Hartsville, South Carolina is home to Stingray Boats. With over 225,000 square feet of manufacturing space, Stingray has one of the most technologically advanced facilities in the USA. Their state of the art robotic driven production is responsible for some of the most unique and award winning designs in today’s market. Al Fink founded Stingray in 1979. With two molds, a handful of skilled craftsmen and a passion for excellence, Al and his team set out to produce top performing powerboats. From this meager beginning, the Stingray family has expanded to 19 outboard and sterndrive-powered models that include center consoles, dual consoles, deck boats and sport boats. Stingray’s growing fleet includes a six-pack of center consoles that range in size from 17-to-27 feet. The newest of these, the 253CC, was introduced in the 2024 model year. It’s the perfect size for those fishing families that enjoy the back-bay, inlet and inshore fisheries, but who also like to head offshore to tangle with the big ones when the weather cooperates and pelagics have migrated into the vicinity.
The Stingray 253 center console features a versatile open layout that’s equally adept at both fishing and cruising. She offers everything you’ll need for a full day of bending the rods, but also shines when it’s time for watersports in the bay or rafting up at the beach with friends and family. The 253CC’s 21-degree aft deadrise Z-Plane running bottom is supported by an overwide nine-foot, one-inch beam for an extra dose of elbow room in the cockpit. The fiberglass hardtop adds welcome weather protection and various amenities like an enclosed head, freshwater sink and built-in dry storage help accommodate a wide range of seaborne missions. I was able to jump aboard the Stingray 253CC at both last fall’s Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show and again earlier this year at the Miami Boat Show back in February to get a better feel for her mission profile. The cockpit and dash offer an intelligent do-it-all layout that is far from being a one-trick pony with generous amounts of seating and storage, thigh-high gunwale support aft and amidships, plus a roomy standup head under the console that will allow your guests a place to change out of wet clothes in private or take care of business when Nature calls.
The 253CC is powered by the owner’s choice of twin 150 or 200 HP outboards from either Yamaha or Suzuki. Notable standard features include a Garmin 1243 touch screen MFD with Airmar B150M CHIRP transducer; Fusion multi-speaker stereo system with 1500-watt amplifier; trim tabs with LED indicators; 13-gallon freshwater tank with pressurized transom shower; thru-stem anchor system with electric windlass; recirculating livewell in the port transom corner with 1500 gph pump; multiple insulated fishboxes; Lumitec underwater LED lights; eight stainless steel flush-mounted rodholders in the gunwales and transom cap; a tackle station with sliding beverage cooler underneath; plus a long list of optional upgrades like a second Garmin 1243 MFD, Zipwake auto ride leveling Interceptors, a variety of hull colors and much more for those owners who want to personalize their ride.
Stingray’s proprietary Z-Plane hull gives the 253CC the ability to optimize speed, acceleration, stability and seakeeping, all while minimizing dreaded bow rise when jamming the twin throttles during fast hole shots. According to recent factory tests, outfitted with Yamaha’s next-gen 2.8L twin F150s, she’ll hit a top speed of 48.8 mph at wide open throttle, spinning 18-inch pitch Reliance 3-blade stainless steel props, turning 5950 rpm. Dialing this South Carolina girl back down to more intermediate throttle settings, she’ll achieve optimum fuel efficiency at 3500 rpm, burning 9.3 gph and hitting 25.6 mph for a net of 2.75 mpg. If you need to move a bit faster to get in on a hot bite or to escape a passing inclement weather cell, picking it up to four-grand will turn 31.0 mph at 11.7 gph for a bottom line of 2.65 mpg. The Stingray 253CC’s usable fuel capacity of 128 gallons will take her a long way between fill-ups.
Specifications:
Length: 25 feet, 3 inches
Beam: 9 feet, 1 inch
Weight: 5,600 pounds with twin 200 HP outboards
Aft Deadrise- 21 degrees
Fuel Capacity: 128 gallons
Water Capacity: 13 gallons
Max Power: Twin outboards (Suzuki or Yamaha) up to 400 HP
