| Tahoe 225 |
| By: Go Boating Test Team | 6/2/2008 1:00 PM |
| Last updated: 6/2/2008 1:00 PM |
The new-for-2008 Tahoe 225 deckboat is designed for families who do it all on the water, from watersports to cruising to swimming to lounging. Its beamy design offers seating for 12, storage for all your gear and toys, two table positions, a refreshment center, a changing room/head, a large swim platform, rod storage and a quality sound system.
Equally impressive is its price. Everything we just listed comes standard for under $30k. It is available with MerCruiser power from 220 to 300 hp as well as a long list of impressive options that include a wakeboard tower and rack, a matching tandem-axle trailer with brakes on both axles, a choice of four stereo upgrades and a fishing package that includes a trolling motor and a pedestal seat.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
The Tahoe 225 has a great layout that utilizes every inch of space. The bow features a ladder/anchor locker flanked by two convenient grab handles integrated into the nonskid deck. The bow lounge area is appointed with two speakers, in-floor wakeboard storage and two lounges that offer plenty of dry storage beneath each.
Just aft of the port-side lounge is the refreshment center, which spans nearly the entire length of the cockpit. It features a food-preparation station with three separate basins, each with its own lid and its own drain. One is the designated sink, and it features a fully retractable faucet, which allows for a large, flat surface for preparing food when the lids are closed. There’s plenty of storage beneath for stowing a tabletop or fishing seat.
Just aft of the food-prep station is a large drawer for such items as dish towels, tableware, etc., and a removable 48-quart cooler; both are located beneath the port-side lounge. And aft of the lounge is another snack station.
The helm is tricked out with a full complement of gauges, rocker switches, a stereo receiver, a compass, tilt rack-and-pinion steering and a Lowrance digital depthfinder. The captain’s chair swivels and features an adjustable bolster. Inside the helm is a fully enclosed changing room/head. Aft of the captain’s seat is an L-shaped lounge with a molded-in cooler beneath that’s easily within the captain’s reach. The cockpit also features LED courtesy lights positioned throughout, two speakers, rod storage and a second in-floor ski locker. The swim platform is accessible from the cockpit via a step-through transom gate and features a ski tow, nonskid surface, a retractable boarding ladder, a refreshment center, a wakeboard locker and a ski accessories locker.
PERFORMANCE
Although rated for 300 ponies, our test boat was powered by the base hp offering: a carbureted 220 hp MerCruiser 5.0L sterndrive that put us on plane in 4.8 seconds; 0-30 mph acceleration was a modest 10.6 seconds. Our top speed was 43.7 mph at 4650 rpm. At that speed, the noise level measured a rather quiet 87 dBa and the ride was soft, even when we were seated in the bow.
We saw our best fuel economy at 3500 rpm, running along smoothly at a respectable 30.8 mph and metering a noise level of only 82 dBa. At that speed, the Tahoe 225 gets 2.8 mpg and has a range of 121 miles on a full tank of fuel. Its rack-and-pinion steering makes for tight, predictable handling, both in turns and when docking.
This article first appeared in the June 2008 issue of GO Boating Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
