HookedOnFishingBoats.com

Grady-White's 209 Fisherman center console.

Grady White Boats has a new model out for the 2011 season, the 209 Fisherman, a 20 foot center console that will have a lot of appeal for small boat anglers who want the best of the best, even when it comes in a small package. Anyone who’s read my boat reviews in the past knows I’m a big Grady fan – their boats are reliably well-built, tough, take the seas well, constantly introduce new innovative features, and are laid out in a smart, fishing-friendly manner. When I got to take a peek at the 209, it proved to be more of the same.

If you’ve seen Grady White’s 230 Fisherman which was introduced just last year, than you’ll quickly realize that the 209 is a smaller sibling with the same attitude. Many of the features introduced on the 230 are scaled down and included: the integrated bow seat/fishboxes with an insert that turns them into a single-level raised casting platform; the T-top that’s designed to integrate with the console; and the removable forward console cooler seat are all examples. The 209 also has a console head, which is a much-appreciated feature in a 20′4″ LOA boat.

Here’s what the Grady guys have to say about the 209 Fisherman: “Our focus in re-engineering this center console was first and foremost to add a useful-sized head area,” said Joey Weller, vice president of sales and marketing for Grady-White. “But that was far from all. Grady-White builds a complete line of ten different center console models from 18 to 36 feet in length and we wanted to integrate some of our bigger center console features into this good-looking 20-footer including the optional T-top. Plus, we’ve made it ready for the new generation of highly efficient Yamaha engines coming to market. We think that a lot of things come together in the Fisherman 209 to create a terrific choice in a smaller Grady-White center console for young families.”