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Boston Whaler 255 Conquest - 2005/04/27 12:01
When you see Boston Whaler’s new 255 Conquest in profile, you’ll notice there’s something distinctly new. Whereas all previous walk-around models have a straight sheerline, with Whaler’s heavy-duty rub rail running a straight horizontal line fore to aft, parallel with the deck, on this new model, the sheer breaks gracefully up toward the bow. This isn’t a mere esoteric eccentricity of design, but a well-thought-out feature that allows for a low bulwark around the side decks and bow without sacrificing space in the cuddy cabin.
Access to the side decks begins with molded-in steps from the cockpit. The recessed decks are finished with a non-skid surface, and between the welded 316 stainless-steel bow rail and the frame for the hard top, there’s plenty to hold on to in rough seas. The recessed foredeck features a neat little bow seat forward of the cuddy hatch, and the anchor locker has plenty of room for line and rode. An optional low-profile windlass and the anchor roller on the integral bow pulpit should make anchoring a breeze.
(Above) There’s rod storage under the gunwale, plus a unique socket to securely store downrigger weights in the lower starboard corner.
(Below) The optional table (right) can lower to make the bow settee into a double berth.
The optional fishing package brings some functional amenities to the cockpit, like pumpouts in the two big fish boxes set under hatches in the cockpit sole; a lighted, raw-water circulating baitwell in the transom; two-drawer tackle storage; cockpit coaming bolsters; and three extra stainless-steel rod holders.
Standard features that fishermen should admire include the sturdy stainless-steel toe rails, under-the-gunwale rod racks, and nifty softball-sized sockets to securely hold those pesky downrigger weights. There’s a good-sized door through the transom and a handy fresh-water retractable hand-held shower for rinsing off after handling fish or swimming like one. A concealed telescoping stainless-steel swim ladder gets you up onto the boarding platform with ease, and hides from sight when under way.
Guests will enjoy the bench seat across the transom that folds down completely out of the way. Folded down, its backrest doubles as a bolster. A hatch in the center of the cockpit sole gives ready access to the 150-gallon plastic fuel tank and the batteries and battery switches, plus the automatic bilge pump, oil tanks and the spot where you’d place a through-hull transducer.
There are aft-facing seats behind the helm station, with a cooler under one and dry storage under the other. Up between the helm seat to starboard and the port co-pilot seat, there’s another hatch with a 22-inch-deep gasketed dry storage locker.
Boston Whaler
255 Conquest
Specifications:
Length over all 26’11”
Beam 8’6”
Hull Draft 15”
Weight
(without engines) 3975 lbs.
Base price
(With twin Yamaha 225HP outboard engines)
$93,420
Boston Whaler
100 Whaler Way
Edgewater, FL 32141
1-800-Whaler-9
www.whaler.com
The helm is protected by a handsome wrap-around windshield with a brushed aluminum frame. The dash on the portside features a built-in cooler with an overboard drain and a lockable glove box where you can mount the optional Clarion digital stereo/CD player. The helm seat is adjustable, and visibility is good all around, both sitting and standing at the wheel. Hydraulic tilt steering is standard. The dash has lots of room for GPS, radar display and depth sounder, and there’s good access to the wiring from behind through a panel in the bulkhead of the cuddy below. There’s additional room for instruments in the overhead panel of the optional hard top. Switches are neatly arrayed to the right for good visibility and access.
The companionway door leads down two steps to the roomy cuddy cabin. Though the standing headroom is 5’ 9”, the headroom while seated on the wrap-around settee is more than adequate for this 6’2” boater. An optional table doubles as an insert that makes the settee into a good-sized double berth. There’s a portable toilet with a deck pump-out under one of the cushions and storage under the others. There’s a small sink molded into the counter, connected to a pressurized 20-gallon freshwater system. And if you add a butane stove, you’d not only have all the amenities you’d need for an overnight run, but also all the parameters you’d have to meet to for the boat to qualify as second home, so you could deduct the interest on your boat loan.
The overhead hatch and the two side portlights are screened. Another nice feature of the cabin is that, besides the vinyl headliner, all the other surfaces are gel-coated for easy cleaning. In fact, if you look inside any of the hatches and storage compartments, you’ll notice that they’re all neatly finished with gel-coat - even the fish boxes. The lack of rough, unfinished surfaces means that they can all be cleaned thoroughly and won’t reek of last season’s latest catch.
Like all Whalers, the 255 Conquest is built with that unsinkable Unibond construction that’s so durable, it’s backed with a 10-year transferable limited warranty. The self-bailing hull can be swamped, but it will float level in the water and still support 6,100 pounds. The 255 Conquest hull features Whaler’s “Accutrack” design, a modified deep-V with small sponson-type reverse chines running the full length of the boat. The deep-V cuts through the waves, while the reverse chines direct the spray away from the hull for a dry ride. Full-length strakes provide additional tracking ability while under way and stability when trolling or standing still. Its 8’6” beam and 4,900-pound dry weight make it eminently trailerable. Bridge clearance is only 4’ 9” without the hard top.
Power options are legion, from the standard 250 HP XXL EFI Mercury outboard to the 225 XXL Optimax Mercury on the model I investigated, or the new 115XL Mercury four-stroke or even twin 200CXL Optimax or 150 CXL Optimax Mercury outboards. The Optimax Smart Craft deluxe gauge package is also available.
Boston Whaler is owned by Brunswick Corporation, which also builds Mercury and Mariner outboard engines; Mercury MerCruiser sterndrives and inboard engines; Sea Ray, Bayliner, Maxum and Sealine boats; Baja high-performance boats; Trophy fishing boats; Princecraft deck and pontoon boats; and a range of non-boating recreational products.
http://www.cbmmag.net/reviews/bostonwhaler_255/
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