GRADY-WHITE 281 COASTAL EXPLORER
Boating|May 2023
Grady's most recent Coastal Explorer model will be right at home whether seeking back-bay tarpon or offshore tuna.
Randy Vance
GRADY-WHITE 281 COASTAL EXPLORER

Fishing boats have to be more than casting platforms, livewells and fish boxes. Today's boating family doesn't confine itself to inshore or offshore fishing. In fact, they might decide they don't want to fish at all on any given boating Saturday. That's what GradyWhite had in mind when it designed its first Coastal Explorer, the 251 CE, nearly 10 years ago. It's been so successful, we wondered why Grady-White waited so long to bring out the larger 281.

The 281 CE is 27 feet, 7 inches in length with a 9-foot-4-inch beam and designed to run nicely on a single Yamaha XTO 450 or dual 300s. Our test boat sported the latter (an approximately $30,000 upgrade with full maneuverability), and it's exactly how we'd equip it. Here's why: First, there is the redundancy factor; if one engine goes down, there's a second to get you home. Second, with dual engines you get joystick maneuvering and all the FishPoint and StayPoint features. And when equipped with full maneuverability, Yamaha's engines provide an autopilot experience that is hard to beat. Garmin's system with GN+ charting and Yamaha engines make it easy to set an auto route for a complicated course between two points. It is so sophisticated, it will decelerate, stop and engage StayPoint right over the waypoint, holding the boat in place while anglers ready the lines. Single and dual setups both reward the owner with top speeds that exceed 50 mph.

Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Boating.

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Denne historien er fra May 2023-utgaven av Boating.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA BOATINGSe alt
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IN THE BEGINNING
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REPOWERING FOUNTAIN HULL NO.1

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NAVICO GROUP FATHOM 2.0
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PROPS FOR INNOVATION
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MERCURY RACING 500R
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Supercharged power for a variety of boats.

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FLIPPING THE SWITCH
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TOW-VEHICLE TECH
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TOW-VEHICLE TECH

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MONUMENTAL TIPS FOR BACKING A TRAILER
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Three Boating greats offer advice for a perennial reader query.

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STICKING POINTS - Anchoring alternatives, and why you will always need a traditional anchor.
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STICKING POINTS - Anchoring alternatives, and why you will always need a traditional anchor.

My brother-in-law likes to fish offshore reefs, and the process once entailed navigating to a mark, dropping a float, and idling upwind or up-current to drop the anchor in hopes the set would drop us back to the float.

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FOR WANT OF A CLAMP
Boating

FOR WANT OF A CLAMP

When 100 miles from shore, home and help, this boater’s preparedness prevented potential catastrophe.

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