2027 Robalo R257

Overview

The 2027 Robalo R257 is a 25-foot dual console built for Southwest Florida boaters who want to fish hard on Saturday and bring the whole family along on Sunday. At 25 feet 3 inches long, it is large enough to run the Gulf of Mexico on a good day and still manageable enough for a weekend in Charlotte Harbor or Pine Island Sound. This new 2027 model, stock number 6682, is on order for our Fort Myers location.

The dual console layout is what sets the R257 apart from a center console. The helm and passenger stations sit behind protective windshield glass, with a fiberglass hardtop overhead, so wind and spray stay off your crew on the run out to the fishing grounds. The hardtop has a powder coated frame and carries six rod holders, dual storage boxes, LED spreader lights, tri-color overhead lights, four speakers and a ski tow. A walk-through bow door and a walk-thru transom door make moving around the boat easy, whether you're handling lines at the dock or working a fish from bow to stern.

For anglers, the cockpit is well equipped. Two insulated aft fish boxes of 50 gallons each have overboard drains and a discharge pump. A 30-gallon port aft livewell with LED lighting and an adjustable flow valve keeps bait lively on the way to the Ten Thousand Islands or the nearshore reefs. Six stainless steel rod holders line the transom wall, with more in the gunnels and under the hardtop. Horizontal rod storage runs under the starboard gunwale. The self-bailing cockpit has integrated drain fittings, and a raw water wash down makes cleanup quick when the day is done.

The R257 is just as comfortable when the rods stay in the holders. The bow casting platform converts to U-shaped seating, and the port split bench with a reversible backrest converts to an aft-facing sun lounge. The boat is rated for up to 11 passengers. Six water-resistant speakers with blue LED lighting, a premium sound system with Bluetooth and Sirius satellite radio, and waterproof wireless charging docks at port and starboard keep everyone connected. At the helm, a Simrad NSS4/12 touch-screen chartplotter with built-in GPS, sonar and a 12-inch color display makes navigating the sandbars and channels around Cayo Costa, Keewaydin and Marco easier.

With a 22-inch draft, this boat can work many of our shallower areas, though it is a bay-and-nearshore all-rounder rather than a dedicated flats skiff. The Hydro Lift multi-angle hull design and Kevlar-reinforced fiberglass construction are meant to give a confident ride in the chop we see on the Gulf and in the bays. The boat is specified with twin Yamaha F200XSA2 200HP four-stroke outboards with electric over hydraulic steering. It also has a Lenco auto trim tab kit, a V700 windlass package and an electric