It's the nautical equivalent of painting yourself into a corner. After following some less-than-specific directions, the crew of the 25-foot-plus deckboat finds themselves staring ahead at some knee-deep water between them and their destination. The only option other than going forward through the shallows is backtracking along a lengthy section of no-wake zone. But Houston, we have a problem: This would mean a delay in reaching the restaurant the crew is in search of, and it's been almost three hours since the last feeding. Clearly, this situation requires desperate measures. In this case, the solution is pretty simple: Just tilt up the Yamaha F250 4-stroke, glide over the shallow water without touching bottom, and continue the journey down the Caloosahatchee River. The shallow draft is just one more reason that the Hurricane SunDeck 257 dual console, outboard version might just be the perfect deck boat for shoal-prone places like the waters of Southwest Florida near Fort Myers.

Despite its beauty, it's hard to say the word Caloosahatchee without adding the word beleaguered in front of it, due to more than a century of man's less-than-sterling stewardship. In the late 1800s, Hamilton Disston embarked on a ruinous project to drain the Everglades to expose the thick, rich black muck that lay under the river of grass so farmers could raise crops year-round. His first order of business was to "tame" the Caloosahatchee River by scratching out a channel, connecting it to Lake Okeechobee so the water would have a place to flow other than south to the Everglades. He also dredged and straightened sections to aid navigation. During rainy times, billions of gallons of fresh water - which were laden with nutrients from farming interests - would flow into the delicate estuary. This upset the freshwater-saltwater balance in the estuary, which depended on a precise mix of each to provide the correct conditions for the growth of seagrass and habitat for the many marine species that used this area as a nursery.

Nowadays, fresh water into the Caloosahatchee is controlled to minimize the impact on the environment, and the nearby Everglades is undergoing a restoration project to correct past mistakes. But on the plus side, the canal to the Okeechobee enables you to reach the East Coast of Florida near Stuart via the St. Lucie Canal, and for the folks here on the West Coast, the trip is a great adventure. The Hurricane 257 DC O/B makes an ideal cruiser for such a trip, with enough length to handle the "big water" conditions that gave Okeechobee its Hitchiti Indian name. For long hauls like this, you need comfortable seating, and that's one constant you'll find on every Hurricane.

On the 257, you get wraparound cockpit seating with an easy-access walkthrough alley to the stern, and all seats are upholstered in GX48 vinyl, which is incredibly strong and UV-resistant. Underneath, there's multi-density foam that's an ideal blend of comfort and support. The driver and copilot get settled in and adjust the swivel bucket seats to their satisfaction, while flipping up the bolsters to sit high above the curved, tinted safety glass windshield for better visibility and ventilation. The helm layout puts a burl wood sport wheel in your hands that matches the dash insert. Sitting above is an array of instrumentation set into a sculpted pod, which is positioned high for good visibility, but the white top of the dash creates some vivid reflective ghosts on the windshield. For ease of installation and to eliminate problems down the road, the NextWave electrical system features automotive style Deutsch plug-and-play connectors that are impervious to water and corrosion. The 257 uses a helm-forward design that gives you an incredibly roomy cockpit for its size, but as Newton's law suggests, for every action there's a reaction, and this means a little room is borrowed from up front.

After clearing the shallow water, the driver puts the Hurricane on plane with little bowrise, and the Yamaha F250 pushes the Hurricane on plane in less than 5 seconds and hits 30 mph in a little more than 8 seconds. Thanks to the standard hydraulic steering, prop torque isn't a problem, and cranking the Hurricane hard into corners results in a satisfying amount of G-forces being generated with no skidding. Even with a nearly full 77-gallon fuel tank, the 257 hits a top speed of 48 mph in the crew's rush to get to their destination: KC's River Stop. They retrieve fenders from the in-floor compartment, which has a hydraulic dam to hold it open and ties up to the floating dock. After dining on fish sandwiches with a pile of onion rings on the side, the trip resumes.

The West Coast of Florida might be the ultimate cruising grounds for boaters who like a little variety in their aquatic diets. To take advantage of these opportunities, though, you need a boat that's as versatile as your surroundings, and the Hurricane 257 O/B has many features that help you take full advantage of these possibilities. Hey, they don't call them the SUVs of H2O for nothing. Ski enthusiasts will rig the boat with either the optional ski tow bar, or can really go for it with a full-blown tower that features wakeboard racks.

Heading downriver leads you to San Carlos Bay near Sanibel Island, and if fishing is your thing, you can take a right and head for one of the best honey holes in North America: Boca Grande Pass, where the tarpon fishing can be spectacular. Believe it or not, the SunDeck 257 O/B makes a pretty good boat for this kind of fishing when equipped with the correct options. Most people here fish for these magnificent fish with jigs that have giant 4-ounce heads and tiny plastic bodies. The technique is pretty simple; you just drop them straight down, keep them close to the bottom, and wait for the surprisingly subtle bite. To find the fish, you need a good fishfinder (big surprise there), and fortunately, this Hurricane is equipped with a Lowrance X47 and includes a livewell ($165), so you can switch gears if the fish aren't biting on artificials.

Here, you see a lot of bay boats that feature a bow-fishing seat for the angler, so when a fish is hooked, the driver can point the boat at the rampaging tarpon - which can weigh more than 200 pounds - and idle toward it to help regain line. The 257 has a bow-seat option when equipped with the optional trolling motor pre-rig, coming in handy for silently stalking fish like snook near the mangroves when the tide isn't running in the pass. This option eliminates the ability to choose the rather tall bow-rail option, which looks a little clunky anyway but improves safety when performing anchor duties at the 257's pulpit - the only Hurricane SunDeck to have one. Anglers will also choose to include a pair of gunwale-mounted rod holders (avid fishermen will probably add more). The 257 sports a moderate 18.5 degrees of deadrise, which works well for this design. In a heavy chop, you'll pound more than an ultra-deep-V hulled boat might, but for this inconvenience, you get a corresponding measure of side-to-side stability - a real plus when every angler goes to the same side of the boat to check out the 150-pound tarpon thrashing on the side.

When the fishing is done, you can switch gears by moving just a short distance, because hanging a left just outside of the pass puts you right at the world-famous 9-mile beach at Cayo Costa State Park, just north of Sanibel Island. Much of the time on this stretch of the Gulf of Mexico, conditions are calm, so if you catch a day like today, there's no way you'll be able to resist nosing onto the beach, flipping down the bow ladder and climbing out for a little head-down, shell hunting. The swimming here is fantastic with a gentle, predictable slope and soft sand bottom (shuffle your feet to warn stingrays of your arrival though).

Sand dollars are abundant at the Gulf's bank, and wading around for a while in the bathtub-temperature water will usually produce a respectable heap for kid collectors. Boarding from the water side is easy thanks to the stern-boarding ladder, and if you get the Premium Sport Package B ($1,065), like this boat is optioned with, you can get a freshwater rinse at the stern shower, in addition to having a compass, tilt steering, Berber snap-in carpet, battery switch and the Lowrance X47 fishfinder. The beach is a perfect place to hang out on a day like today, and to create some shade, you can unfurl the standard Sunbrella Bimini top before heading to the refreshment center to rehydrate and grab a snack (a person has to eat after all). The wide wet bar has plenty of snack prep area, and under the two hatches are a sink with spigot and a trash can. In between are two cup holders, and there's even a handy 12-volt outlet, so bring the blender along. Underneath in an alcove is a cooler that you can open without having to slide it out, and it's secured by a bungee cord. After downing a couple of frosty beverages, you suddenly get curious as to where the head is located, and opening the portside console reveals a surprisingly large area that's fully equipped with a VacuFlush head with pump-out ($1,158), a vanity with a sink and spigot fed by an 18-gallon tank, and a functioning porthole for ventilation.

List price for the SunDeck 257 with a Yamaha F250 is $52,838, and when loaded with options like the color-coordinated playpen cover ($860), wide color belt on the hull ($199), stainless-steel rub rail, and aforementioned option, your total rises to $56,251, which places the Hurricane more toward the upper end of the deck boat category. But that's exactly what you're getting - a boat with high-end features, excellent fit and finish, and well-thought-out ergonomics. But even better, it's exactly what you need to bust out of your routine.

Hurricane SunDeck 257 DC O/B Specifications:

LOA 27'
Beam 8'6"
Weight 3,950 lbs.
Fuel 77 gal.
Maximum HP 250
Base Price $52,838
(w/250-hp Yamaha 4-stroke)
Price As Tested $56,251
(w/250-hp Yamaha 4-stroke)
Hull Warranty 10-year transferable
NMMA Certified? Yes

Godfrey Marine
4500 Middlebury St.
Middlebury, IN 46516
(574) 522-8381
www.hurricanedeckboats.com

Test Data
Performance data was gathered with a 250-hp Yamaha 4-stroke, two people on board and 72 gallons of fuel.

Top Speed 48 mph
Time To Plane 4.8 seconds
0-30 mph 8.4 seconds
Decibels @ Idle 58 dB-A
Decibels @ 30 mph 83 dB-A
Decibels @ WOT 92 dB-A

Notable Standard Features
12-volt receptacle, brushed aluminum gauges, Jensen single CD system w/MP3 input and two speakers, full instrumentation, Burlwood-grain instrument panel, wraparound windshild, tilt steering, galley pressurized water system, in-floor storage,
interior lights, docking lights, navigation lights, swim platform (half version), narrow color belt, bow pulpit, stainless-steel bow and stern-boarding ladders, enclosed head, stern table, entertainment center, 25-quart insulated portable cooler, 8-inch stainless-steel cleats, stainless-steel cup holders and Sunbrella color-coordinated canopy top.

Notable Options
Kenwood single CD system and Sirius satellite, remote-control radio compass, digital depth finder, bow pulpit anchor, stainless-steel transom gate, ski tow bar, stainless-steel gas grill, stainless-steel rub rail, dual battery switch and trays, wakeboard tower, Berber snap-in carpet, livewell and stern shower.