3100 Santa Cruz

The Thompson 3100 Santa Cruz (note that she was called the 310 Santa Cruz when she was introduced in 1991) is an affordably priced midcabin family express with contemporary lines, a very roomy interior, and twin sterndrive power. She’s constructed on a solid fiberglass hull with a wide beam and a relatively steep 18 degrees of deadrise at the transom. The interior of the Santa Cruz, with its wide beam and excellent headroom, is big for a 31-footer because the cabin bulkhead is set well aft into what might be considered the cockpit area in other boats her size. There are double berths fore and aft (each with a privacy curtain) as well as a complete galley, an enclosed head with a sit-down shower, and a convertible dinette. Outside, the flush cockpit has a doublewide seat at the helm and bench seating for three at the transom. Since there’s no windshield walk-through, passengers must use the narrow walkarounds to reach the bow. A good performer in a chop, twin 250hp 5.7-liter Volvo sterndrives cruise the Thompson 3100 in the mid 20s and reach a top speed of 35 knots. Note that an all-new Thompson 3100 model was introduced in 1999.