Newbie - Fisherman or Coastal Explorer

[Sjones145]

For the recent models (2023+), GW 231 CEX, and GW 236 or 216 fisherman - please provide your thoughts. We’re looking for a hybrid boat for fishing & cruising in Galveston Bay Area, mainly inshore and will rarely venture beyond rigs or jetties. We were previous owners of a 190 Montauk and liked the quality of the boat. However, we sold it because it was challenging to find time to go out. we have more time now and missing the ownership of a boat. Price point is a bit high for both.

what is important are a decent ride, relatively easy to maneuver, of of course quality & workmanship which is a given with GW.

appreciate your input in the models.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I don't have any experience with either model but if I were to pick between those that you mentioned, just from looking at the pictures and the specs on the GW website, I'd pick the 236 Fisherman. A longer centerline, longer length overall, heavier weight, rear fold down seat and the transom door. I'm not a huge fan of the Euro style transom but I think the stern is a better design as opposed to the 216 Fisherman/231 Coastal Explorer. Just my thoughts on the matter, of course.

 

[Punchline Cap]

I have a Fisherman 236. The Coastal Explorer looks to me to be mainly a Bay boat as opposed to the Fisherman which can run both the bay and the Ocean. Is it more important to you to get into skinner water than to have higher gunnels and a better offshore ride? Does the Coastal Explorer have the same Carolina flair bow as the Fisherman. Believe me it does keep you drier. I am 66 years old and I feel MUCH safer with higher gunnels, especially in some not to perfect conditions out front. As for cruising, Grady always does an excellent job with seating configurations and comfort. I am of course biased, but I would definitely go with the Fisherman.

 

[97redz3]

We just pulled the trigger on a 231 CE. We take delivery at the end of August. Our only on the water experience with the boat so far is a sea trial. The boat handles beautifully; it's a dry, comfortable ride. It does have the same Carolina flare hull design as the 251. The F250 has plenty of power (pushes the boat to near 50 mph), and DES makes handling effortless. It has a large casting deck, great console, and very comfortable aft seating.

We launch out of Marco Island FL. Our mission is 80% near shore/inshore fishing (Ten Thousand Islands/Everglades National Park) and 20% beach buggy. We wanted a boat capable of handling light chop on the outside but still capable of running fairly shallow inside. The combo of the bow design and the boat’s 16" draft looks ideal for our water. The bow casting deck is huge with the extension installed and all the cushions removed. We liked the height of the casting deck for sight fishing, and the lower gunnels in the rear for landing fish.

We looked at Pathfinder and a few other bay boats, but the Coastal Explorer seemed to strike just the right balance of fishability, performance, and comfort for us. This is our first Grady, and the difference in build quality was obvious as soon as we stepped on-board. We seriously considered the GW 251 CE, but preferred both the bow casting deck layout and the rear seat comfort of the 231 vs the 251.

Here's a couple pics of the boat we sea trialed and bought. The color is Sea Glass. You can see it best on the trailer photo. The boat is at the dealerhip having additional equipment installed (chartplotter, trolling motor, Power-Poles, VHF radio).

 

[Punchline Cap]

Welcome to the Grady White community and good luck with your new boat.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Agreed. Welcome aboard and congrats on the new boat.

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

Yep, congratulations as we here say "that you enjoy it for all your life with health"
Chris

 

[Coastboater]

Nice looking boat.
Congrats!

 

[97redz3]

Following up on my original post, I took delivery this week and put some time in on the water. First impressions were excellent; very dry ride in chop, DES and electronic throttle make handling effortless. Gets on plane fast and tracks well. Very comfortable helm seat/leaning post. Full length windshield is very nice to have. Plenty of storage. The 250 hauls ass when conditions permit, but best ride in 1.5’ chop was found at 28 mph (3500 rpm). Casting deck is huge with plenty of room for a trolling motor without interfering with bow seating when stowed. Side steps up to casting deck are helpful. Pic below shows casting deck with optional extension (converts to table) and all cushions removed.

 

[igblack87]

There's a lot of juice pushin that boat. Nice! Welcome to the club.

 

[97redz3]

Pics of the Power-Pole set up. These are 10ft poles. Ladder deployment just clears the port side pole - no issues.

 

[Seafarer228G]

Beautiful Boat!! Congrats!

 

[Gone Coastal]

I don’t have any knowledge of these models but with our 281 CE, I’ve been very happy with the ride and how it handles seas compared to my prior 273 Chase. She was just great off of Marathon in some pretty sporty seas and swells. I don’t see a compromise on the ride quality with a GW hybrid bay boat. But the lower gunnels take getting used to and could be dangerous in rough seas. All this to say, I’m assuming the ride quality won’t suffer if you went with the CE, but the lower gunnels should be a consideration.

 

[rocketguy88]

@Sjones145 - PM me and I'll take you out on my 236. I live in Friendswood.

I never ever even considered the 251 CE when I bought my 236 Fisherman. We do a lot of fishing on the bay.

 

[Punchline Cap]

@Sjones145 - PM me and I'll take you out on my 236. I live in Friendswood.

I never ever even considered the 251 CE when I bought my 236 Fisherman. We do a lot of fishing on the bay.

I also have a Fisherman 236. Being 66 years old, the higher gunnels and the added safety of them would make an easy decision for me.

 

[rocketguy88]

I also have a Fisherman 236. Being 66 years old, the higher gunnels and the added safety of them would make an easy decision for me.

I have an 8 year old and 3 year old. The high gunwales of a 236 are exactly what was needed.

 

[rocketguy88]

Just for clarification, the 231CE was not released to the market when I bought my 236. Even if the 231 were available, I'd take the 236 any day over the 231. In a matter of fact, my local dealer told me the 231 is more expensive than the 236, and in my personal opinion, is not justifiable. The 236 is bigger in every way over the 231.

Here's a photo of me running back from ~50 miles off the TX coast a few weeks ago.

 

[Aquanut2]

Speaking as a huge GW fan owning several GW offshore boats If fishing is your priority on inshore and want to chase reds in shallow waters the CEX has too much draft, too many creature comforts & not enough fishing features for me. Small livewell under seat imagine the mess putting a castnet of mullet in there instead of a transom well. For big guys it’s crowded to move around w limited space taken up by bow lockers back rests & distances from leaning post to transom. I’ve gone through three bay boats Seahunt 23 BX, 23 KenCraft Bay Rider Bay and a 23 Intruder last 2 have more deck space & fishing ability but would only take the seahunt out of sight of land. A hybrid boat has +/-‘s it’s all about want you want to do with it. My solution is to have 2 boats ;-)