When you hear someone describe a trailerable mid-cabin cruiser, you
usually hear a lot about its utility and not so much about its looks. That's for a very good
reason: Some of them tend to resemble floating shoeboxes. The reason is a matter of proportion,
because in order to yield plenty of headroom in the cabin, they have to be about the same height as
longer cruisers, but being shorter makes them appear to be squatter. So when Glastron ' whose
heritage is founded on sporty, good-looking boats ' set out to design a new 27-foot cruiser, the
company used a clean sheet of paper. The first directive must have been: Make it attractive, but
don't do it at the expense of user-friendliness. The result is a look that's reminiscent of a
Euro-sport boat with its raked windshield, pointy bow, and extra-tall bow rail in the front that
quickly gets shorter as you go aft. Thanks to Glastron's clever use of the dark side accents, it
enhances its
sleeker-than-usual look for a roomy cruiser with a lot of headroom.
Toward the stern, the shearline swoops down and instead of terminating in the usual straight
up and down transom ' which contributes to boxiness ' it's nicely angled and elegantly slopes down
to the huge integrated swim platform. Ah ... make that a dive platform, because it sits rather high
off the water, so those who like to sit out back with their legs dangling in the water will have to
be satisfied with dipping their toes instead. Even so, with the concealed stainless-steel boarding
ladder and grab rail, boarding from the water is pretty easy, and there's even a standard transom
shower. There's also a pair of drainable lockers back here that are perfect for items like ski
ropes and vests, or they could even be used to house beverages if you're anchored at a swimming
area. Just like larger cruisers, there's an oversized transom locker where you can store fenders
and dock lines.
Entering the cockpit from the swim platform is via the port-side transom walkthrough.
There's no transom door, as is the style these days, so those going cruising with really small kids
might want to rig up some sort of barrier other than the foot-high or so step-over dam to keep them
corralled. Because the roomy U-lounge is located on the starboard side, there's a nice flow as
passengers freely enter the cockpit. That also leaves plenty of room on the port side for an
entertainment center complete with running water, stainless-steel sink, and icebox.
Instead of a separate co-pilot seat, there's an extra-wide captain's seat that has a flip-up
seat bolster (captain only) to put the driver's head above the windshield ' just perfect for days
like today, outside of Las Vegas on Lake Mead with the temperature hovering at a balmy 104 degrees.
The first thing that gets your attention is the sculpted tan dash that's not only attractive to
look at, but also helps to cut down on windshield reflection. Ergonomically, the gold-bezeled,
fog-free Faria gauges couldn't be placed better, providing excellent visibility for all. The rocker
switches for the accessories are high and immune to accidental activation by the driver's knees.
The driver grips a substantial burl-wood tilt steering wheel that has molded grips for a nice
sports-car feel. The 269's standard sound system is an upscale Clarion radio/CD player four-speaker
system that cranks out the tunes above or below deck. Large steps up to the foredeck make anchoring
easy, and for nighttime running there's a standard remote-controlled spotlight.
A feature boaters will love is the Sirius-ready radio package with 65 commercial-free
stations that Glastron gives you for free for the first 12 months. Another handy electronic feature
is the SeaKey satellite communication system, which provides a number of interesting features such
as emergency messaging, which is great protection for those who venture out of cell phone range.
For those who keep their boats in the water ' even if you live thousands of miles away ' you can
receive warnings about high water in the bilge, low-battery voltage, and even information about
your boat being stolen. A really useful feature is that you can even track the position of your
boat via the Internet, so someone can monitor your progress (or lack of it if you're stopped). It's
sort of like having an interactive float plan. A SeaKey personal assistant can even make slip or
restaurant reservations and give you the latest weather forecast and tidal information. And on your
own personal website, you can set up a photo gallery, crank out a float plan, and monitor your
boat's status.
After running the blower, the key is cranked and the 315-hp, 5.7L Volvo- Penta GXi engine
rumbles to life. After a shove off, the driver smoothly puts it in gear, and they begin to quietly
idle down the channel, emitting only 63 decibels. With a Duoprop outdrive, wandering at idle is
substantially reduced, which can be a problem for some boats this size. After reaching open water,
the power level is maxed out, and the GS 269 hops onto plane in less than seven seconds and reaches
30 mph in 9.1 seconds. Faster planing could be achieved by the use of the standard trim tabs, and
on this boat they are a welcome addition because of the seating layout that favors the starboard
side, so if you invite your old, football-playing frat buddies, you'll have a way to counter the
side of beef.
Handling at cruise speed is effortless, and the Glastron responds quickly and predictably to
steering input. In the hardest of turns with the trim in normal running position, you can provoke
some cavitation, but if you need to make a 180 after a skier goes down and trim it down, you can
crank it into a sharp turn. Top speed in the desert heat at about 1,200 feet of elevation works out
to be 45.9 mph.
They're shooting brochure photography on this boat today, and the standard procedure is to
send the writer into the cabin below and out of sight while the beautiful people board the boat for
a quick shoot. They hear a muffled sound from down below that they can't quite make out, which
sounds a lot like, 'I am not an animal,' a-la John Merrick in 'Elephant Man.' But it does present a
chance to check out the cabin, which is arguably one of the best features of this boat. Lavish use
of cherry wood cabinetry gives it a warm and nautical flavor, and the full galley includes lots of
standard features like the Origo alcohol/electric stove, refrigerator and Tappan microwave. The bow
berth is adult-sized, although like Ruffles potato chips, it has lots of ridges. The amidships
cabin is also big enough for adults and features lots of headroom ' not like the coffin-type
arrangement you sometimes see. A roomy head compartment with hot and cold running water comes
standard, as does the china hand-pump head.
This boat is so well-equipped, the average customer won't be ordering many options other
than the blue gel coat stripe, air conditioner and canvas package, which is exactly how this boat
is rigged. Your kids might throw a hissy fit if you don't get the 13-inch flat-screen TV with DVD
player, and for those who are really into overnighting on the hook, a 5KW Westerbeke generator will
be a luxurious addition, as will the electric windlass. Price as tested for this boat is a
budget-friendly $70,204.
Let's see: good-looking, ergonomically friendly, loaded with standard features, and priced
so even working people can afford it ... sounds like a winner.