If you want a show-stopping party platform at under 40ft, Galeon’s 325 GTO is a boat you need to see...
Galeon doesn’t tend to do ‘ordinary’. It was one of the first mainstream manufacturers to bring us brave new features like reversible waterfront settees, expandable bars, folddown balconies and rotating aft dinettes. In fact, if you’ve been lucky enough to go shopping for a 40ft-plus flybridge cruiser over the past ten years, you’ve probably witnessed firsthand how imaginative Galeon’s design ingenuity can be. But what about the rest of us? What about day boaters with smaller budgets? Why doesn’t that uninhibited creativity ever seem to filter down to more affordable open boats. Well in the form of the Tony Castrodesigned 325 GTO, it looks like Galeon’s trademark innovation is set to become more widely accessible than ever before...
AFT BEACH CLUB
It’s clear from the outset that this is a boat unlike any other. With its big beam, its expansive forward hull shape, its wide-open deck, its semi-concealed outboards and its high-spec hardtop, it feels like a boat that transcends established categories. Is it a deck boat with bow rider styling? A pontoon boat with coupé-style shelter? Or perhaps a day boat with cruiser-style cabins? Whatever it is, the 11ft beam means that, in spite of twin outboards, there’s still plenty of space on the aft end for a pair of very substantial integrated swim platforms. And actually, when you’re on board, the back end of this boat feels more like an authentic Mediterranean beach club than a straightforward cockpit.
There’s a sunbed above the engines that lifts on hydraulic rams. There are broad walkaround side decks on both sides of this central unit, plus an enormous fold-down terrace to port that expands the scale of the aft deck to an astonishing degree. There’s also a bench on the forward edge of the sunbed, plus an L-shaped seating unit to starboard – and if you take advantage of this boat’s ample aft space with a couple of extra deck chairs, there is easily enough room back here to seat the entire ship’s company of ten.
It’s practical too. There are plenty of comfy flip-down armrests that enable you to feel like you’re nestling in a corner rather than perching on a bench. There are also lots of large ventilated storage spaces, plus all kinds of room beneath the deck for bulky extras like a generator and gyro stabiliser. And then there’s the port galley – ahuge unit with a gas barbecue, sink, fridge and bin, plus plenty of prepping space and room for a freezer or ice maker. It’s well positioned to serve the helm and co-pilot, as well as the lower deck and cockpit. But this region of the boat is chiefly designed to be a fun and engaging place to spend your time and y
