255 VTX Sport Deck
Description
255 VTX Sport Deck: Hydro V-Tunnel Crossover
What happens when you take the best attributes of a V-bottom hull and combine it with the best attributes of a tunnel deck boat?Answer: You end up with the all new “Howard 255 VTX” (V-Tunnel Crossover). A Deck Boat unlike all others. Quite possibly “The Best all around boat ever designed”!
Original in both design and concept, the all new “Howard 255 VTX” is a culmination of eighteen months of complex design, customer input and extensive on the water testing to achieve another first in the Howard legacy of leadership and innovation in the performance boating industry.
We took our Award winning 25 Bullet V-Bottom performance technology and our Award winning “288” Sport Deck tunnel hull design, known for its superb handling attributes and features, and then meld them together into a perfect blend to create the best of both worlds - A Deck Boat with the ski ability of a V hull.
What makes this different from other similar designs is that we incorporated full width cat-like sponsons that run the entire length of the boat that are designed to be in contact with the water for stability along with a tunnel to funnel the compressed air through the bottom giving the boat lift and reducing drag. Think of it as an exaggerated Mod -VP hull design like our “288” Sport Deck where the center sponson sits lower than the two outside sponsons creating air tunnels on either side in which the air is funneled.
The front and side profile mimics the Howard “288” Sport Deck while the rear view definitely tells you it’s a Howard V-bottom derivative. When these two worlds collide, the new “255 VTX” evolves! A Deck Boat unlike anything before.
Designed to be the perfect “all around boat” (with emphasis on “family fun on the water” being paramount), this new hydro-v hull will tow every kind of water toy imaginable from wakeboards, surfboards, water skis and whatever else may exist out there, and unlike the one dimensional “ski tow boats” at the end of the day when the water kicks up you can still run over 60 mph in comfort with a Mercruiser 350 horsepower small block motor. Try that in a “tow” boat! Higher speeds are obviously achieved with larger motor options.
Planning at a mere 12 miles per hour without any noticeable bow rise whatsoever, the new “255 VTX” just takes a set and starts moving forward. Turning is tight and precise regardless of speed; whether you are doing a slow speed 180 degree turn to retrieve a downed skier or wake border or an all out high speed turn, this boat tracks flat as if it is on rails with an absolute minimum of lean due to the forward sponsons that are designed to be in constant contact with the water and funnel the air flow aft creating both lift and balance. With its 65 gallon fuel capacity and the miserly fuel consumption of a small block Mercruiser motor and super efficient bottom design you can boat and play all weekend on a single tank of fuel; a nice feature considering today’s volatile fuel prices.
The interior styling of the new “255 VTX” is a scaled down version of the “288” Sport Deck providing comfortable accommodations for 10 while featuring the same amenities that the “288” is known for; a hidden Bimini top that stores flat on the floor under the rear seat/engine hatch and a swim step that extends over the propeller by 10” to provide for safe entering or exiting or just sitting on the rear swim step relaxing. You will be amazed at the amount of space we were able to place inside the new “255 VTX”!
Like all Howards, construction is 100% wood free composite featuring the finest materials available including vinyl-ester resin, Knitted bi and tri directional glass fabric and of course, our trade mark two week mold cure time to insure proper strength and a distortion free finish.
Contact us for more information and pricing.
Specifications:
| Length | 26'2" LOA |
| Beam | 102" |
| Max Freeboard | 42" |
| Approximate Weight | 3900 lbs |
| Seating Capacity | 8-10 |
| Standard Fuel Capacity | 65 gal |
| Bottom Configuration | Hydro-V / Tunnel |
| Standard Power | MerCruiser 6.2 350HP Bravo |
Standard Equipment / Features:
- 100% Hand laminated composite fiberglass construction
- Bi and Tri-Directional Knytex knitted glass fabric
- Pure vinyl-ester resin
- Full one piece (cockpit, bow section, floor and side panels) molded-in inner liner
- 7 color custom gel coat
- All stainless steel hardware and fasteners
- 2 Heavy duty marine batteries w/billet battery boxes
- Illuminated rocker switches
- Powder coated fuel fills, ski tow, gauge bezels, garb-handles w/vents
- Automatic Bilge pumps
- Bilge Blower
- International navigation lights (LED)
- Interior lights (LED)
- 12 volt receptacle
- Custom steering wheel
- Full Livorsi instrumentation (tachometer w/Vantage View, GPS speedometer, volt meter, fuel gauge, water temperature, oil pressure, trim gauge)
- Livorsi dual lever (offshore style) hand controls w/built in trim switch
- Full hydraulic Power steering (helm)
- Power trim
- Bravo I stainless steel propeller
- Six stainless steel pull-up deck cleats
- Dual electric engine hatch lift rams
- Built-in storage compartments
- Color coordinated marine grade vinyl interiors w/40 oz. marine grade snap-in carpet
- Brushed aluminum rub rail
- Gibson mufflers
- 6.2 liter MPI 350hp motor w/Bravo Drive
Power Option Upgrades:
| MerCruiser 8.2 EFI 380hp | ||
| MerCruiser 8.2 EFI 430hp | ||
| MerCruiser 520 EFI* | ||
| MerCruiser 540 EFI* | ||
| MerCruiser 565 EFI* | ||
| MerCruiser 600 SC/EFI* | ||
| Custom Motors Available |
Performance Reviews:
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