Grady-White 191 CE Coastal Explorer: Mighty Mouse
The Grady-White 191 CE is a high-end option in the world of small bay boats.
When Grady-White introduced their 251 Coastal Explorer last year, it was their first attempt at building a bay boat. And, as usual for this builder, they pulled it off magnificently. The 251 CE is a broad-shouldered fishing machine with a far higher level of luxury than usually found on this sort of boat, and it’s still eminently fishable. (You can get a first-hand look at it in 2014 Grady-White Coastal Explorer: First Look Video). The one fly in the ointment? This is a 25 foot 3,330 pound beast. It’ll simply be too big for some bay boat anglers, especially if they have a small tow vehicle or regularly use a tight launch ramp. It’s also rather expensive, breaking the three-figure mark. The solution? Their new 191 Coastal Explorer.
The Grady-White 191 CE brings a svelte option to the table, for bay boat anglers who need to put a cap on size.
The 191 CE is a scaled-down version of the 251, and it weighs over 1,000 pounds less and has a significantly smaller footprint. It costs a lot less, too, with an MSRP in the upper $50,000 to upper $60,000 range.
Before you say that’s too big a number for this small a boat, make sure you compare apples to apples (and make sure to watch the Grady-White 191 CE Coastal Explorer Video: First Look.) The 191 CE comes outfitted with a number of standard features that would boost the cost of competing boats in a big way. The helm, for example, sports an aluminum-framed leaning post with a swing-up footrest and a removable backrest. Many bay boat builders start with a pair of rotomolded pedestal seats, and then hit you with thousands in up-charges if you want “real” helm seating.
| Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Length | 19'4" |
| Beam | 8'2" |
| Draft (hull) | 1'2" |
| Deadrise | 16 degrees |
| Displacement | 2,360 lbs |
| Fuel capacity | 52 gal. |
Same goes for the console, which has a 12-V outlet, a compass, and a 316-grade stainless-steel wheel with suicide knob. The one must-have option is the raw water washdown. Some will say the same about the livewells (12 gallons aft and 17.5 forward), though light-tackle enthusiasts who fish with lures only may prefer to keep them as coolers.
Aside from how the boat’s equipped, the 191 CE has some stand-out features that bring a lot of value to the package. The first is the Grady-White Ray Hunt-designed variable-degree SeaV2 hull, which is known for a smooth ride, solid performance, and good efficiency. And with a Yamaha F200 on the transom this boat gets darn close to five MPG at about 30 MPH. (Yes, it does get five MPG at most-efficient cruise, but that's 21.3 MPH. Let's be real—no one wants to go that slow when there are fish to be caught.) Top end breaks 51 MPH. That’s pretty darn snazzy, for a 19’ bay boat.
A top-end over 50 MPH, on a 19' bay boat? Absolutely.
Another big stand-out is Grady’s resale value. Most boats depreciate rapidly, but if you’ve ever shopped for a used Grady-White you’ve surely noticed that these boats retain their value better than just about any others. So while they may cost a pretty penny up-front, you get a good chunk of the investment back when it’s time to upgrade. (Just look at these listings for Grady-White boats, new and used, and you’ll see exactly what we mean).
Other than being smaller and lighter, the major loss in moving from the 251 to the 191 is in the console. Naturally, there isn’t room for a head compartment. Seating shrinks a bit, too, but not nearly as much as you’d expect. In fact, it’s pretty amazing how many people this boat can accommodate. The stern houses a pair of jump seats, there’s a seat in front of the console, and you can get a cushion package for the bow along with removable backrests. Add in the leaning post and that totals out in seating for seven, which is pretty epic for a 19-footer.
Considering the overall size of the 191 CE, seating is shockingly plentiful. Note also that the entire bow can be turned into a sunpad.
| Performance Data | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Performance data courtesy of Grady-White. | |||
| RPM | MPH | GPH | MPG |
| 1500 | 6.0 | 1.3 | 4.6 |
| 2000 | 7.3 | 2.4 | 3.1 |
| 3000 | 21.3 | 4.3 | 5.0 |
| 4000 | 32.1 | 7.5 | 4.3 |
| 5000 | 41.8 | 13.2 | 3.2 |
| 5850 | 51.6 | 20.5 | 2.5 |
| Power | Single Yamaha F200 four-stroke outboard, swinging a 14.25" X 18" three-bladed stainless-steel props. | ||
More about that bow: Grady-White took a very interesting and very unusual tack up here, eschewing the usual pair of flanking stowage compartments for a single, much larger, center stowage compartment. The hatch swings up on a gas-assist strut, and underneath you’ll find divided compartments with a 149 quart overboard-draining fishbox, a rack for a Danforth, and a locker for the anchor rode. This nets two big advantages: a fishbox that’s twice the size of most on bay boats in this class, and more casting deck space since there’s no area lost to a dedicated forepeak anchor locker. The only down-side is that you’ll have to lift the anchor a few extra feet to deploy it.
Despite the fact that the 251 CE was Grady-White’s first attempt at building a bay boat, the model was and is a solid home-run hit. But it’s also one big beast of a bay boat, over-sized for a number of the die-hard fishermen out there. For those anglers, the 191 Coastal Explorer should be a perfect fit.
See Grady-White 191 CE Coastal Explorer listings.
For more information, visit Grady-White.
