A few days back I posted to see if anyone had a link to the October 1, 1999 Saltwater Sportsman review of the 265 Express. Since I was a young boy I have read this magazine and always appreciated the well written articles, tips and enthusiasm for saltwater anglers. As I'm sure many of you know they also do a great job of reviewing boats and gear. I finally found the article online and I figured some may find use for it here for general knowledge or maybe even to help sell their 265 (although why anyone would do that I'll never know!) Anyhow, here goes....
"The new 265 Express could be the best-looking boat Grady-White has ever built. From the classic express-boat lines to the clean transom, this boat has fishing written all over it.
Let's begin at the end - the aft end, that is. The 265's cockpit is one of the best we've seen, on a boat of any size. It boasts an incredible amount of room for a 26-footer, and you can lean against the padded engine shroud and work a fish around the back of the engines with ease. This means less cut-offs, which means more happy fishermen at the end of the day.
A Notch Above
Some of you may be asking yourselves, "What the heck is a padded engine shroud?" Grady-White went out on a limb with this boat, eschewing the ubiquitous integrated engine platform and designing a boat with a good-old conventional notched transom. It's clear that most of today's boat buyers prefer integrated transoms, which evolved from earlier brackets. These offered the obvious advantage of keeping water out of the cockpit, but were a disadvantage when you were fighting a fish around the back of the boat because the engine(s) were set so far behind the transom.
Grady-White hangs the engines on the transom of the 265 and covers them with a fiberglass, fold-down shroud, which helps keep out water and reduce noise. You can walk right up to the shroud and easily reach around the back of the engines with a fishing rod, and the pad on the shroud is right about knee level. You get lots of uncluttered cockpit, about 58 square feet, with every inch of space usable. In the transom corners, two shallow trays let you store things.
Moving forward, the raised bridgedeck contains a large 300-quart fishbox on the centerline that drains overboard, with a 40-gallon live well to port and a fresh water sink to starboard in molded boxes. These boxes double as aft-facing seats for passengers.
The centerline helm has an electronics box overhead, a footrest, and an aluminum wraparound windshield. The center helm offers good forward visibility, as well as a clear view of the cockpit. Starboard of the helm is a fore-and-aft seat with a sizable cooler underneath it. A smaller bench seat to port can accommodate additional passengers.
Roomy Cabin
With a wide 9' 7" beam, the 265 has an ample cabin, too. It picks up some additional space in the form of width because the boat is a true express design, as opposed to a walkaround. While you can get to the bow for docking, it's a narrow path, but this means that the Grady designers could devote more space to the cabin.
Down below there's a good-sized galley to port with a small stove and a refrigerator, located under the veeberth. Rod racks over the berth let you lock up at least some of your tackle. To starboard we found a surprisingly roomy head compartment with a shower. It's amazing what some companies can fit into a 26-footer.
We spent a day dolphin fishing in the Florida Keys aboard the 265, and found that it runs as good as it looks. Grady-White's own performance tests showed a cruise speed of 31.3 knots at 4000 rpm with the twin 250-hp Yamaha outboards, and wide-open they say it'll hit 44.3 knots at 5500 rpm. The 265 was designed with a very sharp entry to cut through waves, and it rode level and dry in the four-foot chop we encountered.
This should be a very popular boat with hardcore fishing types, especially those in the Northeast, where the express design is so popular. But no matter where you live, the 265 would be hard to beat, and it comes with Grady-White's usual exemplary attention to detail, fit and finish, and lengthy standard-equipment list. And once you've leaned against that padded engine shroud thing, you'll be hooked for sure."
SPECIFICATIONS
Length 25' 9"
Beam 9' 7"
Draft 15"
Max hp. 500
Fuel 248 gals.
Hull weight 5,390 lbs.
Base hull price (w/o power) $55,880
"The new 265 Express could be the best-looking boat Grady-White has ever built. From the classic express-boat lines to the clean transom, this boat has fishing written all over it.
Let's begin at the end - the aft end, that is. The 265's cockpit is one of the best we've seen, on a boat of any size. It boasts an incredible amount of room for a 26-footer, and you can lean against the padded engine shroud and work a fish around the back of the engines with ease. This means less cut-offs, which means more happy fishermen at the end of the day.
A Notch Above
Some of you may be asking yourselves, "What the heck is a padded engine shroud?" Grady-White went out on a limb with this boat, eschewing the ubiquitous integrated engine platform and designing a boat with a good-old conventional notched transom. It's clear that most of today's boat buyers prefer integrated transoms, which evolved from earlier brackets. These offered the obvious advantage of keeping water out of the cockpit, but were a disadvantage when you were fighting a fish around the back of the boat because the engine(s) were set so far behind the transom.
Grady-White hangs the engines on the transom of the 265 and covers them with a fiberglass, fold-down shroud, which helps keep out water and reduce noise. You can walk right up to the shroud and easily reach around the back of the engines with a fishing rod, and the pad on the shroud is right about knee level. You get lots of uncluttered cockpit, about 58 square feet, with every inch of space usable. In the transom corners, two shallow trays let you store things.
Moving forward, the raised bridgedeck contains a large 300-quart fishbox on the centerline that drains overboard, with a 40-gallon live well to port and a fresh water sink to starboard in molded boxes. These boxes double as aft-facing seats for passengers.
The centerline helm has an electronics box overhead, a footrest, and an aluminum wraparound windshield. The center helm offers good forward visibility, as well as a clear view of the cockpit. Starboard of the helm is a fore-and-aft seat with a sizable cooler underneath it. A smaller bench seat to port can accommodate additional passengers.
Roomy Cabin
With a wide 9' 7" beam, the 265 has an ample cabin, too. It picks up some additional space in the form of width because the boat is a true express design, as opposed to a walkaround. While you can get to the bow for docking, it's a narrow path, but this means that the Grady designers could devote more space to the cabin.
Down below there's a good-sized galley to port with a small stove and a refrigerator, located under the veeberth. Rod racks over the berth let you lock up at least some of your tackle. To starboard we found a surprisingly roomy head compartment with a shower. It's amazing what some companies can fit into a 26-footer.
We spent a day dolphin fishing in the Florida Keys aboard the 265, and found that it runs as good as it looks. Grady-White's own performance tests showed a cruise speed of 31.3 knots at 4000 rpm with the twin 250-hp Yamaha outboards, and wide-open they say it'll hit 44.3 knots at 5500 rpm. The 265 was designed with a very sharp entry to cut through waves, and it rode level and dry in the four-foot chop we encountered.
This should be a very popular boat with hardcore fishing types, especially those in the Northeast, where the express design is so popular. But no matter where you live, the 265 would be hard to beat, and it comes with Grady-White's usual exemplary attention to detail, fit and finish, and lengthy standard-equipment list. And once you've leaned against that padded engine shroud thing, you'll be hooked for sure."
SPECIFICATIONS
Length 25' 9"
Beam 9' 7"
Draft 15"
Max hp. 500
Fuel 248 gals.
Hull weight 5,390 lbs.
Base hull price (w/o power) $55,880
