Blue Water
ROCKET
FLORIDA WAS PROBABLY home to the
first trailer boaters and maybe we
Canadian boaters can learn a thing or
two from them. They are generally
out in the ocean, many of them game
fishing, and they commonly run 20
miles or more to reach the fishing
grounds. If you have to cope with
offshore conditions you need a boat
that is built with the strength and
quality to handle rough going, and
you’re going to want as much speed
as you can get to reach the fishing
grounds, or to return home quickly.
The Grady-White Advance 257 is
bigger than typical Canadian trailer
boats but if you’re going to tackle the
Great Lakes or coastal areas, this is
the kind of boat that is starting to
make more and more sense to
The helm is surprisingly comfortable even
in rough going with a standing or sitting
position, tilt wheel, foot rest and plenty of
places to hang on. Electronics go in an
overhead enclosure or behind the
Plexiglas cover on the dash.
Canadians. The design is called a center console and there is a canvas top
over the console. You get protection
from the sun, but not from the rain.
This is really an open boat and the
big welded tubing that supports the
roof is there for you to hang onto.
Our test boat was fitted with the
brand new, industry-leading Yamaha
350 hp four stroke outboard. It is the
only V- 8 four-stroke outboard in production and it is amazing.
PERFORMANCE
Test boat engine: Yamaha F350,
325.3 ci/5,330 cc, 350 hp four
stroke V8 with dual overhead
cams, sequential multipoint fuel
injection, electronic throttle and
shift, stainless steel prop.
ENGINE (RPM) SPEED (MPH)
Idle 3
1,000 5
1,500 6
2,000 8
2,500 11
3,000 20
3,500 25*
4,000 30
4,500 35
5,000 41
5,500 45
6,000 52
*Cruising speed
It has almost the displacement of a
Corvette engine at 5. 3 litres but it is a
dual overhead cam design with
sequential electronic fuel injection.
The technical sophistication lets this
