251 Coastal or 236 Fisherman or 235 Freedom

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Bergrenm

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Hi all, I am looking to upgrade my current boat to a GW. Have a Sailfish (brand not GW model) 236cc and the size has served us well. The 251 Coastal drove and performed amazingly with the new 300hp Yam. I never even considered the model as we are now grown family of four, and don't fish a ton. Mostly sandbar and cruising.

My wish list has been to get a 23-26' with windless and full windshield. The Coastal obviously does not have a windless, but maybe I could live with a power pole and/or trolling motor. The 236 Fisherman has both, as does the 235 Freedom. We are basically empty nesters now, just cocktail cruising and sandbar hopping, maybe make a run from Charleston to Beaufort or Georgetown for weekend trips. Any thoughts on 251 Coastal for this? 236 Fisherman, is it too similar from what I have? I haven't driven this, but I did drive the 251 and it was AWESOME. The DC is a fan fave for the ladies, but I feel trapped inside of those things. Thoughts and comments much appreciated.
 
Love my 236. Like you we are empty nesters. Great fishing and family platform. Feels and rides bigger than a 23 footer. It’s actually over 25’ loa because of the swim platforms. Good for what you want plus can go offshore on good days. Love the Yamaha 300 on it.
( only drawback is it does not allow for a two engine set-up. ).
 
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We just got into a 231 CE and really like it. The 251 was my second choice, but I fish a lot and preferred the bow deck layout of the 231 when converted to the full casting deck. The power reclining bow seats are also very nice. I also preferred the aft seat back cushions on the 231 vs the jump seats of the 251, although I believe newer 251s may be adopting the newer seat back design. The 231 is powered by a 250hp and drives and rides great. We put dual power poles on the back: there's a really clean mounting option for the 231 which sandwiches a dual mounting bracket between the motor and transom using the motor mount bolts. No ladder interference from the port side power pole.

IMG_1287 (1).jpeg
 
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Nice looking ride. The 236 also has a casting platform option but I do like the look of the 231. Good luck
 
Get the 236 and don't look back. Much more capability than the 231CE for about the same price (or a little less since the 231CE is a new model). I have the upgraded leaning post with 2nd livewell (same leaning post the 231CE has.) The 236 has the 160qt cooler on the transom that the 231CE doesn't have. I USED to use my anchor/windlass a lot but haven't used it once in the two years I've had a GPS trolling motor.

For the record, my 236 is a 2021 model and having looked over the 231CE, there ain't a damn reason why I'd want that boat. Just not for me. I also have two young kids (3 and 9), so the high gunwales on the 236 are very comforting.
 
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rocketguy88 said:
Get the 236 and don't look back. Much more capability than the 231CE for about the same price (or a little less since the 231CE is a new model). I have the upgraded leaning post with 2nd livewell (same leaning post the 231CE has.) The 236 has the 160qt cooler on the transom that the 231CE doesn't have. I USED to use my anchor/windlass a lot but haven't used it once in the two years I've had a GPS trolling motor.

For the record, my 236 is a 2021 model and having looked over the 231CE, there ain't a damn reason why I'd want that boat. Just not for me. I also have two young kids (3 and 9), so the high gunwales on the 236 are very comforting.
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I'm actually comparing the 236 and the 251 (not the 231). Your conclusion may end up being the same, but the 251 does have the same rear seat setup now and also the forward facing seats in front of the helm and in the bow. The 231 doesn't have the extra 2 fwd seats in the bow. Boat weight is about the same from 236/251. The 251 maxes out at 300 but the 236 can go up to a 350 with the new yamaha. I haven't sea trialed the 236, but the 251 was powered beautifully with the 300.
 
Bergrenm said:
I'm actually comparing the 236 and the 251 (not the 231). Your conclusion may end up being the same, but the 251 does have the same rear seat setup now and also the forward facing seats in front of the helm and in the bow. The 231 doesn't have the extra 2 fwd seats in the bow. Boat weight is about the same from 236/251. The 251 maxes out at 300 but the 236 can go up to a 350 with the new yamaha. I haven't sea trialed the 236, but the 251 was powered beautifully with the 300.
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You'll notice a big difference in gunwale height on the 235 vs 251, with the 236 having a much higher gunwale height. That may not be an issue for you, but I have a 3 year old and the gunwale comes to just about his chest area. Which makes my wife feel much safer. The higher gunwale height of course also helps when you're in rougher water. I routinely take my 236 ~50nm offshore from Houston during the summer months for red snapper and I wouldn't feel nearly as comfortable taking the 251 out that far given it's shallower deadrise and bow angle. The 251 is as the name implies, Costal Explorer. I also feel that the 251 has more "booze cruising" features than the 236.

FWIW we hardly ever use the fold around front seats unless we are going slow but we almost always use the flip-out transom seat.

Mine has a 300. The GW rep at the Houston Boat Show said the new model 236 has a 100 gallon fuel tank (vs mine with a 115 gallon) to better distribute the heavier weight of the 350 over the 300.
 
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rocketguy88 said:
You'll notice a big difference in gunwale height on the 235 vs 251, with the 236 having a much higher gunwale height. That may not be an issue for you, but I have a 3 year old and the gunwale comes to just about his chest area. Which makes my wife feel much safer. The higher gunwale height of course also helps when you're in rougher water. I routinely take my 236 ~50nm offshore from Houston during the summer months for red snapper and I wouldn't feel nearly as comfortable taking the 251 out that far given it's shallower deadrise and bow angle. The 251 is as the name implies, Costal Explorer. I also feel that the 251 has more "booze cruising" features than the 236.

FWIW we hardly ever use the fold around front seats unless we are going slow but we almost always use the flip-out transom seat.

Mine has a 300. The GW rep at the Houston Boat Show said the new model 236 has a 100 gallon fuel tank (vs mine with a 115 gallon) to better distribute the heavier weight of the 350 over the 300.
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There is a holdover 2024 with a 300 they’ll deal on. But I also love the diamond stitching on the 2025 along with upping to 350. Any thoughts on the larger 350 vs 300?
 
I asked the 300 vs 350 question to my dealer and the Grady rep at the Houston boat show just a few weeks ago. They said not much difference. You'll get a little more top end speed, but the midrange speed differences will be negligible. You'll also have a slightly heavier boat. The Canyon 306, for example, will see a big difference going from twin 300s to twin 350s.
 
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rocketguy88 said:
I asked the 300 vs 350 question to my dealer and the Grady rep at the Houston boat show just a few weeks ago. They said not much difference. You'll get a little more top end speed, but the midrange speed differences will be negligible. You'll also have a slightly heavier boat. The Canyon 306, for example, will see a big difference going from twin 300s to twin 350s.
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Ordered a 236 with 300, very excited to get rolling with this beauty!
 
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rocketguy88 said:
Excellent! You'll be very happy! You gotta post pictures after delivery :)

Out of curiosity, what options did you get?
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Options: Windless, Green hull and top underside, deluxe lean bar, platform w/cushion, ski pylon, and windshield wiper. I'm actually back and forth on the motor 300/350 and can change up to a point in the build. The 300 is tried and true, but that extra hp is tempting
 
Very good. We got everything you have except for the windshield wiper. What was the price difference for the 350 over the 300? And I agree the 300 is a tried and true. That is reason enough for me to stay with what's been good for so long.
 
rocketguy88 said:
Very good. We got everything you have except for the windshield wiper. What was the price difference for the 350 over the 300? And I agree the 300 is a tried and true. That is reason enough for me to stay with what's been good for so long.
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The wiper was only $300 and I've towel wiped enough in my day. The bump in motor is around $5k, and I've yet to hear anyone really yell from the mtn top go with the 350. Now a 300 vs 250, yeah it's a no-brainer. But the 350 seems to be a wait and see. I've had a couple of folks tell me hole shot and midrange you can't even really tell the difference, top end is maybe 4-6 mph. Do you like the deluxe helm seat? Anything you would've done differently in options?
 
I didn't realize the wiper was that cheap. We use the deluxe lean bar almost every trip. Sometime its used as a livewell for fish, others as a baitwell, or sometimes as a trash can. You can close the seacock and use it as an ice chest too. It'll fill with water with the seacock open when you're underway. Just be cognizant of that. I'd save the 5k from going with the 300 over 350 and put that towards a trolling motor. We never use the windlass anymore since we've got the trolling motor and if I would do it all over again I would not order the windlass. That way I can have the trolling motor mounted flat to the deck and not on a mount to swing the trolling motor shaft up and over the top of the windlass. That would have saved me about 4 inches in height. I'll probably trade my boat in when the yamaha warranty expires and will not order the windlass the 2nd time. Get a radar and AIS transceiver.

I've looked at the performance specs between 300 and 350 on Grady's website and cannot determine any rationale on why the 350 over 300 would be ideal performance and cost wise. I'm not interested in showing everyone else how many ponies I have.
 
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