Boating USA — February 2018

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An express cruiser like the

new Glastron GS 259 OB

is designed for weekend

getaways, and outboard

power adds to its versatility

by enabling more stowage

space within the boat than a

sterndrive would allow and

making it easier to extend

the season. Outboards also

may make more sense for

coastal boaters since, unlike

a sterndrive, the engine can

be tilted completely clear of

the water, and so will better

thwart corrosion. However,

for the traditionalist cruiser

buyer, we’ll note right here

that forward of its transom,

the GS 259 OB is identical

to the sterndrive-powered

GS 259 that’s been in the

Glastron line for a decade.

There’s lots of lounging

space in the cockpit, with

a pivoting backrest on the

aft seat that can also fold

fl at to create a sun pad. The

GLASTRON

GS 259 OB

SPEED EFFICIENCY OPERATION

rpm knots mph gph naut. mpg stat. mpg range range n. mi. s. mi. angle levelsound

1000 3.35 3.85 1.00 3.35 3.85 211 243 0 55

1500 4.81 5.53 1.70 2.83 3.25 178 205 2 61

2000 6.27 7.21 2.70 2.32 2.67 146 168 2 65

2500 7.13 8.20 4.40 1.62 1.86 102 117 3 67

3000 7.56 8.69 6.80 1.11 1.28 70 81 5 70

3500 8.07 9.29 9.50 0.85 0.98 54 62 6 71

4000 9.79 11.26 12.30 0.80 0.92 50 58 7 73

4500 14.77 16.99 13.90 1.06 1.22 67 77 5 79

5000 22.32 25.69 15.30 1.46 1.68 92 106 4 81

5500 28.60 33.79 17.90 1.60 1.89 101 119 4 81

6000 33.57 38.63 22.40 1.50 1.72 94 109 3 82

6450 36.32 41.79 29.40 1.24 1.42 78 90 2 85

MOST ECONOMICAL CRUISING SPEED

High Points

XOutboard power is smooth and almost

silent from the helm.

XEnough cabin space for comfortable

weekending.

XCockpit seating options enhance

socializing and lounging.

Low Points

XWe miss the lift and handling offered by

a twin-prop sterndrive.

XLow rails on the foredeck don’t offer

much security.

XBatteries are buried in the transom.

Toughest Competitor

XThere’s no similarly priced, similarly

sized outboard-powered cruiser with

which to compare to the GS 259 OB,

but the 23-foot-7-inch Cutwater 242

Sport Coupe ($119,937) comes close.

Its pilothouse design offers great

season-extending weather protection,

combining helm space and living space

in its deckhouse. Another option is the

24-foot-4-inch Jeanneau NC 795

($90,000), also a pilothouse-style cruis-

er that combines overnight amenities in

the enclosed deck cabin and a more

modest V-berth cabin belowdecks.

·LOA: 25'2"·BEAM: 8'6"·DRAFT (MAX): 3'4"

·TRANSOM DEADRISE: 17 degrees·BRIDGE

CLEARANCE: 6'8"·DRY WEIGHT: 6,250 lb.·FUEL

CAPACITY: 70 gal.·WATER CAPACITY:21 gal.·MAX

HORSEPOWER: 300

HOW WE TESTED

ENGINE: Single 300 hp Mercury 300 Verado out-

board DRIVE/PROP: Outboard/14.6" x 15" Mercury

Revolution 4 4-blade stainless steel GEAR RATIO:

1.85:1 FUEL LOAD: 50 gal. CREW WEIGHT: 700 lb.

backrest of the doublewide

helm seat also pivots so it

can be used as a sociable

aft-facing seat. A Dockside

Power Package ($4,867)

adds a cockpit galley con-

sole with cooktop, sink and

refrigerator, plus a water

heater, cabin microwave

and, obviously, shore power

and a battery charger.

As is the case with many

cruisers less than about

38  feet in length, high free-

board gives this Glastron a

chunky pro-

fi le but makes

the cabin

more livable.

There’s a

V-berth for-

ward and a queen-size

midberth with 3 feet 6 inch-

es of headroom, an enclosed

head with more than 6 feet

of headroom, and plen-

ty  of light thanks to a large

overhead hatch and two

additional port lights in

the foredeck. Molded steps

make it easy to reach the

foredeck and anchor locker.

The extended board-

ing platform is designed to

double as a bracket for the

Mercury Verado outboard. In

place of the inboard engine,

the GS 259 OB off ers a 2-foot-

deep stowage pit below the

aft cockpit sole and seat. Out-

board advantages include the

self-draining design, which is

good for late-season boating,

a 150-pound weight sav-

ings over a sterndrive, and

very quiet operation. With a

300  hp Verado, performance

is just adequate. Minimum

planing speed with our light

load was at about 4,500 rpm,

and best fuel economy is all

the way at 5,500 rpm. That

won’t improve with more

gear and people on board.

—Charles Plueddeman

To see a photo gallery of the
Glastron GS 259 OB, visit
boatingmag.com/3052.

GLASTRON BOATS

Cadillac, Michigan; 231-775-1351; glastron.com

PHOTO: COURTESY GLASTRON BOATS

Price: $91,367

AVAILABLE POWER:

OUTBOARD

64 | BOATINGMAG.COM | FEBRUARY 2018