When you hear someone describe a trailerable mid-cabin cruiser, you usually hear a lot about its utility and not so much about its looks. That's for a very good reason: Some of them tend to resemble floating shoeboxes. The reason is a matter of proportion, because in order to yield plenty of headroom in the cabin, they have to be about the same height as longer cruisers, but being shorter makes them appear to be squatter. So when Glastron ' whose heritage is founded on sporty, good-looking boats ' set out to design a new 27-foot cruiser, the company used a clean sheet of paper. The first directive must have been: Make it attractive, but don't do it at the expense of user-friendliness. The result is a look that's reminiscent of a Euro-sport boat with its raked windshield, pointy bow, and extra-tall bow rail in the front that quickly gets shorter as you go aft. Thanks to Glastron's clever use of the dark side accents, it enhances its
sleeker-than-usual look for a roomy cruiser with a lot of headroom.

Toward the stern, the shearline swoops down and instead of terminating in the usual straight up and down transom ' which contributes to boxiness ' it's nicely angled and elegantly slopes down to the huge integrated swim platform. Ah ... make that a dive platform, because it sits rather high off the water, so those who like to sit out back with their legs dangling in the water will have to be satisfied with dipping their toes instead. Even so, with the concealed stainless-steel boarding ladder and grab rail, boarding from the water is pretty easy, and there's even a standard transom shower. There's also a pair of drainable lockers back here that are perfect for items like ski ropes and vests, or they could even be used to house beverages if you're anchored at a swimming area. Just like larger cruisers, there's an oversized transom locker where you can store fenders and dock lines.

Entering the cockpit from the swim platform is via the port-side transom walkthrough. There's no transom door, as is the style these days, so those going cruising with really small kids might want to rig up some sort of barrier other than the foot-high or so step-over dam to keep them corralled. Because the roomy U-lounge is located on the starboard side, there's a nice flow as passengers freely enter the cockpit. That also leaves plenty of room on the port side for an entertainment center complete with running water, stainless-steel sink, and icebox.

Instead of a separate co-pilot seat, there's an extra-wide captain's seat that has a flip-up seat bolster (captain only) to put the driver's head above the windshield ' just perfect for days like today, outside of Las Vegas on Lake Mead with the temperature hovering at a balmy 104 degrees. The first thing that gets your attention is the sculpted tan dash that's not only attractive to look at, but also helps to cut down on windshield reflection. Ergonomically, the gold-bezeled, fog-free Faria gauges couldn't be placed better, providing excellent visibility for all. The rocker switches for the accessories are high and immune to accidental activation by the driver's knees. The driver grips a substantial burl-wood tilt steering wheel that has molded grips for a nice sports-car feel. The 269's standard sound system is an upscale Clarion radio/CD player four-speaker system that cranks out the tunes above or below deck. Large steps up to the foredeck make anchoring easy, and for nighttime running there's a standard remote-controlled spotlight.

A feature boaters will love is the Sirius-ready radio package with 65 commercial-free stations that Glastron gives you for free for the first 12 months. Another handy electronic feature is the SeaKey satellite communication system, which provides a number of interesting features such as emergency messaging, which is great protection for those who venture out of cell phone range. For those who keep their boats in the water ' even if you live thousands of miles away ' you can receive warnings about high water in the bilge, low-battery voltage, and even information about your boat being stolen. A really useful feature is that you can even track the position of your boat via the Internet, so someone can monitor your progress (or lack of it if you're stopped). It's sort of like having an interactive float plan. A SeaKey personal assistant can even make slip or restaurant reservations and give you the latest weather forecast and tidal information. And on your own personal website, you can set up a photo gallery, crank out a float plan, and monitor your boat's status.

After running the blower, the key is cranked and the 315-hp, 5.7L Volvo- Penta GXi engine rumbles to life. After a shove off, the driver smoothly puts it in gear, and they begin to quietly idle down the channel, emitting only 63 decibels. With a Duoprop outdrive, wandering at idle is substantially reduced, which can be a problem for some boats this size. After reaching open water, the power level is maxed out, and the GS 269 hops onto plane in less than seven seconds and reaches 30 mph in 9.1 seconds. Faster planing could be achieved by the use of the standard trim tabs, and on this boat they are a welcome addition because of the seating layout that favors the starboard side, so if you invite your old, football-playing frat buddies, you'll have a way to counter the side of beef.

Handling at cruise speed is effortless, and the Glastron responds quickly and predictably to steering input. In the hardest of turns with the trim in normal running position, you can provoke some cavitation, but if you need to make a 180 after a skier goes down and trim it down, you can crank it into a sharp turn. Top speed in the desert heat at about 1,200 feet of elevation works out to be 45.9 mph.

They're shooting brochure photography on this boat today, and the standard procedure is to send the writer into the cabin below and out of sight while the beautiful people board the boat for a quick shoot. They hear a muffled sound from down below that they can't quite make out, which sounds a lot like, 'I am not an animal,' a-la John Merrick in 'Elephant Man.' But it does present a chance to check out the cabin, which is arguably one of the best features of this boat. Lavish use of cherry wood cabinetry gives it a warm and nautical flavor, and the full galley includes lots of standard features like the Origo alcohol/electric stove, refrigerator and Tappan microwave. The bow berth is adult-sized, although like Ruffles potato chips, it has lots of ridges. The amidships cabin is also big enough for adults and features lots of headroom ' not like the coffin-type arrangement you sometimes see. A roomy head compartment with hot and cold running water comes standard, as does the china hand-pump head.

This boat is so well-equipped, the average customer won't be ordering many options other than the blue gel coat stripe, air conditioner and canvas package, which is exactly how this boat is rigged. Your kids might throw a hissy fit if you don't get the 13-inch flat-screen TV with DVD player, and for those who are really into overnighting on the hook, a 5KW Westerbeke generator will be a luxurious addition, as will the electric windlass. Price as tested for this boat is a budget-friendly $70,204.

Let's see: good-looking, ergonomically friendly, loaded with standard features, and priced so even working people can afford it ... sounds like a winner.