Wellcraft 262 Fisherman Review

The Wellcraft 262 Fisherman offers a nice compromise between hard-core fishing features and family-friendly amenities, in a trim, easily trailerable package.

The Wellcraft 262 Fisherman has been completely re-imagined for 2018, building upon its impressive big-water fishing credentials with new, family-friendly amenities. This new design philosophy makes the 262 not only a great fishing platform, but a perfect day boat for active families.

It all starts up in the bow, where full wrap-around lounge seats with integral stereo speakers invite guests to kick back and soak up the sunshine. Removable back rests that mount into a pair of discreet bases at the aft end of the seats allow comfortable forward-facing seating for two, while recessed stainless steel grab rails offer additional security when underway. An oval-shaped, fiberglass bracket-mount table snaps into a compact metal receptacle mounted against the front seat bulkhead to convert this space into a cozy lunch spot with an unbeatable view.

A removable cockpit table converts the spacious bow to a perfect lunch spot.

Need more seating? The Orca cooler seat located in front of the console now slides forward on tracks so it can be brought to the table, a smart design that greatly increases this boat’s overall functionality. Or, slide the cooler seat all the way forward to turn the bow seat into a comfy sun pad.

The console-front Orca seat cooler is on a track, so it can be slid wherever it fits best.

Sliding the seat forward provides access to the head compartment located in the front face of the center console. It also provides access to an in-floor rod locker with a gasketed lid supported by a single gas ram. The locker is said to accommodate five rods to eight feet in length. While it looks fine, getting rods in and out of a the fully loaded locker takes a bit of work, particularly from the center positions given the proximity of the console front face. Opening the console head compartment by lifting up on the console face allows a little more wiggle room, but Wellcraft would have been much better off to designate the floor space as a fish box or for gear storage, rather than as a rod locker given how little room there is to stow or retrieve rods.

The in-floor rod locker holds five rods to eight feet in length, but getting them in and out of the compartment takes a bit of fiddling given the way the lid opens and the proximity of the console itself. It’s a nice idea, but the space could be far better utilized for storing gear rather than rods.

The center console on the Wellcraft 262 Fisherman is longer, wider and taller than that of the previous 262 Scarab Offshore model which it developed from, allowing enough helm space for twin 10-inch touch-screen displays. The double-wide helm leaning post offers individually adjustable bolster seats with flip-down arm rests for comfort while the aft side of the leaning post houses a 30-gallon bait well, a bait prep station, a cutting board and more rod holders. Overhead, a standard fiberglass T-top provides protection from the mid-day sun while under foot, the self-draining cockpit is lined with fiberglass non-skid throughout.

The attractive helm console provides plenty of space for aftermarket electronics.

In-gunnel storage in the aft cockpit provides a convenient space to store boat hooks, gaffs and other gear. Many buyers will want to spring for the optional dive door on the port side, which provides tremendous convenience for dock-side boarding without having to step over the gunnel.

The port-side dive door is a worthwhile upgrade that greatly facilitates dockside boarding access.

Across the transom, the 262 Fisherman provides a flip-down transom seat that retracts out of the way when not in use. A pair of bait wells – 17 gallons and 23 gallons – occupy the transom corners. Throughout the boat, perfectly positioned courtesy lights and stainless steel hand holds provide additional convenience.

A transom seat provides comfortable seating when needed, then folds out of the way when it’s time to fish.

But even with its tremendous amenities, what sets the Wellcraft 262 Fisherman apart is its rough water performance. The 21-degree deadrise hull cuts through big waves easily, while still providing good planing performance. Our review boat, which was rigged with a pair of Mercury Verado 250 supercharged outboards, climbed on plane in four seconds flat, and soon achieved a top speed of 55 mph at wide-open throttle. Backing off to a more leisurely 3,500 rpm delivers a comfortable cruise speed of just over 30 mph, while allowing fuel economy in the 2 mpg range. That’s excellent performance by any measure.

The deep-V hull provides excellent performance with superlative rough water capability.

The Wellcraft 262 Fisherman offers a nice compromise between hard-core fishing features and family-friendly amenities, in a trim, easily trailerable package.