GLASTRON GTD 240
This deck boat was designed for either outboard power or sterndrive or Volvo Penta forward drive (GTD 245). We’ve been aboard too many sterndrives retooled for outboards that were just average performers. However, we tested each version—and all three operated as if they were born to run with their respective propulsion options.
The Mercury V-8 300 hp four-stroke was powerful and smooth. Sure, it ought to be with power steering and electronic throttles, but that only accounts for the ease of maneuvering. It is the relationship of the engine and boat—which functioned as if they were organically grown, not bolted together; that was so with every propulsion platform.
The acceleration is quick and smooth (2.9 seconds to plane), the top speed rewarding (51.1 mph) and in turns, the GTD 240 stuck tight to its line and held it all the way through. Now, there’s a trick from Mercury that helped achieved this—the dynamic throttle fed in power as the boat loaded up through the turns.
That kept the hull on track, without losing speed or chine tripping—all proof of a well-designed relationship between power and boat.
The deck plan is one of my favorites of the new 2020 model year. There’s a double-wide helm console, and the portside console is replaced with a walk-through to the bow. It gives the captain and mate a cozy place to enjoy the ride with enough elbow room to make it comfortable.
The seatbacks flip fore and aft. Aft is the driving position; forward joins the helm seats to the wraparound seating in the cockpit—it’s simple, requiring just a little push from the fingertips.
Forward, Glastron uses that wide starboard console to build a large head compartment. The door opens upward and overhead, revealing a wide access way to a roomy compartment. It can be equipped with an electric flushing head or a simple portable head. A filler cushion between the full beam aft-facing bench seat and the forward-facing bench converts the entire area into a sunning pad.
Other boatbuilders will be trying to copy this new style in 2021.