desert-storm-2024-tom-leigh-1881desert-storm-2024-tom-leigh-1881
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About The Boat:

What happens when you take the best attributes of a V-bottom hull and combine it with the best attributes of a tunnel deck boat?

Answer: You end up with the all new “Howard 255 VTX” (V-Tunnel Crossover). A Deck Boat unlike all others. Quite possibly “The Best all around boat ever designed”!

Original in both design and concept, the all new “Howard 255 VTX” is a culmination of eighteen months of complex design, customer input and extensive on the water testing to achieve another first in the Howard legacy of leadership and innovation in the performance boating industry.

We took our Award winning 25 Bullet V-Bottom performance technology and our Award winning “288” Sport Deck tunnel hull design, known for its superb handling attributes and features, and then meld them together into a perfect blend to create the best of both worlds – A Deck Boat with the ski ability of a V hull.

What makes this different from other similar designs is that we incorporated full width cat-like sponsons that run the entire length of the boat that are designed to be in contact with the water for stability along with a tunnel to funnel the compressed air through the bottom giving the boat lift and reducing drag. Think of it as an exaggerated Mod -VP hull design like our “288” Sport Deck where the center sponson sits lower than the two outside sponsons creating air tunnels on either side in which the air is funneled.

The front and side profile mimics the Howard “288” Sport Deck while the rear view definitely tells you it’s a Howard V-bottom derivative. When these two worlds collide, the new “255 VTX” evolves! A Deck Boat unlike anything before.

Designed to be the perfect “all around boat” (with emphasis on “family fun on the water” being paramount), this new hydro-v hull will tow every kind of water toy imaginable from wakeboards, surfboards, water skis and whatever else may exist out there, and unlike the one dimensional “ski tow boats” at the end of the day when the water kicks up you can still run over 60 mph in comfort with a Mercruiser 350 horsepower small block motor. Try that in a “tow” boat! Higher speeds are obviously achieved with larger motor options.

Planning at a mere 12 miles per hour without any noticeable bow rise whatsoever, the new “255 VTX” just takes a set and starts moving forward. Turning is tight and precise regardless of speed; whether you are doing a slow speed 180 degree turn to retrieve a downed skier or wake border or an all out high speed turn, this boat tracks flat as if it is on rails with an absolute minimum of lean due to the forward sponsons that are designed to be in constant contact with the water and funnel the air flow aft creating both lift and balance. With its 65 gallon fuel capacity and the miserly fuel consumption of a small block Mercruiser motor and super efficient bottom design you can boat and play all weekend on a single tank of fuel; a nice feature considering today’s volatile fuel prices.

The interior styling of the new “255 VTX” is a scaled down version of the “288” Sport Deck providing comfortable accommodations for 10 while featuring the same amenities that the “288” is known for; a hidden Bimini top that stores flat on the floor under the rear seat/engine hatch and a swim step that extends over the propeller by 1

255 VTX: Hydro V-Tunnel Crossover

What happens when you take the best attributes of a V-bottom hull and combine it with the best attributes of a tunnel deck boat?

Answer: You end up with the all new “Howard 255 VTX” (V-Tunnel Crossover). A Deck Boat unlike all others. Quite possibly “The Best all around boat ever designed”!

Original in both design and concept, the all new “Howard 255 VTX” is a culmination of eighteen months of complex design, customer input and extensive on the water testing to achieve another first in the Howard legacy of leadership and innovation in the performance boating industry.

We took our Award winning 25 Bullet V-Bottom performance technology and our Award winning “288” Sport Deck tunnel hull design, known for its superb handling attributes and features, and then meld them together into a perfect blend to create the best of both worlds – A Deck Boat with the ski ability of a V hull.

What makes this different from other similar designs is that we incorporated full width cat-like sponsons that run the entire length of the boat that are designed to be in contact with the water for stability along with a tunnel to funnel the compressed air through the bottom giving the boat lift and reducing drag. Think of it as an exaggerated Mod -VP hull design like our “288” Sport Deck where the center sponson sits lower than the two outside sponsons creating air tunnels on either side in which the air is funneled.

The front and side profile mimics the Howard “288” Sport Deck while the rear view definitely tells you it’s a Howard V-bottom derivative. When these two worlds collide, the new “255 VTX” evolves! A Deck Boat unlike anything before.

Designed to be the perfect “all around boat” (with emphasis on “family fun on the water” being paramount), this new hydro-v hull will tow every kind of water toy imaginable from wakeboards, surfboards, water skis and whatever else may exist out there, and unlike the one dimensional “ski tow boats” at the end of the day when the water kicks up you can still run over 60 mph in comfort with a Mercruiser 350 horsepower small block motor. Try that in a “tow” boat! Higher speeds are obviously achieved with larger motor options.

Planning at a mere 12 miles per hour without any noticeable bow rise whatsoever, the new “255 VTX” just takes a set and starts moving forward. Turning is tight and precise regardless of speed; whether you are doing a slow speed 180 degree turn to retrieve a downed skier or wake border or an all out high speed turn, this boat tracks flat as if it is on rails with an absolute minimum of lean due to the forward sponsons that are designed to be in constant contact with the water and funnel the air flow aft creating both lift and balance. With its 65 gallon fuel capacity and the miserly fuel consumption of a small block Mercruiser motor and super efficient bottom design you can boat and play all weekend on a single tank of fuel; a nice feature considering today’s volatile fuel prices.

The interior styling of the new “255 VTX” is a scaled down version of the “288” Sport Deck providing comfortable accommodations for 10 while featuring the same amenities that the “288” is known for; a hidden Bimini top that stores flat on the floor under the rear seat/engine hatch and a swim step that extends over the propeller by 1

Features

Length

26'2" LOA

Max Beam

102"

Approximate Weight

3900 lbs

Seating

8-10

Approximate Fuel Capacity

65 gal

Hull Deadrise

Transom Angle

Freeboard

42"

Bottom Configuration

Hydro-V / Tunnel

Standard Power

MerCruiser 6.2 350HP Bravo

desert-storm-2024-tom-leigh-1881desert-storm-2024-tom-leigh-1881
speedboat-mag-perfromance-evaluations-2022-tom-leigh-0460speedboat-mag-perfromance-evaluations-2022-tom-leigh-0460
speedboat-mag-perfromance-evaluations-2022-tom-leigh-0466speedboat-mag-perfromance-evaluations-2022-tom-leigh-0466
speedboat-mag-perfromance-evaluations-2022-tom-leigh-0485speedboat-mag-perfromance-evaluations-2022-tom-leigh-0485
speedboat-mag-perfromance-evaluations-2022-tom-leigh-0485speedboat-mag-perfromance-evaluations-2022-tom-leigh-0485

About The Boat:

What happens when you take the best attributes of a V-bottom hull and combine it with the best attributes of a tunnel deck boat?

Answer: You end up with the all new “Howard 255 VTX” (V-Tunnel Crossover). A Deck Boat unlike all others. Quite possibly “The Best all around boat ever designed”!

Original in both design and concept, the all new “Howard 255 VTX” is a culmination of eighteen months of complex design, customer input and extensive on the water testing to achieve another first in the Howard legacy of leadership and innovation in the performance boating industry.

We took our Award winning 25 Bullet V-Bottom performance technology and our Award winning “288” Sport Deck tunnel hull design, known for its superb handling attributes and features, and then meld them together into a perfect blend to create the best of both worlds – A Deck Boat with the ski ability of a V hull.

What makes this different from other similar designs is that we incorporated full width cat-like sponsons that run the entire length of the boat that are designed to be in contact with the water for stability along with a tunnel to funnel the compressed air through the bottom giving the boat lift and reducing drag. Think of it as an exaggerated Mod -VP hull design like our “288” Sport Deck where the center sponson sits lower than the two outside sponsons creating air tunnels on either side in which the air is funneled.

The front and side profile mimics the Howard “288” Sport Deck while the rear view definitely tells you it’s a Howard V-bottom derivative. When these two worlds collide, the new “255 VTX” evolves! A Deck Boat unlike anything before.

Designed to be the perfect “all around boat” (with emphasis on “family fun on the water” being paramount), this new hydro-v hull will tow every kind of water toy imaginable from wakeboards, surfboards, water skis and whatever else may exist out there, and unlike the one dimensional “ski tow boats” at the end of the day when the water kicks up you can still run over 60 mph in comfort with a Mercruiser 350 horsepower small block motor. Try that in a “tow” boat! Higher speeds are obviously achieved with larger motor options.

Planning at a mere 12 miles per hour without any noticeable bow rise whatsoever, the new “255 VTX” just takes a set and starts moving forward. Turning is tight and precise regardless of speed; whether you are doing a slow speed 180 degree turn to retrieve a downed skier or wake border or an all out high speed turn, this boat tracks flat as if it is on rails with an absolute minimum of lean due to the forward sponsons that are designed to be in constant contact with the water and funnel the air flow aft creating both lift and balance. With its 65 gallon fuel capacity and the miserly fuel consumption of a small block Mercruiser motor and super efficient bottom design you can boat and play all weekend on a single tank of fuel; a nice feature considering today’s volatile fuel prices.

The interior styling of the new “255 VTX” is a scaled down version of the “288” Sport Deck providing comfortable accommodations for 10 while featuring the same amenities that the “288” is known for; a hidden Bimini top that stores flat on the floor under the rear seat/engine hatch and a swim step that extends over the propeller by 1

255 VTX: Hydro V-Tunnel Crossover

What happens when you take the best attributes of a V-bottom hull and combine it with the best attributes of a tunnel deck boat?

Answer: You end up with the all new “Howard 255 VTX” (V-Tunnel Crossover). A Deck Boat unlike all others. Quite possibly “The Best all around boat ever designed”!

Original in both design and concept, the all new “Howard 255 VTX” is a culmination of eighteen months of complex design, customer input and extensive on the water testing to achieve another first in the Howard legacy of leadership and innovation in the performance boating industry.

We took our Award winning 25 Bullet V-Bottom performance technology and our Award winning “288” Sport Deck tunnel hull design, known for its superb handling attributes and features, and then meld them together into a perfect blend to create the best of both worlds – A Deck Boat with the ski ability of a V hull.

What makes this different from other similar designs is that we incorporated full width cat-like sponsons that run the entire length of the boat that are designed to be in contact with the water for stability along with a tunnel to funnel the compressed air through the bottom giving the boat lift and reducing drag. Think of it as an exaggerated Mod -VP hull design like our “288” Sport Deck where the center sponson sits lower than the two outside sponsons creating air tunnels on either side in which the air is funneled.

The front and side profile mimics the Howard “288” Sport Deck while the rear view definitely tells you it’s a Howard V-bottom derivative. When these two worlds collide, the new “255 VTX” evolves! A Deck Boat unlike anything before.

Designed to be the perfect “all around boat” (with emphasis on “family fun on the water” being paramount), this new hydro-v hull will tow every kind of water toy imaginable from wakeboards, surfboards, water skis and whatever else may exist out there, and unlike the one dimensional “ski tow boats” at the end of the day when the water kicks up you can still run over 60 mph in comfort with a Mercruiser 350 horsepower small block motor. Try that in a “tow” boat! Higher speeds are obviously achieved with larger motor options.

Planning at a mere 12 miles per hour without any noticeable bow rise whatsoever, the new “255 VTX” just takes a set and starts moving forward. Turning is tight and precise regardless of speed; whether you are doing a slow speed 180 degree turn to retrieve a downed skier or wake border or an all out high speed turn, this boat tracks flat as if it is on rails with an absolute minimum of lean due to the forward sponsons that are designed to be in constant contact with the water and funnel the air flow aft creating both lift and balance. With its 65 gallon fuel capacity and the miserly fuel consumption of a small block Mercruiser motor and super efficient bottom design you can boat and play all weekend on a single tank of fuel; a nice feature considering today’s volatile fuel prices.

The interior styling of the new “255 VTX” is a scaled down version of the “288” Sport Deck providing comfortable accommodations for 10 while featuring the same amenities that the “288” is known for; a hidden Bimini top that stores flat on the floor under the rear seat/engine hatch and a swim step that extends over the propeller by 1

Features

Length

26'2" LOA

Max Beam

102"

Approximate Weight

3900 lbs

Seating

8-10

Approximate Fuel Capacity

65 gal

Hull Deadrise

Transom Angle

Freeboard

42"

Bottom Configuration

Hydro-V / Tunnel

Standard Power

MerCruiser 6.2 350HP Bravo

Other Standard Features

  • 100% Hand laminated composite fiberglass construction
  • Bi and Tri-Directional Knytex knitted glass fabric
  • Pure vinyl-ester resin
  • Full one piece (cockpit, bow section, floor and side panels) molded-in inner liner
  • 7 color custom gel coat
  • All stainless steel hardware and fasteners
  • 2 Heavy duty marine batteries w/billet battery boxes
  • Illuminated rocker switches
  • Powder coated fuel fills, ski tow, gauge bezels, garb-handles w/vents
  • Automatic Bilge pumps
  • Bilge Blower
  • International navigation lights (LED)
  • Interior lights (LED)
  • 12 volt receptacle
  • Custom steering wheel
  • Full Livorsi instrumentation (tachometer w/Vantage View, GPS speedometer, volt meter, fuel gauge, water temperature, oil pressure, trim gauge)
  • Livorsi dual lever (offshore style) hand controls w/built in trim switch
  • Full hydraulic Power steering (helm)
  • Power trim
  • Bravo I stainless steel propeller
  • Six stainless steel pull-up deck cleats
  • Dual electric engine hatch lift rams
  • Built-in storage compartments
  • Color coordinated marine grade vinyl interiors w/40 oz. marine grade snap-in carpet
  • Brushed aluminum rub rail
  • Gibson mufflers
  • 6.2 liter MPI 350hp motor w/Bravo Drive

Explore Every Angle of Your Dream Boat

Experience the beauty and craftsmanship of our boat up close. Browse through our gallery to see stunning images showcasing every angle and detail, and envision yourself on the water in style.

Set sail towards your next adventure! Whether you’re seeking serene fishing spots, thrilling water sports, or tranquil sunset cruises, our diverse fleet of quality boats has something for every sailor. From sleek speedboats to spacious yachts, we have the vessel that fits your dreams and budget. Explore our selection now and embark on unforgettable journeys across the waves.