If you like walkaround cuddy cabin boats your options have been thoroughly limited in recent years, because center console boats have come to rule the roost. And while we here at FishTalk love our CCs, we’d also love to see some options for anglers ISO a small cabin boat. Well people, Grady-White has come through. Walkaround cabin boats were always at the core of their offerings, and while they haven’t come out with a new model in a while, there are countless Grady-White walkaround boats plying the waters from the C & D Canal to Cape Charles. But times, they are ‘a changing — for 2023, Grady-White introduces an all-new Adventure 218.
The Adventure 218 brings the styling of cuddies to the modern age, sure, but what we really want goes beyond superficial changes. And when we checked out this model at the US Powerboat show in Annapolis, we saw that Grady delivers far more than a face lift. The 218 has expanded acreage thanks to an 8’6” beam (the old 228 Seafarer and Adventure 208 were both 8’0”), and the side decks going around the cabin eat up less space thanks to a gunwale that narrows at the step up. Plus, a new trick in the form of pivoting aft seatbacks allows you to turn the transom into a clutter-free fishing area with mini aft casting decks to either side of the motor well. Nifty. Other fishing features include cockpit toe rails, four flush gunwale rodholders, cockpit coaming bolsters, a pair of insulated fishboxes (31.5 and 30 gallons), a raw water washdown, and an optional 31-gallon livewell. Get the optional hard top, and four rodholders plus spreader lights are added to the mix.
The cabin is pretty much as one would expect for a cuddy boat of this size. It has a V-berth with stowage underneath, a portable MSD, and horizontal rodracks for four rigs. You can get a deck pump-out for the head if you so desire. And the entry is pushed farther to port than on the 228 or 208, allowing for a larger helm area including plenty of room for flush-mounting electronics.
The new 218 Adventure runs on Grady-White’s SeaV2 variable-degree deadrise hull, which tapers back to 19-degrees at the transom, and is available with a 200- or 250-hp Yamaha outboard. Max power gets you a top-end in the mid-40s and a cruise of around 30 mph, while downsizing cuts about five mph from top speed and cruise but nets you an eyebrow-raising 3.2 mpg at cruising speeds. Also take note of the 100-gallon fuel capacity, which is particularly hefty compared to other boats in this size range. Walkaround boat fans, rejoice!
Grady-White Adventure 218 Specifications
LOA: 23’3”
Beam: 8’6”
Displacement: 3650 lbs.
Draft (Min.): 1’4”
Transom deadrise: 19 degrees
Max HP: 250
Fuel Capacity: 100
Area Dealers – Tri-State Marine, Deale MD, (410) 867-1447.