NAUTICSTAR 251 HYBRID
If you’re a hardcore angler, but you also like to spend time onboard with the family enjoying watersports, cruising or just hanging out on the hook, the 251 Hybrid delivers exactly what its name implies: a multi-purpose boat for the family that wants to do it all.
Where to start? How about with the aft casting platform that comes standard with comfy SeaDek flooring. The casting deck features built-in storage and a 40-quart cooler, accessible from the water when you’re taking a swim off the transom. Flip up the transom jump seat to create a cockpit conversation pit, or for a comfortable cruising seat on the ride out of the inlet.
The bow also proved itself another great social-gathering point, with a cushioned love seat in front of the console and the wraparound bolsters on the U-lounge serving double duty as backrests or to provide fish-fighting comfort. Add in the seat cushions when it’s time to chill and stow them away when it’s time to fish. Backrests flip out from the gunwales to create forward-facing lounges. A 45-quart Yeti cooler comes with a snap-on cushion to complete the U-lounge in the bow.
If your kids enjoy watersports, opt for the ski tower, which can be black or white powder-coated aluminum to match your boat’s color package. It raises the tow point above the outboard so that the rope won’t hit the engine’s cowling.
Ready to wet a line? Stowage space under the bow seats hide a rod locker and an insulated fish box. There’s a 15-gallon livewell under the forward console seat and a 16-gallon one in the aft deck. Between the rod holders in the T-top, the gunwales and the rod locker, the boat can hold 21 fishing rods. At the helm, there’s room to vertically flush-mount two large MFDs for your electronics package.
As for performance, the boat can be rigged with a Yamaha outboard ranging from 250 to 350 horsepower. With a Yamaha F300, NauticStar reported a top speed of 52.5 mph. It found its optimal cruising speed of 24 mph at 3,000 rpm, burning 6.4 gph. NauticStar also recorded a time of 3.81 seconds to plane and a zero to 30 mph time of just 5.5 seconds.