioning unit.

So we didn’t fill the fishboxes with mahi, but we did test out everything the Formula 387 CCF has to offer, especially the game-changing upper station, and learned that this boat is ready for any fishing mission.

Specifications

Formula Boats – Decatur, Indiana; formulaboats.com