Sportsman Boats Sportsman Open 262 Center Console
A genuinely turnkey 26-foot bay-to-nearshore center console with standout standard fishing amenities, dinged mainly by fit-and-finish gremlins and a heavy hull that punishes underpowering.
Best for: Inshore/bay anglers who run the occasional nearshore tuna or bottom trip and want a loaded, fishing-ready boat without piling on options.
The good
- Loaded as standard: pressurized 30-gal aquarium livewells, 140-qt in-deck fishboxes, abundant rod holders, 12in Garmin GPSMAP, Fusion audio, underwater lights and anchor windlass at base price — a true turnkey rig
- Dual 180-degree side entry doors make dockside and water access genuinely easy
- 22-degree deep-V hull with an admirably high bow that resists stuffing in a chop
- Strong factory support on paper — 10-year limited structural hull warranty (transferable to second owners)
- Versatile single- or twin-engine setup; single F425 cruises ~40 mph and tops low-to-mid 50s
The bad
- Owners report sloppy electrical rigging: lighting wired backward, a speaker left unwired, and panel wiring that looks 'messy and thrown together' (The Hull Truth / GoDownsize)
- Water-intrusion and drainage gripes — freshwater washdown hose leaking into the cabin, livewell drain connections letting water into the bilge, and dry storage backing up and growing mold when docked
- Gelcoat stress cracks and crazing reported on hulls (usually cosmetic, not structural) plus T-top stainless screw points pitting the powder coat
- Heavy hull (~5,800 lbs dry) means the 200-HP options feel underpowered; owners advise stepping up to 250s
- Warranty friction reported: at least one owner had a powder-coat-pitting claim denied as out of 1-year coverage despite calling it a manufacturer defect
The Open 262 earns its reputation as a "home run" turnkey boat — the standard amenity list is what you'd normally pay extra for, and the hull rides well for its class. But the knocks are real and consistent across owners: rushed factory rigging (backward-wired lights, unwired speakers), nagging drainage and leak points, and cosmetic gelcoat/powder-coat issues that the 1-year warranty doesn't always cover. None of it is structural, but it's the kind of fit-and-finish sloppiness that makes you check a dealer's PDI carefully. Buy it for the fishing package and value, rig it with 250+ HP, and inspect the wiring and drains before you sign.