Grady White Freedom 235 Dual Console Review and Price Guide

The Grady White Freedom 235 and the case for a 23-foot dual console

The Grady White Freedom 235 is a 23-foot 7-inch dual console with an 8-foot 6-inch beam, a single Yamaha outboard and Grady-White's SeaV2 hull. It joined the lineup for the 2017 model year as an all-new design and sits in the middle of the Freedom series, which Sport Fishing was already calling the company's best-selling line in its 2012 Freedom 285 review.

The 235 makes the most sense for families who would otherwise buy a premium bowrider or deck boat. It does the bowrider things, sandbar lunches, tubing, harbor cruises, but its fishing cockpit, transom livewell and toe rails let the angler in the family get serious on Saturday morning. Boating's original test summed it up as a dual console designed to win the hearts of family-oriented anglers.

Why sterndrive families are switching to boats like this

Boating's tester argued that the Freedom 235 captured three trends at once. Outboards have narrowed the cost gap with sterndrives, which rely on increasingly expensive automotive-derived engine blocks. Coastal owners can tilt an outboard clear of the water at the mooring to keep growth off the lower unit, and outboards self-drain, so a sudden freeze does not crack a block and a midwinter outing does not require a trip back to the dealer. And buyers want one boat that fishes, cruises and tows.

Grady-White's decades-long partnership with Yamaha means the boat arrives rigged and propped from the factory, and the single-engine layout keeps service costs close to a sterndrive's while removing bellows, gimbal bearings and outdrive corrosion from the maintenance list.

What comes standard on a current Freedom 235

Early 235s were frequently sold with a Bimini top and few options. Grady-White's current equipment list is far more complete, which matters when you compare a used 2018 with a new boat.

• Hardtop with painted aluminum frame, spreader lights, four tricolor recessed lights, side rod holders and outrigger plates
• Garmin GPSMAP 1243xsv 12-inch display with transducer and a Garmin VHF 215
• Yamaha Helm Master EX with integrated digital electric steering
• Command Elite helm and companion chairs with flip-up bolsters
• Walk-through tempered glass windshield with windbreak door and starboard wiper
• 15.5-gallon livewell and 160-quart insulated transom box
• Starboard bow seat with 89-quart insulated box, port bow dry storage
• Swim platform extensions port and starboard with storage and a starboard ladder
• Recessed freshwater cockpit shower and a 20-gallon water tank

The electric lounge, the wet bar and the long head compartment

The port console holds an oversized enclosed head with lighting, a mirror, storage and a cherry and holly sole, and its storage extends forward into the bow section for rods, skis or paddles. A portable toilet is standard; manual or electric marine heads with a 7.5-gallon holding tank and macerator are optional.

Seating is where options transform the boat. Grady-White's deluxe companion seat adds an electromechanically extendable lounge: press a button and the aft-facing seat base slides out into a chaise. Boating's tester liked how the wraparound seating created a conversation area underway. Behind the helm, an optional inboard-facing wet bar adds a sink, two drink holders and a removable 35-quart Yeti cooler, though it rules out the optional starboard cockpit step. A patented foldaway aft bench seats two and folds flush when the cockpit needs to be clear.

Forward, port and starboard bow cushions seat up to six, with grab rails, speakers and an optional table and sun pad insert. The walk-through windshield and wind dam close off the bow passage on cold days, a real advantage over a center console of the same size.

Single F300 and F350 performance

Grady-White tested the 235 in May 2016 with a Yamaha F300 at 6,040 pounds loaded: 46.4 mph at 5,800 rpm and an optimum cruise of 27.9 mph at 3,600 rpm on 9.5 gph, about 2.94 mpg. The April 2024 retest with the 4.3-liter F350 at 5,907 pounds reached 48.2 mph at 6,000 rpm, cruising most efficiently at 30.2 mph and 4,000 rpm on 11.0 gph, or 2.80 mpg.

In other words the F350 adds a few mph and a stronger top end for a small fuel penalty. Boating's test crew noted that the deep-V shrugged off doubled-up wakes without spilling a drink, and the SeaV2's stable aft sections keep the boat level when guests crowd one rail to watch a fish come over the side or help a fallen skier.

Can a 23-foot dual console really fish?

Sport Fishing addressed this directly in its dual console feature and used the Freedom 235 as the example: because the helm is pushed forward and the stern bench folds away, the cockpit offers a surprising amount of open space compared with small center consoles cluttered by a big lean post and rigging station.

The fishing basics are all there. The transom livewell uses Grady-White's plenum circulation with rounded corners and blue interior, the transom door has heavy positive-locking hardware, gunwale rod holders cover trolling and bottom fishing, and toe rails run under the gunwales. What you give up is the ability to fight a fish around the bow and the open casting deck of the Fisherman 236. For trolling, drifting and bottom fishing, the 235 is a perfectly capable platform.

Buying a Freedom 235 new or used

Model years matter more on this boat than on most Gradys because the specification moved. Early boats were rated for 300 hp, carried 115 gallons of fuel and weighed about 4,050 pounds according to Boating's test data. Current boats carry 100 gallons, weigh 4,420 pounds without engine and are rated for 350 hp, with a bridge clearance of 8 feet including the hardtop.

Look for the hardtop, the extendable lounge and a marine head if you plan to use the boat with guests. Typical annual costs run $8,000 to $14,000 for maintenance, insurance, storage and fuel; the single outboard keeps service bills modest.