Grady-White Canyon 336

By Capt. Rob Smith

Grady-White calls this huge center console their Canyon 336, but in fact it could be called the “Continental Shelf” 336 because with at best cruise it can dash out to the “edge” from any major East Coast city north of Charleston, S.C. 422-mile range with a 10% fuel reserve with a pair of Yamaha 350s pushing you and over 10,000 lbs of boat along at 27 mph is no easy feat. But like a lot of things G-W does, they under play it. With an 11’7” beam and 29” gunwales, this boat is designed to take you offshore and get you home safely.

Not only that, but Grady has acknowledged when you’re 150 miles out nature will definitely call, you might want to take a nap, or even on a particularly hot day take a shower. Beneath the large center console is a mini-cabin that services a number of purposes. But this boat is packed with practical ideas, so let’s take a detailed look…

On the Bow

The anchor enters the bow from underneath the deck, through the gunwales, keeping the topside clear of line-snagging anchors and chain. Open a hatch at the bow and inside you have the windlass and a line/chain locker as well executed as on on any megayacht. The controls for the windlass are mounted under the bolster in the front rather than on top where they would tend to get accidentally pushed or snag a line.

Whether you are heading far off-shore or just taking the family and neighbors out for a ride, the front bench seats will be popular. These large seats on the port and starboard as well as in front of the console offer comfortable cushioning and great views. Beneath the side benches are insulated fish boxes measuring about 165qts in size. You can add a filler to create a large casting platform up front or add a filler cushion and have a great space to relax in the sun. With the filler out, you have ample room to work a fish from the stern all the way to the bow safely and quickly with your buddy behind you ready to net the fish on board.

Drink holders are all about, including at the ends of the benches. On the port side is a wash-down connection so you don’t have to drag the hose all the way from the stern to rinse off the decks. Along the center of the cockpit are additional storage lockers for tons of small items just under the bolsters.

The Impressive Cabin

The center console on most boats house a port-a-potty inside, maybe even have a sink at a place to stow some gear -- but on the 336 you could get a few hours of sleep or possibly sleep overnight and shower the next morning. The only thing lacking was a coffee pot! Inside, I had plenty of room for my 6 foot frame to stand in the center or slide into the berth that stretches out beneath the bow cockpit sole. Inside were spaces for six rods to stow vertically, net storage all around, a teak cover seat for showing that flips down over the VacuFlush toilet and a vanity. On the aft bulkhead, all the controls for the fish boxes, stereo and power panel are neatly organized and accessible from the door.

From the Driver’s View

Stepping back out to the helm, the Canyon 336 has three across adjustable seats with armrests and bolsters and were very comfortable. Electronics are well protected. The expensive flat screen displays you buy can be mounted on an electric lift console across the center. They had two large Raymarine displays on the test boat. The Ritchie compass was top mounted with the Yamaha Digital Command gauges on a vertical panel just below. Trim indicators were to the right of the command gauges. You have room to the left of the wheel for other gear like autopilot, VHF and more. Switches are grouped to the right of the wheel as well as the trim tabs which are next to the throttles.

If you opt for the SidePower bowthruster, they mount the joystick low to the left of the wheel. The footrest below is also another storage compartment. If you plan to spend a lot of time onboard, you may want to consider cockpit and cabin air conditioning. The heat cycle on the test boat sure felt good! Below the seats, the 336 has the batteries grouped together for easy access. On one side of the helm seat station is a lure drawer and on the other was a lure and tool organizer.

The back side of the helm seat was a well designed tackle center with grab rail across the top of the seats and six rocket launcher rod holders. The rigging station sports a 45 gallon live well and a104qt cooler. Below are drawers for your tackle.

The windshield is a tempered glass for safety and long life. Overhead is a fiberglass hardtop with heavy duty aluminum framing. Net storage for life jackets is underneath. You have two fishing lights across the back along with five rocket launcher rod holders. Above the helm are an electronics box and a two color light. Another optional feature added to my test model was the outriggers.

The Working Deck

The cockpit space measures about 80 square feet with reinforced sole for a fighting chair. The favorite seat often is the aft seat on a long ride and Grady-White’s patented fold-away bench seat makes it easy. This seat sets up in seconds and folds neatly flat against the stern wall when not in use.

Behind the seat are panels for access to the optional 4kw diesel Panda generator, dedicated diesel tank and remote handles for closing the through hulls. Cockpit bolster padding is standard as well as flush mount rod holders on the gunwale tops. Horizontal rod racks and toe rails are underneath keeping your gear ready and you safe when you lean over to pull a fish onboard.

The topside of the stern wall sports a drop box in the corner, replaceable cutting board top and a 291qt fishbox in the center. You can opt for the Cruisair chill plates as they did on my test model. The walkthrough stern door has heavy hardware and leads out to a three step telescoping swim ladder for getting back on board after a cooling swim.

The Numbers

This model measures 33’6” length overall with a beam width of 11’7”. With the fiberglass top, she has a bridge height of about 9’. Hull draft is measured at 25” and weight comes in at 9200lbs without the outboards. She is rated for a maximum of 700hp, as tested, and has a fuel capacity of 350 gallons.

Test Results

Unfortunately the most challenge I could find on test day was keeping a grip on the wheel because my hands were freezing to it! Water conditions were pretty calm, so you will want to get out on some off-shore stuff to see how she handles in the rough water. I did find she handled smoothly with sharp turns and solid performance. I found she is on plane in 4.4 seconds and up to 30mph in 6 seconds. Her maximum recorded speed reached 51.8mph at 6100rpm and her cruise speed was about 27.5mph at 3500rpm for a range of 422 miles with a 10% reserve.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I believe Grady-White has developed a new breed of cross-over from the center console and cuddy version of coastal boats. They maintained the topside importance of access bow to stern and fishability you expect from a Grady-White, but added the real convenience of a small workable cabin inside. You have room to add all the hard-core electronics you need to really get on the fish and designed in comfort to keep you on the fish longer.

• Top speed for the Grady-White Canyon 336 is 51.8 mph (83.4 kph), burning 71.7 gallons per hour (gph) or 271.38 liters per hour (lph).


• Best cruise for the Grady-White Canyon 336 is 27.5 mph (44.3 kph), and the boat gets 1.34 miles per gallon (mpg) or 0.57 kilometers per liter (kpl), giving the boat a cruising range of 421 miles (677.53 kilometers).


• Tested power is 2 x 350-hp Yamaha.