Grady White Freedom 285 Generations, Performance and Prices

Grady White Freedom 285, one name and two quite different boats

The Grady White Freedom 285 is a 28-foot dual console with a 9-foot 6-inch beam, twin Yamaha outboards and Grady-White's SeaV2 hull. What many shoppers miss is that the name covers two generations. The original was launched for the 2013 model year on the hull of the Canyon 283 center console, weighed 5,980 pounds without engines and was rated for 600 hp. For 2020 Grady-White re-engineered it: 6,500 pounds, 700 hp, 214 gallons of fuel, a cockpit side door and a redesigned helm and hardtop.

Both versions share the same footprint and the same mission, a family boat that fishes seriously, but they are priced differently and drive differently. This guide treats them as the two boats they are.

The first generation, 2013 to 2019

Sport Fishing tested an early 285 with twin Yamaha F250 four-strokes and called it a fishing boat with family features, not the other way around. The boat reached 30 mph in 5.1 seconds, carrying an optional hardtop, 70 gallons of fuel and 410 pounds of crew, and topped out at 54 mph at 6,000 rpm on 15.5 by 17-inch props. Best economy was 1.97 mpg at 24.5 mph and 3,000 rpm, with 1.93 mpg at 30 mph. MSRP was $160,825 with the twin 250s.

The early boat's equipment set the pattern: a 135-quart box under the starboard bow seat, a 185-quart transom box, an optional 32-gallon livewell, four flush trolling rod holders, a step-down head with a portable toilet and a Lewmar windlass that became standard for 2013. A motorized aft-facing lounge on the port side extended into a chaise. The 2014 specification lists 201 gallons of fuel, a 20-inch draft and a 600 hp rating.

First-generation boats are the value play, with prices well below the refreshed model. They lack the side door and the second electric lounge, and their helm takes smaller displays, but the hull is excellent and repowering with modern Yamahas is straightforward.

The 2020 refresh, item by item

Boating described the refreshed 285 as a boat that brings features developed on Grady's larger models into a 29-footer, and BoatTEST called it more ergonomic throughout. The changes worth paying for are these.

• Port cockpit side door with boarding ladder and a folding cockpit step that retracts into the bulwark
• Electromechanically adjustable helm bench plus aft-facing electric lounges on both sides, or a deluxe wet bar in place of the port lounge
• Larger helm panel for bigger flush-mount displays; BoatTEST's boat carried a 17-inch Garmin
• Taller, wider stainless-framed walk-through windshield with a windbreak door
• Redesigned hardtop with housing for an optional SureShade electric cockpit shade
• Port head with a sink, Corian counter, electric-flush toilet and lockable rod storage running under the bow seat
• Standard convenience package with battery charger and dockside power
• Fuel up from 201 to 214 gallons, rating up from 600 to 700 hp, draft 22 inches

Speed and fuel from twin 250s to twin 350s

Grady-White's own tests of the refreshed boat show how much the extra weight and power changed things. With twin F300s at 9,330 pounds loaded, the 2020 boat reached 54.6 mph at 6,000 rpm and cruised most efficiently at 29.5 mph and 3,400 rpm on 15.4 gph, or 1.9 mpg. With twin 4.3-liter F350s, tested in March 2024 at 9,372 pounds, top speed rose to 60.7 mph and the best cruise was 31.7 mph at 3,400 rpm on 16.1 gph, or 1.97 mpg.

So the bigger, heavier second-generation boat matches the original's efficiency at cruise and adds about 6 mph at the top with F350s. Owners who mostly cruise at 30 mph will see little difference in fuel bills between the two engine choices; the F350s matter for heavy loads and for running home fast ahead of weather. With 214 gallons and a 10 percent reserve, the F350 cruise works out to about 380 statute miles.

A cockpit that switches between fishing and lounging

At the transom the 285 carries a lighted 185-quart fish box and a 32-gallon blue livewell with an 1,100 gph pump, leaving a walkway to starboard and a fiberglass door to the swim platform. A flip-down bench pulls out from the transom for guests and stows quickly, and BoatTEST singled out Grady-White's version as one of the easiest to deploy in the industry.

Boating's testers recommended skipping the port electric lounge and ordering the deluxe wet bar instead, because it doubles as a rigging station with a freshwater sink, slide-out trash can and drawer under a sliding Corian top. Rod storage includes four gunwale holders, four rocket launchers on the hardtop, three under-gunwale racks and lockable storage in the head. Up front, wraparound lounges surround a pedestal table that drops to make a sun pad, and the starboard seat hides a 118-quart insulated box. Optional 18-foot outriggers mount to the reinforced hardtop.

What ownership costs at 30 mph

A 28-foot twin-engine dual console is a meaningful step up from a 23 or 25 in operating cost. At 16 gph cruise, a 150-hour season burns roughly 2,000 gallons if most of that time is spent on plane. Add twin-engine Yamaha service, insurance on a $300,000 boat, a lift, rack or slip, and canvas and bottom care, and $14,000 to $26,000 a year is realistic.

The 285 is too heavy and too wide to tow casually; at 9 feet 6 inches it needs a wide-load permit in most states, so most live in the water, on a lift or in a high-capacity dry stack.

Which generation should you buy?

Buy a first-generation boat if price matters most and you can find one with healthy or recently replaced engines. You get the same SeaV2 hull, very similar fishing equipment and 600 hp of headroom. Buy a 2020 or later boat if the family will use the cockpit heavily, if you want the side door for boarding from floating docks, or if you want joystick docking with Helm Master EX. Owner reviews on Grady-White's site include buyers who came from Everglades and Boston Whaler boats and praised the ride in Gulf chop, which reflects what most testers have found.