Boats

Bryant 223X Surf Edition

The 233X Surf Edition offers the performance and flexibility of a sterndrive runabout with the option of a surf mode.

By The Boating Tech Team

Updated: December 11, 2014

LOA: 23’3″
Beam: 8’6″
Dry Weight: 3,530 lb.
Seating/Weight Capacity: 12/1,875 lb.
Fuel Capacity: 49 gal.
More Information: bryantboats.com

The Bryant 223X Surf Edition brings wakesurfing to the sterndrive market with a package of features to enhance wake shape and keep the surfer an acceptable distance away from the propellers. The Surf Edition package includes built-in ballast bags, which can hold up to 1,700 pounds of water, and shaped Surftabs. Both ballast and tabs are controlled from the helm to fine-tune wake size and shape. PerfectPass GPS-based speed control also comes with the package. The most critical Surf Edition component, however, is the Bryant Sportporch, a patented bilevel swim platform that adds more than 3 feet of length to the 233X and makes it very improbable that a wakesurfer could fall into the propellers.

Owned and managed since 2012 by a team of former MasterCraft execs, Bryant Boats produces a level of fit and finish that places the 233X at the premium end of the runabout market. Top-quality vinyl is triple-stitched. All graphics are created in the gelcoat. Stainless-steel hardware is used throughout, and there’s not a splinter of wood in the 223X’s construction. All stowage compartments are finished with a smooth glass surface that’s easy to clean. Bryant sweats the details: Edges under the consoles, for example, are carefully ground smooth, and a strip of rub rail is even applied to the inside of the hull/deck seam where it’s visible in the engine bay, just to look tidy.

The layout features wraparound seating in the cockpit and a center walk-through over the sun pad. The corners of the sun pad flip up to create a pair of aft-facing seating positions above the swim platform. A pair of Wet Sounds speakers and a stereo remote are also located at the transom.

Filled with ballast and a crew, the 233X generates a very surfable wake at 10 to 13 mph. The running surface has been fine-tuned with new strakes to further enhance the wake shape, and because a twin-prop drive does not twist the hull in the water, the wake is easily switched in five seconds by manipulating the Surftabs to accommodate riders with a regular or goofy-foot stance. The standard tower makes the 233X ready for wakeboarding and tube-towing. Athletic families looking for a single boat that offers the performance and flexibility of a sterndrive runabout with the option of a surf mode can do it all with the Bryant 233X Surf Edition.

Patented Sportporch is supported by stout steel arms to handle water pressure as the boat planes and is designed to not impede boat control in reverse.

Buyer’s Spotlight
*Water ballast system combines with the Bryant Surftabs to help fine-tune the wake for any board sport.
*Standard arch incorporates a sun top and can be rigged with board racks and speakers.
*A blue LED light illuminates each drink holder.
*Customize the hull and deck with 17 solid and metallic color choices.
*Boat price includes a custom trailer.