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260 Defiance, not that dissimilar to a Parker
Affordable Family Fun and Fishing!
Palmer Marine, of Port Orchard, Washington, has been building boats for over 30 years. Most Pacific NW'ers have probably noticed their brand name "Tiderunner" on a line of durable, trailerable, fishing boats. Palmer Marine recently expanded its product selection to include some enclosed cabin boats that are still ideal for fishing, but are also large enough to be used by a small family for weekend and vacation expeditions. We recently enjoyed an opportunity to test Palmer Marine's 260 Defiance. The vessel was in stock at a local dealership, Signal Yacht Sales at Kitsap Marina in Port Orchard. The 260 Defiance appears to be very well built. There is absolutely no structural wood in the hull or decks. Stringers, transoms, bulkheads, and other locations constantly on the "watch list" when wood has been used as a template or foundation for fiberglass should be trouble free for the life of a 260 Defiance. The hand-laid hull is vacuum bag molded with 100% vinylester laminate to assure a void-free wet out and make blistering extremely unlikely. Dimensions and General Hull Design: The Defiance 260 is 25'10" LOA. Overall beam is 8'6", with beam at the waterline 7'6". Draft is approximately 18", and displacement is listed at 5500 pounds. The hull is rated for up to 400 HP. Deadrise is 22-degrees, and fuel capacity is listed at 135 gallons. (Our test boat was configured for only 110 gallons, as it was equipped with a third fish hold in lieu of an auxiliary fuel tank). The deep-v hull incorporates some features that Palmer calls "Stable-Trak" design. A well-flared bow and prominent strakes at the chine permit the 260 Defiance to divert spray away from the decks when running on plane, or to handle rough water with greater confidence when slowed to displacement speeds. Palmer Marine builds the 260 Defiance with a short but workable foredeck. The foredeck and sidedecks are nonskid, with several inch bulwarks and the cabin superstructure creating a very well defined and secure "track" to use when walking forward. The track appears wide enough for a rubber boot. There is a sturdy, stainless perimeter rail system and handholds on the cabin top, but Palmer wisely anticipated that many boaters going forward on the 260 Defiance would have both hands busy with a fishing rod. The deep foot track in the deck promotes hands free confidence. The side decks are designed to drain through the bulwarks, rather than channel water from the foredeck to the cockpit. An anchor pulpit is standard on the 260 Defiance, with a rode locker immediately aft. Our test boat was equipped with an optional stainless radar arch, equipped with two forward facing lamps that might prove handy if docking or loading aboard a trailer after dark. Families planning to fish, or searching for a good space to erect a folding table and a couple of chairs when relaxing at an island anchorage next summer will appreciate the roomy cockpit of the 260 Defiance. The cockpit is self-bailing, with 27" bulwarks. Fish rods can be stowed in dedicated recesses to both port and starboard, with flushable fish boxes under nonskid cockpit hatches. The bilge pump, the batteries, the hydraulic steering, and many other systems are serviceable through an access door in the transom of the cockpit. A series of cockpit courtesy lights, just above deck level, are standard equipment and will be extremely convenient during predawn or evening hours. Our test boat was equipped with an aft cabin bulkhead, creating a cabin that can be truly described as fully enclosed. The cabin door and the sliding cabin side windows are aluminum framed and fitted with tempered glass. Interior Amenities: For a 26-foot boat with a large cockpit, the 260 Defiance does a commendable job of providing a decent cabin area. Headroom in the main cabin is several inches over six feet. A dinette, (with lockers below the seats) is located to port, and can be converted to a single berth by lowering the tabletop and inserting an additional cushion. The helm is to starboard, with cup or beverage holders alongside and a small 12-volt refrigerator immediately below the seat. A galley sink with potable water pump is just aft of the helm seat, and our test boat had a handy Wallas stove to perform both cooking and cabin heating chores. Three people could sit comfortably in the cabin underway, with additional passengers siting on the V-berths under the foredeck. The V-berth area on our test boat had a folding door to create privacy. Three overhead lights with red-bulb option for enhanced night vision should provide very satisfactory illumination after dark. Each of the individual forward cabin windows has a wiper, as well as a separate fan for defrosting and defogging. While many similar boats would offer a portable marine toilet as an option, our 260 Defiance test boat featured a fully plumbed marine head, with a pushbutton macerating flush system and a holding tank. The marine toilet is concealed under the removable center cushion in the V-berth. The cabin fixtures are teak, and the durable fabric headliner is secured with a series of teak battens. There would seem to be enough cabin comforts to provide a basic weekend cruising platform for a couple, with certainly one adult guest or a couple of kids as well. Observations underway: Orrin Nelson, General Manager of Kitsap Marina, was kind enough to allow us to use the 260 Defiance and accompanied us during our trial run. Conditions were calm, and our test area was the Port Orchard waterway. Speed was determined with a handheld Magellan GPS, and fuel consumption by the vessel's optional Flo-Scan meter. Buyers can specify a variety of outboard motors for the 260 Defiance. Our test boat was equipped with a 2005, 250 HP Suzuki four-stroke outboard. Orrin turned the key, and the Suzuki started instantly. We noted an impression, in the cabin, that the boat seems to sit in the water ever so slightly down at the bow. This is most likely the result of an optical illusion created by the forward slope of the trunk cabintop over the V-berth, as the boat appears to sit well on its lines when viewed from a distance. If there were any bow down tendency, it would be eliminated once the boat gets underway, and we finally decided on optical illusion as the most likely explanation. One of the advantages of outboard power can be a quieter cabin environment. The Suzuki four-stroke is a smooth and quiet engine, and placing it well away from the cabin results in far less noise than we would have experienced with most inboard or I/O applications. We motored away from the marina dock, picked an unobstructed portion of the waterway, and throttled up to 2500 rpm. Visibility over the bow remained excellent at all speeds during out trial, even when accelerating from dead slow or a standing start. At 2500, we were making 8.4 kts and burning 4.5 gph. At 3500 rpm, we noted that the exaggerated chine was functioning very well, with spray emerging only in the last third of the hull length, aft of the bulkhead door. We were burning 7.9 gph, to make 15.5 kts. We improved fuel efficiency when we reached 4500 rpm, with 12.1 gph producing a speed of 26.7 kts. Bringing the engine up to wide-open throttle, (6000 rpm), we consumed fuel at the rate of 21 gph and the GPS read 36.4 kts. The 260 Defiance proved to be nimble as we maneuvered at speed. The boat leans just slightly in a turn, but the Stable-Trak chine engages the surface to define the outermost extreme of the tendency at a moderate and reassuring angle. Conditions were almost dead calm, so the only seas we encountered were our own wake, and the 260 Defiance produces only a small wake at any sort of cruising speeds. Slowing down to come off plane, we turned into the larger wake and negotiated it with a solid "thump" under the hull that we heard far more clearly than we felt. One can easily imagine trusting this hull in any conditions under which a sane Pacific NW boater would get underway, or even worse conditions that could arise midway through a passage. We slowed to idle speed, and noted that even with the 250HP Suzuki the 260 Defiance could be reduced to salmon trolling speed. The GPS read 1.9 kts. "It would make sense to mount a trolling motor if a boater wanted to do a lot of fishing," said Orrin. "Even though we can slow down enough, most people would be happier putting hours on a smaller and less expensive motor, rather than a $16,000 outboard." Conclusions: Palmer Marine's 260 Defiance should prove an excellent choice for anyone interested in a trailerable fishing boat that is realistically capable of doubling as an overnight or short vacation cruiser. With a long list of options, our test boat had a "boat show" price of about $83,000, including the 250-horse Suzuki and a galvanized trailer. Cabin accommodations are basic and functional rather than elaborate or extravagant, but for many outdoor-oriented NW'ers, boating is often more about having fun on the water rather than lounging around in an opulent interior. The five-figure price on the 260 Defiance puts it within realistic reach of a greater number of ordinary income boating families, and getting more people onto the water will be among the many things for which Palmer Marine's flagship 26-footer will be commended. For additional information on the Palmer Marine 260 Defiance, please call Signal Yacht Sales at Kitsap Marina: 360-874-0504 |
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