Hi, I'm Captain Tripp with Boat Test,
and today we're aboard Robalo's R230.
This is a comfortable center console
for a day offshore fishing or a day with the family.
Let's take a look around at the features on this boat.
Coming to the bow, we're presented with seating.
Robalo has chosen to use a silicone based upholstery,
which is great for longevity.
It's gonna stay looking good longer than your traditional
vinyl and also, it's gonna be very resilient
to mold and mildew.
It's good to see removable forward facing backrest,
great while underway,
and another forward facing seat at the front of the console.
Now underneath we have storage, which is accessed
by paddle latches, which reveals a large fish box
with their Yeti style, screw-in drain.
I like this feature. I'm constantly impressed
by the premium hardware that I see aboard
these Robalo boats,
and the R230 is no different, things like our full
stainless strutt and our tension hinges.
One of the advantages that I really like about
that paddle is instead of fiddling underneath your cushion
to get to your latch and wearing out your snaps,
just a simple lift of the paddle and you're in your hatch.
And while we're seated at the bow, we're surrounded
by sturdy grab rails, cushion back rest, JL
audio speakers and cup holders.
There's a deep storage locker, perfect place
for trolling motor batteries.
One design element that I like seeing on all these Robalos is
the forward entry head into the console.
This gives you a lot more space
to enter versus a small narrow door
on the side of the console.
And inside, we find an optional head,
a stainless steel port light, as well as an overhead light.
And take a look all the way forward.
Note that there are holders for Danforth style anchor
and keepers to make sure it stays in place.
I recommend the largest Danforth anchor that will fit.
If you anchor often like I do,
consider having your dealer install a pop-up anchor cleat
center line on the bow, forward of the hatch.
Moving to stern, we find another stainless steel pop-up
cleat, a rod holder and that brings us to the helm.
They've given us a tempered glass curved windshield.
It's not plastic, it's not gonna fade on you,
it's gonna stay looking pristine.
And also a center line compass
and two accessory trays with drain holes.
The center of our dashboard,
we have our Yamaha command link screen as well
as a 12 inch Simrad display,
and both of these are flush mounted on their acrylic
surface. Port and starboard,
we have our stainless steel backlit switches as well
as the corresponding fuse. Below, our control
to our Clarion head unit, USB, wireless cell phone charger,
as well as a 12 volt outlet, two cup holders,
one either side of our sturdy adjustable stainless steel
wheel, small glove box to port,
and motor controls
on our starboard side. At the helm, our seating, we find more
of our premium upholstery as well as flip up armrests
and two bolsters.
They've given us two different footrest positions as well
as a color match for Robalo branded anti-fatigue, mat.
Overhead, substantial
and seamless integration of our T top support,
and I always enjoy seeing the oversized T top for
that extra bit of shade on those hot days.
Note that the underside
of this top has a dark blue gel coat, which I recommend
to keep the glare down on the dash and windshield.
We also have a e-box overhead,
as well as spreader lights, and four rod holders.
At the back of our leaning posts, there are four rod holders
and down below, we have our custom Robalo branded cooler
with these nice latches to keep it in place while underway.
It seems like I'm always having trouble
with my cooler just drifting back throughout the day.
It's good to have it stay in place. When it comes time
to reel in that big catch, you have padded bolsters here on
the side and your tow rails when you're reeling
or if you're leaning over trying to get a gaff in.
Also, rod holder over top the gunwale
and more rod storage below.
Continuing around, we come to our live well,
which is lighted and also insulated.
That's gonna help keep your bait alive on those hot days.
Once you're done reeling in that big one,
you got 'em in the fish box in the bow.
It's time to convert this to lounge mode.
Simple flip down and you're ready.
Inevitably it's gonna come time to do some maintenance,
but Robalo has thought of that
and made it easy on you. Whether it's yourself doing the
maintenance or you're taking it to a mechanic,
they have easy access underneath this rear seat.
With access like this to your batteries, bilge pumps, fuel
water separators, it just makes
maintenance much less of a hassle.
Note that the manual fuel pump primer bulb is easy at hand
and there's a sump in the bilge.
I particularly like this as it helps keep your bilge clean.
Also note the high water float switch alarm at left,
and with the battery's right below the hatch,
they're easy to change out.
As we make our way to the swim platform,
we have our security door, which can be secured in order
to keep pets or children aboard, but
whenever it is in the stowed position,
it's recessed actually into the side there
so it's not taking up any additional space.
Robalo has conveniently hidden the battery
switch and your breakers.
This is a convenient and out of the way place
because this is the most times where you're coming on
and off the boat. When you're ready to rinse off,
we have a freshwater shower, conveniently located.
Back here on the transom,
Robalo has hung a 250 Yamaha Show.
It's even got the blue metal flake in there. You know what?
This motor excites me.
Let's gun it away and see how she performs.
The Robalo R230 stretches to an overall length of 23 feet,
an 8 foot 6 inch beam,
and 19 inches of draft with a motor trimmed up
and an empty weight coming in at 4,700 pounds.
During our test with two of us on board
and the fuel tank half full, the estimated weight was
around 5,894 pounds.
The boat's heart is a Yamaha 250, which when pushed
to its limit, hit 5,800 RPM
and propelled the boat to a swift 46 miles per hour.
For those seeking the sweet spot in cruising,
it's at 3,500 RPM, clocking in at 26.8 miles per hour,
giving an efficiency of 1.4 miles per gallon.
This means you can venture up to 130 statute miles,
leaving a 10% reserve of its 90 gallon tank.
As for its acceleration,
it gets up on plane in a brisk 4.6 seconds,
hits 20 mile per hour in 5.5 seconds
and 30 mile per hour in just 8.5 seconds.
Robalo has a build and price functionality on its website,
so here are my thoughts on some of the options.
I believe in keeping the cold cranking
and house battery fully charged
and ready to go at all times,
and this battery charger will do that
by diverting unused amps to the battery that needs them.
It's cheap insurance. When it comes
to choosing which Simrad display, the basic difference is
that one is 9 inch and the more expensive one is 12 inch.
Otherwise, they're pretty much the same.
All boats should have an anchor with chain
and line appropriate for the boat's area of use.
For those planning on beaching,
two anchors should be considered.
Other options allow buyers to rig the boat for family use
of cruising, entertaining and sunning.
They give a boat a lot more utility at a
fairly low upcharge.
The Robalo R230 comes standard with a tandem-axle trailer
and I like the optional spare tire.
That's our full features walkthrough
and performance evaluation of Robalo's R230.
I'm Captain Tripp with Boat Test
and remember, life's better on a boat.