If you want a serious fishing boat and a fun family runabout, Grady-White's Tournament 275 proves you don’t need two separate boats.

 

As Jim Hardin, compliance manager for Grady-White, backs the diesel dually pickup down the ramp at Sandy Point State Park — just outside of Annapolis on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake — the excitement builds as he splashes the near-27-footer into the water. Despite its length, the 275 has a beam of 8 feet 6 inches and a dry weight of just less than 5,000 pounds (without engines), making it one of the most capable fishing boats out there that’s still easy to tow without having to comply with wide-load restrictions. Powered by twin Yamaha F150 outboards — one of the most popular configurations — the Tournament 275 is rated to accept up to twin 250s for those in a hurry to relax while fishing. This boat would also be a prime candidate for Yamaha’s newest eight-cylinder F350, especially when the engine begins to show up in higher-horsepower configurations in the next few years.

After passing through the short idle zone, Rudow puts the fully laden boat on plane in less than four seconds. It hooks up nicely with minimal bowrise and reaches 30 mph in just under six ticks of the stopwatch. The eager anglers head under the famed Bay Bridge, whose original two-lane span opened in 1952, making it the longest steel bridge over open water in the world at the time, with its 4.3-mile length stretching to the Eastern Shore of Maryland.

There's a bit of chop in the open bay, which the 275 eats up without complaint — no big surprise considering its SeaV2 hull starts at the transom with 20 degrees of deadrise and gets progressively sharper as you head forward. At its mid-point, where the "rubber meets the road," so to speak, it measures 30 degrees, which gives it even more slicing ability than most offshore racing hull designs that feature a continuous 24 degrees of deadrise. At its bow, you’ll find 56 degrees of deadrise, meaning that when you get into really choppy waters, the bow won’t bash into the waves like Bruce Willis shouldering open a door in one of his action movies.

Despite the full walk-through windshield that provides excellent protection, your eyes still water during the short run at sunrise in the crisp morning air as you head toward Thomas Point Shoals, marked by the poster-pretty lighthouse that's been
in operation since 1875. After dropping anchor with a push of the button, courtesy of the optional windlass ($3,015), you flip down the transom bench seat bottom, which is one of the best-designed seats of its kind on the market because of its comfort and ease of use. Rudow gets the chum and bait out of the 185-quart insulated transom fish box, which conveniently has a cutting board built into the lid, and is put to use immediately as he chunks up menhaden into bite-size morsels. Had the crew been using live bait, they would be using the optional 128-quart livewell ($520) that sits beside the fish box. A quick spritz using the standard freshwater shower with a 20-gallon tank makes quick work of bait residue. 

The 275 has plenty of room for tackle in the large drawer under the sink and spigot behind the driver's seat. Another similar drawer is in the driver’s-side console that Grady-White sales and marketing team member Justin Wallace loads with enough snacks needed to keep four grown fishermen alive for the day's fishing. There’s also an 88-quart starboard-side insulated fish box up front that does double duty as a beverage cooler. Although this boat hasn’t received its hardtop ($9,300) yet, it's scheduled to be installed in the next few weeks. This helps transform the look from family runabout (not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course) to
a serious-looking fishing boat. The tall T-top comes with spreader lights, electronics box and storage net for conveniently storing life jackets within easy reach, and is a must if you want to install aftermarket outriggers. Its height is probably the reason Grady-White opted not to put rocket launcher rod holders here, but without them, cockpit rod storage is a little sparse. There are only four stainless-steel holders on top of the gunwales and three horizontal rod racks under the starboard gunwale. Grady-White mitigates this with a three-rod rack in the roomy portside console, where the optional electronic head ($2,105) resides — which links to a forward hatch leading to the port bowrider seat storage compartment that can accommodate even the longest fishing rods. Gear-happy anglers/owners will likely put a couple more holders on the gunwales, a four-rod rack on the outside of the transom, and rocket launchers on the aforementioned T-top.

Once you start fishing, you quickly realize the benefit of the 275's dual console layout, because with its helm-forward design, you get a whopping 60 square feet of cockpit space, which means four guys can fish at once back here without getting too chummy. Another great fishing feature is that if you get hooked up to a large fish, the driver can head toward the fish while the angler stands at the bow and leans against the forward pad, since there’s no seat bottom to interfere with the angler's stance — a maneuver that's easier to accomplish without the tubular T-top option.

One of the characteristics that sets the Tournament 275 apart from other fishing boats is the amount of quality seating aboard. Perhaps the finest spot is the clever portside back-to-back seat ($1,365), which features a seat bottom that extends rearward at the touch of a button like a giant tongue to create a comfortable lounger seat — the perfect place to lounge/snooze while waiting for a strike on the trolling spread (make sure to turn the reel’s clicker on as a wake-up call). Up front you have twin recliner bowrider seats that are ergonomically superior and feature loads of storage underneath. The starboard side compartment is also an insulated cooler/fish box that drains overboard. An optional cockpit table ($465) installs either in the bow or the cockpit for dining, snacking or card-playing on calm days.

Despite fishing with one of the most dialed-in, knowledgeable angler/authors for a couple of hours, it’s clear you’re drilling into a dry well. Rudow works the radio, talking to everyone he knows who’s fishing today, but they all have the same answer: "We’re not catching anything either." Lenny, who has just released a new book, Rudow's Guide to Rockfish, is clearly disappointed and offers this explanation: "The problem is we’ve had steady, cool weather for the last few weeks, and the fish are backed up in the river waiting for the right conditions to spawn." As it later turns out, this condition persists for another 10 days, followed by an incredible bite when the fish spawn at the same time and then move into the bay, en masse.

So what do anglers do when the going gets tough? You shift into fun-in-the-sun cruisin' mode by heading into the South River, a branch of the Chesapeake. You finally get your hands on the substantial stainless-steel, three-spoke wheel and
tilt it into your preferred position. Even cooler is the optional electric seat position adjuster ($3,035), which comes bundled with the wet bar behind it. Although the helm seat doesn't have a flip-up bolster, you can electronically scoot it back far enough to stand in comfort. Despite the 275's rather narrow helm console, Grady-White does an excellent job of laying out the square Yamaha Command Link digital gauges, which provide information about every aspect of operation of the twin F150 outboards' operation. There's even enough room for a 12.1-inch Raymarine C120 color display on the flat panel to the right of the wheel.

Whether it's a cuddy, a center console or a dual console, Grady-White exhibits a sense of balance not found in many other boats. After you get behind the helm of a Grady-White for the first time, you'll be surprised at how quickly you find yourself in the comfort zone, and the Tournament 275 in no exception. With the relatively narrow beam for its length, when everyone sits on the port side while you take it up river, you give the standard, recessed hydraulic trim tabs a blip to level things out. With only about 50 gallons of fuel in the 200-gallon tank, it's a good time to test the top-end speed. You max out the throttle and trim it up as far as it'll go before ventilating. Even with four snack-laden anglers, the 275 reaches nearly 47 mph, which is pretty impressive, considering you have 200 hp less than the 500-hp maximum.