Grady White Fisherman 216 Review, Specs and Used Buying Guide

What the Grady White Fisherman 216 is, and who it suits

The Grady White Fisherman 216 is the company's 21-foot center console, the first rung of the ladder for buyers who want the SeaV2 ride and Grady-White build quality without a twin-engine budget. It measures 21 feet 3 inches on the centerline, 23 feet 3 inches including the molded swim platforms, with an 8-foot 6-inch beam and a single Yamaha outboard of 200 to 300 hp. It joined the lineup for the 2018 model year and remains in the 2027 range alongside the smaller Fisherman 180.

The people who buy it fall into three camps. Young families get their first saltwater boat with a head the spouse will actually use. Downsizers leaving a cruiser or sailboat want something easy to launch that still looks salty. And a surprising number use it for transport: one owner review on the Grady-White site describes the 216 as a mainland to island commuter before the family stepped up to a Canyon 271. BoatTEST's review named the same groups, hard-core anglers, casual anglers with watersports kids, and people transitioning from sportboats or cruisers.

If you mainly fish offshore beyond 20 miles, the 216 is the wrong tool and the Fisherman 257 or a Canyon is the right one. For bays, sounds, inlets on decent days and nearshore wrecks, it is one of the best-mannered boats of its size.

Twenty-one feet of SeaV2 with a 19-degree transom

Every Grady-White rides on the SeaV2 bottom, a continuously variable deep-V developed with C. Raymond Hunt Associates in which no two points on the keel share the same deadrise. On the 216 the transom figure is 19 degrees, sharpening steadily toward the bow so the forefoot cuts chop while the flatter aft sections add stability at rest and help the boat plane with a single engine. Hard chines and strakes knock spray down, and BoatTEST noted that the hull shows the flared bow typical of North Carolina boats, built for Outer Banks inlets.

Draft with the engine up is just 16 inches, shallow enough for redfish flats and creek mouths, and cockpit depth is 25 inches aft, rising to about 34 inches forward according to BoatTEST. That aft figure puts the bolsters at mid-thigh, low enough for kids to see over and high enough with toe rails to brace while gaffing.

Construction follows the Grady formula. Hull and deck are 100 percent hand-laid, stringers and transom are water-impervious composite with no wood, deck hardware is through-bolted 316 stainless, and every box, cup holder and rod holder drains overboard rather than into the bilge. Basic flotation is standard.

The swing-away jump seats and the twin boarding platforms

The feature that defined the 216 at launch sits at the stern. Two aft jump seats, each more than two feet wide according to Grady-White, have backrests that swing inboard to open a walkway on each side of the outboard. Flip the cushion and its base over and the top becomes a nonskid tread, so you can walk from the cockpit to either swim platform without climbing over upholstery. Grady-White called it an industry first in its launch material.

BoatTEST measured each platform at 28 inches fore and aft by 24 inches wide, with a four-step ladder reaching 22 inches below the surface. Those platforms are longer than on earlier Grady designs and serve as dockside boarding steps, swim decks and a launch point for tubes. An optional ski pylon stows inside the transom.

The trade-off is that the 216 has no full-width transom fish box or standard livewell aft. Fish go in two 81-quart insulated boxes under the bow seats, and live bait means paying for the deluxe lean bar, which carries a 25-gallon livewell underneath.

A console head that is genuinely usable

Grady-White's marketing chief said at launch that a roomy head is a rare commodity in a 21-foot boat, and she was right. The lockable console compartment holds a portable head, LED lighting, storage and a composite cherry and holly sole, with about 4 feet 8 inches of headroom measured by BoatTEST. Upgrades include a portable head with deck pump-out or one with an in-line macerator and overboard discharge for offshore use.

Ahead of the console is a cushioned seat with a 29-quart insulated box below. The helm takes flush-mounted displays up to 12 inches, and the standard lean bar has a backrest, flip-up bolster, tackle trays, lockable storage and four rod holders. Steering is hydraulic tilt as standard. The fiberglass T-top is optional and brings an integrated tempered glass windshield, LED spreader lights, four more rod holders and a radar flat; without it you get a console windshield only, which is how a lot of trailer boats are ordered.

Choosing between the F200, F250 and F300

Grady-White publishes its own performance data for three single Yamaha four-strokes on a hardtop-equipped 216. With the 2.8-liter F200 the boat topped out at 42.2 mph and cruised most efficiently at 27.3 mph and 4,000 rpm on 7.3 gph, or 3.73 mpg. The F250 lifted top speed to 48.9 mph with a best cruise of 31.1 mph on 9.9 gph. The F300, tested at the same 5,139-pound loaded weight, reached 51.1 mph and cruised at 29.6 mph on 8.7 gph.

Our advice is to buy the F250 or F300 if you carry a full family or run open water often. The F200 is the frugal choice and the most common in older used boats, but it has less in reserve with eight people aboard. Note that the launch spec sheet capped the boat at 250 hp; the current rating is 300 hp, so check the capacity plate on a 2018 or 2019 boat before planning a repower.

• F200: 42.2 mph top at 5,900 rpm, 27.3 mph cruise on 7.3 gph
• F250: 48.9 mph top at 5,900 rpm, 31.1 mph cruise on 9.9 gph
• F300: 51.1 mph top at 6,000 rpm, 29.6 mph cruise on 8.7 gph

How the 216 has evolved since its 2018 debut

Grady-White updates boats every model year rather than in big generational jumps. Comparing the 2018 specification with today's shows the main drift. Maximum horsepower rose from 250 to 300. Published weight without engine went from 3,125 pounds in Sport Fishing's launch preview to 3,360 pounds now. Bridge clearance with the T-top is listed at 7 feet 11 inches. Current boats ship with a waterproof touchscreen stereo with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, four LED-lit speakers and a choice of four colored gelcoats in place of the older palette.

Late-model boats therefore carry more equipment and a little more weight; a 2018 with the F200 will run at the lower end of the figures above.

Living with a 216 on a trailer, a lift or a rack

At 8 feet 6 inches of beam the 216 tows without a wide-load permit, and Grady-White's own loaded test weight of about 5,100 pounds with engine, fuel, people and gear suggests a road package in the 5,500 to 6,500 pound range once you add a tandem trailer. A full-size half-ton pickup or large SUV handles it comfortably. It also fits most dry-stack racks and four-post lifts, which keeps bottom paint out of the budget.

Running costs are modest by Grady standards. A season of 100 to 150 engine hours, Yamaha annual service, insurance, registration and storage typically runs $6,000 to $11,000, more if you keep it in a wet slip in a high-cost marina. Fuel at cruise is close to 10 gph with the F250.

Buying a used Fisherman 216

Supply is steady because Grady-White builds the 216 every year, and demand is strong because few rivals combine a 21-foot hull, a stand-up console head and this build quality. Boston Whaler's 220 Outrage costs more, Robalo's R222 costs less and rides harder, and Regulator does not build a direct equivalent at this length.

Prioritize boats with the T-top, the deluxe lean bar livewell and the F250 or F300. Ask for Yamaha service records and the factory hour reading, and confirm whether the boat has the optional freshwater shower with its 10-gallon tank. Grady-White's fact-of-build request service lets you confirm original equipment, which is useful when a seller's listing is vague.