By Marilyn DeMartini
Formula has a formula for creating boats that loyalists return to and new customers embrace. The 70-year-old company, founded by performance icon Don Aronow, focuses unrelenting attention to details that matter—and that customers can feel, which is the case for myself in every Formula boat I have reviewed.
Overview of the Formula 360 CBR
When stepping onto the 360 CBR, I was impressed by its streamlined look and various social areas, including the bow, which make this Crossover Bow Rider ideal for entertaining. While we previously tested the sterndrive model, this outboard version offered added advantages, especially for the saltwater market.
At 36 feet, the Formula 360 CBR feels much bigger, partly due to the 11-foot-3-inch beam, which provides ample walking space into the cockpit and up the middle from the wide portside door with a sturdy hinge. The layout is enhanced by a safety door to the swim platform that wraps around the triple Mercury V-10 400 engines.
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Performance and Engine Options
Three 300 or 350 hp Mercury engines are also available, as well as twin Mercury V-12 600s, depending on your need for speed. Our test model with the 400s was impressive, with easy cruising speeds of 45 mph up to a 64 top-end speed. That performance can also be credited to Formula’s patented twin-step, multiplane FASTech hull, which enhances stability and handling. The fast ride maintains the brand’s racing DNA that segues into comfort for its cruising models, as seen in all the thoughtfully designed seating areas throughout the boat.
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Deck Layout and Entertaining Features
Formula designs and produces all its upholstery and cabinetry in-house, adding notable details like the convenient storage behind the aft-facing portside lounge with a hook for a hanging bag, ergonomic armrests, and a Yeti cooler that tucks away under the cockpit seat. This feature allows you to load your cooler on land and carry it on board easily.
Another insulated draining cooler is molded into the bow for iced beverages, and there are two refrigerators, one in the cabin and another under the cockpit grill and sink. All this “coolness” further enhances the spacious entertainment area with U-shaped seating and space for two removable dining or cocktail tables. Another Formula detail is the angled grill cover that protects the fiberglass and headliner from heat and splashes.
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Storage, Utility, and Watersports Capability
Storage is replete throughout, where drawers and cabinets offer space for gear, fenders, trash, personal items, and our ubiquitous phones. But on this outboard model, the former engine compartment under the aft sun pad becomes a massive equipment room that can be compartmentalized to handle everything from luggage to dive equipment or water toys. The sun pad’s backrests flip forward or back to accommodate seating or lounging in the sun or under the electric sunshade that extends over the aft deck. Water access from the swim platform is an under-mounted telescoping ladder, and a freshwater hot and cold transom shower makes washing off convenient after watersports.
Bow Social Zone with Convertible Sun Pad
The bow, a key social center of the 360 CBR, is easy to access through the wide central walkway by opening the hinged windshield, which smoothly closes to protect the cockpit. A wind door also keeps passengers in the cockpit comfortable, while those in the bow can sit around two tables, movable from the aft deck, which transform with cushions into a sun pad. Or guests can just lounge in the U-shaped upholstered seating, catching some rays while using the bow cooler to keep drinks handy. A separate zone from the Rockford Fosgate sound system allows the bow guests to control their music separately from the zones in the helm, aft deck, or cabin.
Automative Details and Design
Sharp automotive detailing comes from Formula’s Michael Young, who uses his experience as a Formula 1 car designer to add features like back lighting to the touchscreen dash, along with a leather and chrome steering wheel, ergonomic throttles, a joystick, a bow thruster, a glove box and an inductive phone charger. The automotive glass skylights become an electrically retractable sunroof with manual shades, while the wrap-around curved windshield provides excellent visibility over the ergonomically tilted dashboard.
The dive door, a first on a Formula Crossover, is beautifully molded on the outside, enhancing the boat’s exterior, while the inside is attractively badged with the Formula logo, making it an eye-catching aesthetic that suits the boat’s sleek lines. The captain and two passengers have wide bench or bolster seats with armrests for sitting or standing comfortably, and the magnetic cabin door tucks smoothly under the portside passenger seat, utilizing every inch of space for comfort and convenience.
Cabin Amenities and Overnight Comfort
More design details are evident in the cabin, where the Corian counters extend to the nonslip, grooved steps that take you down to a lounge and mini galley, complete with a sink, wine cooler, microwave, refrigerator, and even space for a coffee maker and a paper towel holder. The electrical panel is cleverly tucked behind an upholstered seat back, easily accessible but invisible.
The queen berth has 6 feet, 2 inches of headroom, hanging storage, and an adjacent spacious head and shower, where 6 feet, 4 inches of headroom gives an open feel and keeps passengers comfortable for day trips or overnighting. Under-sink cabinetry has insets to keep toiletries orderly, with a concealed toilet paper holder, while the inset sink, covered toilet, and drawers provide more usable flat space and storage.
Formula 360 CBR Pricing and Value
The Formula 360 CBR provides everything a boater needs to give family and friends a comfortable, enjoyable day on the water. A weekend or an extended stay is also possible for a couple or small family, with plenty of room and amenities to accommodate a cruising or watersports lifestyle. Food and beverage service, a 24-speaker, four-zone sound system, and room to swim, dive, or hang out on the sandbar or beach make entertaining easy on this 36-foot boat.
Pricing for the 360 CBR we tested came to $1 million-plus, but you can build your own starting at $737,000. It’s an exceptional value for an experience that boaters can trust, thanks to the brand’s reputation for quality, service, and performance.
Formula 360 CBR Specifications
LOA: 36′
Beam: 11’3″
Draft: 4’1″ (max w/ triple engines)
Fuel Capacity: 275 gal.
Water Capacity: 36 gal.
Engines: 3/Mercury V-10 400, 350, or 350; 2/Mercury V-12 600
Max Speed: 64 mph (w/ 400s)
Cruising Speed: 45 mph
Price: Starting at $737,000
Contact: Formula Boats
formulaboats.com
