Robalo 226 Cayman Bay Boat, Specs, Prices and Generations

Where the Robalo 226 Cayman sits in the bay boat ladder

The Robalo 226 Cayman is the middle rung of Robalo's Cayman bay boat series, which currently runs 206, 226, 246 and 266, plus Sky Deck versions of the two biggest. At 22 feet 6 inches long with an 8-foot 6-inch beam, it is big enough to cross an open bay or run a few miles off the beach on a decent day, yet it floats in about a foot of water and tows behind a half-ton pickup.

Robalo itself sells the 226 as the family-and-fun boat of the series, with a big-boat feel for a wide range of conditions. That is a fair description. The 226 Cayman is not a pure skinny-water poling skiff and it is not an offshore center console; it is a do-most-things bay boat for anglers who also take the family to the sandbar.

Three generations under one name, 2014, the S and the 2020 redesign

The name has covered more than one boat. Sport Fishing's coverage of the February 2014 Miami show featured the new Robalo 226 bay boat, notable for a fully enclosed walk-down compartment inside the console that could serve as a privacy head with an optional portable toilet. That was rare in a 22-foot bay boat and became a Cayman signature.

By 2019 Robalo was selling a 226 Cayman S alongside it. Salt Water Sportsman listed that boat at 22 feet 6 inches, 60 gallons of fuel, 3,400 pounds and $45,995 with a Yamaha F200 and trailer, and described a 15-degree variable-deadrise Hydro Lift bottom with Kevlar-reinforced construction and a ceramic-cored transom.

For 2020 Robalo redesigned the boat and replaced the earlier 226 Cayman with the new version, which Sport Fishing said was previously designated the S. The 2020 boat got a retooled foredeck with a step up from the bow seating to a broad casting platform over the anchor locker, removable bow backrests, a flip-up aft casting deck that becomes a bench seat and three livewells. That is the 226 Cayman sold today.

A bay boat hull with 15 degrees and some offshore ambition

Current specifications list 15 degrees of transom deadrise, 12 inches of draft with the engine up and a dry weight of 3,900 pounds with engine. That deadrise is steeper than many flats-oriented bay boats, which helps the 226 handle a short chop on open bays without pounding, while still letting it slide onto grass flats.

Fuel capacity on the current boat is 65 gallons. That is modest for long runs, but plenty for a day of fishing inshore, and the reason the boat stays light enough to trailer easily. NMMA capacity is eight people or 1,200 pounds.

Livewells, rod locker and the walk-in console

The fishing layout is the strength of the redesigned boat. There are three livewells, a 20-gallon well forward and 30 gallons aft per Robalo's specifications, for 80 gallons of live-bait capacity in all according to Sport Fishing. Beneath the bow seating is a rod locker to port and a fish box to starboard, and the forward casting platform sits over the anchor locker.

Aft, the casting deck flips up to form a bench seat, so the same space serves a fishing crew in the morning and passengers in the afternoon. The helm takes a 12-inch multifunction display. The console compartment, accessed through a door, holds an optional portable toilet, which is the feature that wins over families.

Options include trim tabs, underwater lighting, a trolling motor with wiring, a Bluetooth sound system and an optional hardtop with a four-rod rocket launcher.

Picking an outboard, F200, VMAX or 250

Maximum power is 250 hp. Robalo's 2026 build tool lists six packages, and the prices show how much the engine moves the total.

• Yamaha F200: $71,995
• Mercury 200: $73,895
• Yamaha VF200 VMAX: $74,795
• Yamaha VF250 VMAX: $78,895
• Mercury 250: $81,595
• Yamaha F250 with digital electric steering: $85,295

T-top, hardtop and boat cover fitment

A lot of 226 Cayman owners end up shopping for canvas: a T-top cover, a full boat cover or a console cover. The single most important measurement is bridge clearance, because it tells you which top the boat has. Robalo lists 6 feet 6 inches without a top and 8 feet 3 inches with the optional hardtop. A cover cut for a bare boat will not fit a hardtop boat, and a cover cut for the pre-2020 hull may not fit the redesigned foredeck.

When ordering aftermarket canvas, give the supplier the exact model year, whether the boat has the hardtop, a trolling motor on the bow and Power-Poles on the transom. Those three items change the cover pattern more than the hull itself. Garage storage is also easier to plan with the 8-foot 3-inch hardtop height in mind.

Price history, from $45,995 to more than $70,000

Few boats show post-2020 price inflation as clearly as the 226 Cayman. The 2019 226 Cayman S listed at $45,995 with an F200 and trailer, the redesigned 2020 boat at $47,395 with an F200 and tandem-axle trailer, and the 2026 boat starts at $71,995 with the same engine in Robalo's build tool.

That jump supports used prices. A well-kept 2020 to 2022 boat with low hours sells for much more than its original sticker suggests, because the replacement cost has climbed so far. Older 2014 to 2019 boats are the budget entry point, usually priced in the $30,000s and low $40,000s.

Robalo 226 Cayman for sale, a used-buyer checklist

Running costs are low for a single-engine 22-footer: roughly $3,500 to $8,000 a year for insurance, outboard service, trailer upkeep, storage and registration, plus fuel. Robalo's current boats carry a lifetime limited hull warranty and a five-year premium component warranty, so check whether any coverage transfers on a late-model boat.

On older boats, check the livewell pumps and plumbing, the transom and jack plate area, the console door and head compartment for leaks, and the trailer. Bay boats live hard lives in salt water and shallow sand, so look closely at the keel and gelcoat at the bow.