The next to the largest boat in this new GLS series (Glastron Luxury Series) is the GLS 235. At nearly 24’ length overall, she felt like she was closer to 26’ with the roomy cockpit and comfortable seating. By the end of the day, I was really enjoying the aft facing rumble seat!

Our GLS 235 was powered with a 300-hp stern drive engine and delivered over 47 mph. The sole locker was large enough to stuff all the canvas inside when the rain went away and the snap-in carpet has a teak-looking design that really dressed up the looks and made clean-up a breeze. The primary gauges were large and easy to see and the bucket seats, well let’s just say, I could have ridden around on them all day!

The builder claims that the GLS line is the “…most advanced bowrider series Glastron has ever built.” That is quite a statement from a company that has built hundreds of thousands of boats over the last 50 years.

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Glastron GLS 235

By Capt. Rob Smith

Building on the success of its heritage, Glastron wanted to exceed the buyers’ expectations with the new GLS 235. Having tested Glastrons several times over the years, I have to say, I too was impressed with the quality and materials in the GLS line. She is 24’ LOA, but in comfort and spaciousness, she seems more like a 26-footer.



The builder claims that the GLS line is the “...most advanced bowrider series Glastron has ever built.” That is quite a statement from a company that has built hundreds of thousands of boats over the last 50 years.

I have mentioned in the other GLS tests that I was quite impressed with the stainless steel exhaust vents. Impressed, because they look as if you could put them under a steam roller without breaking them. Usually about the first things usually to break on a sportboat are the plastic engine air vents and I don’t think that will be happening on the GLS series.



In the Bow

The bow area was actually quite comfortable to relax in. I measured about 60” across the top of the seat cushions and nearly as much from gunwale to gunwale in the bow. There are speakers so you can enjoy the music whether in the bow or the cockpit. Along the side are two stainless steel drink holders and a heavy-duty grab bar. When you nudge up onto a sand bar or up to a beach, you have stainless steel boarding ladders off the bow or the integrated swim platform at the stern. Both are three-step concealed ladders. I like a four-step ladder for the bow and really would rather see that at the stern as well.

Back towards the cockpit, a standard feature that makes the new series identifiable from a distance is the retro, slightly curved glass windshield with full side wing glass. I tested the braces by handing my weight across the walkthrough successfully and it held up.



In the Cockpit

The upholstery in the GLS Series is upmarket and well-stitched. It looks nice and looks like it will hold up over time and use. I enjoyed the SuspensionAire adjustable seats with flip-up bolster. They were very well molded to support you and after hours of riding around, I still didn’t have a backache! The aft cockpit seating wraps around in a large U-shape with the port portion on a swivel so you can swing it around and convert it into a foot rest. Under the starboard side is a fully finished compartment with drain to keep extra food and drinks or more gear. Measuring the space, I found about 72” from gunwale to gunwale and the interior freeboard measured up to about 38”, far more than many runabouts.

Wood-grain accents enhanced the looks around the cockpit, including in front of the companion dash and around the instrumentation and wheel. A Sirius Satellite Ready AM/FM/CD stereo with four speakers is standard, but you might want to upgrade to the Premium Sound System with upgraded radio, transom speakers, bow and stern radio remotes, amplifier and subwoofer that will have the dock rocking.



The full fiberglass liner has standard snap-in carpeting with a teak look and plush feel. The sole locker has a mat to protect your valuable skis and boards from rubbing on fiberglass, which is a very thoughtful addition. The locker is large enough to stow all your canvas when you take her out. Glastron knows today’s water sports often are more enjoyable with a tower, so they have every cockpit reinforced and ready for an Xtreme Wakeboard tower with board racks.

At the Helm

The builder did a good job providing adequate visibility and good ergonomics to make the driver comfortable at the wheel. Speed and a multi-function 5” gauge are set high in the dash while 2” gauges monitor the rest of the engine parameters. The depth finder gets shaded behind the wheel at some angles, so I would push it outboard and have another, less-important gauge in its place. There is room to add a GPS in the center between the two 5” gauges. The upgraded throttle/shifter is at the perfect angle to keep my hand in place and take the strain off my forearm, so no armrest is necessary.



The Stern and Engine

The entire GLS Series has the same walkthrough transom system: remove a single cushion from the stern bench: swing out seat the back and flip up the starboard sunpad section. Beneath the sunpad, our test model had a 300-hp Volvo Penta 5.7L Gi installed with adequate room to do daily checks and maintenance. Room to starboard can be used for wet life jackets, under the port side is the water tank for a swim shower.

The GLS 235 has a molded in integrated swim platform with concealed telescoping swim ladder; you can add a swim shower which is part of an optional upgrade package that includes docking lights, transom tilt switch and engine hour meter.

Specifications

The GLS 235 measures 23’9” length overall with a beam of 8’6”, so she is still trailerable. She tips the scales at 4080 lbs. with standard engine and has a fuel capacity of 56 gallons. She has a draft of 17½” with the outdrive trimmed all the way up, and 33” with it fully lowered. She is rated for 12 people. Glastron offers 17 -- count ‘em folks! -- engine options from Volvo Penta and MerCruiser from a 250-hp sterndrive up to the 375-hp models.



Test Results

With 3 people on board and a half tank of fuel, I found the GLS 235 to be a smooth handling machine with decent visibility and ergonomics at the helm. Turns at 25 MPH could be tight and were always easy to control. Time to plane averaged 3.8 seconds, while it took 8.6 seconds to reach 30 MPH. She cruised comfortably at 26.8 MPH at 3000 rpm burning 8.5 GPH for a full tank range of 158 miles. I clocked her top speed at 47.4 MPH which had her burning 21.2 GPH.

Glastron is raising the bar for what is standard and what you should expect in today’s bowriders at its price point. She has a base price of $42,997 which includes the 5.0L GXi Volvo Penta 270-hp stern drive engine and a custom EZ Loader 5200T trailer to take her to your favorite boating spots.

Test Power: 1 x 300-hp Volvo Penta 5.7 GXi gas sterndrive

						Range
RPM	MPH	Knots	Total GPH	MPG	NMPG	Stat. Mile	NM	KM	KPH	LPH	KPL	dBA
600	3.4	3.0	0.8	4.20	3.65	212	184	341	5.47	3	1.79	65
1000	5.8	5.0	1.5	3.82	3.32	193	167	311	9.33	5.7	1.62	72
1500	7.5	6.5	2.5	2.95	2.57	149	129	240	12.07	9.5	1.25	72
2000	9.9	8.6	4.7	2.12	1.84	107	92	172	15.93	17.8	0.9	84
2500	19.0	16.5	6.1	3.10	2.69	156	136	251	30.58	23.1	1.32	83
3000	26.8	23.3	8.5	3.14	2.73	158	138	254	43.13	32.2	1.34	85
3500	32.9	28.6	11.8	2.79	2.42	141	122	227	52.95	44.7	1.19	89
4000	37.1	32.2	15.8	2.35	2.04	118	103	190	59.71	59.8	1	92
4500	46.0	40.0	21.4	2.15	1.87	108	94	174	74.03	81	0.91	94
4645	47.4	41.2	21.2	2.23	1.94	113	98	182	76.28	80.2	0.95	96

Speeds measured with Stalker ProSports radar gun. Fuel consumption (gallons per hour) measured with Floscan digital fuel-flow meter on gas inboards, sterndrives, and outboards, TechMate electronic scan tool on gas EFI inboards, Caterpillar digital fuel-flow meter on diesel engines, or permanently installed fuel-monitoring equipment. Range is based on 90% of published fuel capacity. Sound levels determined using Radio Shack digital decibel meter on A scale. 68 dBA is the level of normal conversation.

Performance Chart

Test Conditions

Test Power: 1 x 300-hp Volvo Penta 5.7 GXi gas sterndrive

Time To Plane	3.8 sec.
0 to 30	8.6 sec.
Test Power	1 x 300-hp Volvo Penta 5.7 GXi gas sterndrive
Transmission	Volvo Penta SP
Ratio	1.95 : 1
Props	14 x 19 aluminum
Load	3 persons, 1/2 fuel, no water, 75 lbs. of gear
Climate	86 deg., 28% humid., wind: 9 mph; seas: minimal chop