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Glacier Bay 2740 Review

Glacier Bay worked hard to make the 2740 a stylish boat with more family appeal.
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On a past tuna quest out of Ocean City, Maryland, I made a run aboard the old Glacier Bay 2665 Canyon Runner out to Baltimore Canyon. We ran in a lumpy head sea, and from the moment we left the inlet, I noticed we were outpacing all the other small boats that left around the same time. We saw a few of them out on the tuna grounds about 45 minutes after we arrived.

The new 2740 is an extended version of that hull, so I have full confidence it has the same sea-keeping abilities, only with some updated construction techniques and a deck layout designed with greater appeal to fishermen and their families.

Performance On test day, we had to create our own sea conditions. The waters of Sarasota Bay, Florida, lay glassy, and the Gulf of Mexico outside the inlet had but a slight chop. To manufacture some confused seas, I turned the wheel hard over at 30 mph and worked in ever-tightening circles.

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The first thing that struck me: The 2740 exhibited none of the outboard lean often associated with cats, a feeling that can be initially disconcerting. Glacier Bay added Doel-Fin hydrofoils to our twin Yamaha outboards to help the hulls make more graceful, smooth turns. The cat still turns flat compared with an inboard-leaning monohull, but the sensation is mitigated.

I firewalled it through the wakes straight ahead and at a quartering angle, but the boat absorbed the turbulence. Glacier Bay’s trademark semidisplacement hulls have wide, oval-shaped running surfaces that promote lift and buoyancy, and the twin-hull ­configuration helps slice through waves while reducing pounding. The wide-beam twin-hull format also provides great stability, particularly for bottomfishing or while trolling. In short, the 2740 represents a true blue-water boat.

Running the numbers, we hit a top speed of 41.7 mph at 5,900 rpm, burning a combined 33.1 gph. The most efficient cruising speed fell at 19.6 mph at 3,500 rpm, where we recorded 9.9 gph for an efficiency of 2.0 mpg, giving a 324-mile range. The vessel carried three people on board and 100 gallons of fuel.

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Fishing The 2740’s extended centerline length (6 inches longer than the 2665) and wide, 8-foot-9-inch beam allow Glacier Bay to pack the boat with amenities, yet still have 32 square feet of fishable cockpit space. The gunwales feature coaming bolsters running forward to the seating area under the optional hardtop. Forward in the cockpit, an entertainment center doubles as a tackle prep station, with a trapezoid-shaped livewell. The livewell with a blue interior has a clear lid, but its 10-gallon capacity might be limiting to some bait fishermen. Those souls will opt for the second, 30-gallon, lighted, removable livewell that hooks up and fits in the transom walkway between the engines – the best of both worlds.

If you count the six rod holders welded onto the piping of the optional hardtop, Glacier Bay provides 15 rod holders in total, including three under the starboard gunwale, two under the port gunwale and four in the covering boards. The cockpit sole holds two, 100-quart insulated fish boxes with macerator pumps. In the bow seating area, two lockable stowage lockers double as 125-quart insulated fish boxes, if needed.

Of course, electronics play into offshore fishability ratings; the hardtop has a built-in electronics box, and the helm console has room to flush-mount a 12-inch display screen.

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Design and Construction Since the PowerCat Group purchased Glacier Bay, it has made a few changes in the building process. The new 2740’s dual-console design naturally makes it heavier than the center-console model on the same hull. However, the company traded out marine-ply for lighter composite coring. To further shed weight, Glacier Bay employs the resin-transfer-infusion process when molding all deck hatches and the hardtop, which allows for a more precise part with far less resin saturation.

The family-friendly dual-console layout has cushioned bow seating atop the stowage boxes to accommodate four adults or six kids lounging comfortably, and the recessed grab rail provides extra security.

Under the hardtop, the portside L-shaped lounge provides more guest seating. When cruising, families will appreciate the deep head in the port console. Nestling it inside the port hull allowed Glacier Bay to provide a spacious head/changing room while still keeping the console height to just over 4 feet. That way, passengers have an unobstructed view while seated, yet still get plenty of protection from the wraparound windshield.

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Overall, I’d run the 2740 out to the canyons in a heartbeat, only this time my family might want to join me.

Specifications

LOA……26 ft. 6 in.
BEAM……8 ft. 9 in.
DEADRISE……Semidisplacement cat
DRAFT……1 ft. 8 in.
WEIGHT……6,500 lb.
FUEL……180 gal.
MAX POWER……Twin 150 hp outboards
MSRP……$132,903

Glacier Bay Catamarans / Tarboro, North Carolina / 425-508-1355 / www.glacierbaycats.com

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