Story and select photos by DinaRella / Professional images courtesy of GSX Powerboats
In 2023, Glasstream Boats made a bold move by branching out from its long-time focus on family and fishing watercrafts into the performance center console market. Today, the company operating out of Dothan, Ala., and owned by the charismatic Kruis Retherford, is slaying the waterways with its new three-boat GSX Powerboats Series including the GSX 28, GSX 32 and GSX 36!
The largest sibling 36 GSX was the center of attention inside the convention hall at the 2024 MIBS and the following weekend on the Florida Powerboat Club poker run. RDP met up with Ashley Strong, director of marketing, and Jamie Flaherty from its Northeast dealer Total Marine, to fill us in on the top features flagging the 36-footer as a game-changer in the go-fast center console game.
1- Thanks to a robust lamination schedule increasing both hull stiffness and high-speed rough water operation, WOT numbers render you speechless. Triple Mercury Racing V-10 400R outboards take the GSX 36 to a GPS-capturing 88 mph, whereas twin 400Rs powerplants reach a rewarding 75 mph.
2- If safety, storage and simplicity are on your radar screen – increased gunwale height protects guests during go-fast time; unique reverse-opening compartments securely store the bumpers and bags inside the U-shaped front bench; and making the owner/operator merrier, a lower panel on the starboard side provides straightforward access to batteries and mechanical systems.
3- Similar to Shadow-Caster, the App-driven VersiControl 4-zone smart system by ITC comes integrated into the digital dash on the twin flush-mounted Garmin screens. Lighting up the always dully lit indoor boat show booths, you can see from the photos, Jamie provided a brief tutorial demonstrating how the full-color spectrum of lights in all areas can be controlled over the phone.
4- On the newly designed T-top styled with D pipe supports, speakers are molded in and twin LED illuminated rain showers occupy each end. HydroDeck marine matting not only provides superior traction under foot, but it too covers the overhead.
5- Making its inaugural appearance on the latest unit at the Miami Show, the aft bench accommodating four, now splits in the middle where a covert cooler can be found below. More space for beverages can be had in the air-conditioned cabin complete with fridge, flat screen TV, full-length mirror, hidden head, and filler cushions to stretch out for a siesta.
6- If point No. 1 running near 90 mph didn’t leave you screaming, maybe No. 6 is more redeeming. Outfitted with a twin engine package, the GSX 36 is priced under half a million dollars. Did we mention it includes the trailer?
7- Have a lower budget? Consider the GSX 32 for $400,000. The Jane Brady of the series first debuted last summer at the Glasstream-sponsored Tiki Lee’s Shootout on the River in Maryland under the command of Tom Caruso from Total Marine. Need to knock off a few hundred thousand more... for $200,000, the GSX 28 propelled by a pair of Mercury Marine 225s can be all yours.
8- Finding the right center console to suit your needs should be easy enough due to GSX Powerboats expanding dealer network which includes: Big Thunder on the shores of Center Missouri and South Florida; Day’s Boat Sales in Kentucky; and Total Marine with locations in Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey.
9- As a supporting sponsor of last month’s Florida Powerboat Club and Speedonthewater party at the Sagamore Hotel, the GSX Powerboats team likes to live it up in the powerboating community off the water just as much. RDP is excited to continue tracking the brand’s rising success and its reasonably valued vessels!
In 2023, Glasstream Boats made a bold move by branching out from its long-time focus on family and fishing watercrafts into the performance center console market. Today, the company operating out of Dothan, Ala., and owned by the charismatic Kruis Retherford, is slaying the waterways with its new three-boat GSX Powerboats Series including the GSX 28, GSX 32 and GSX 36!
The largest sibling 36 GSX was the center of attention inside the convention hall at the 2024 MIBS and the following weekend on the Florida Powerboat Club poker run. RDP met up with Ashley Strong, director of marketing, and Jamie Flaherty from its Northeast dealer Total Marine, to fill us in on the top features flagging the 36-footer as a game-changer in the go-fast center console game.
Top GSX 36 Need-to-Knows
1- Thanks to a robust lamination schedule increasing both hull stiffness and high-speed rough water operation, WOT numbers render you speechless. Triple Mercury Racing V-10 400R outboards take the GSX 36 to a GPS-capturing 88 mph, whereas twin 400Rs powerplants reach a rewarding 75 mph.
2- If safety, storage and simplicity are on your radar screen – increased gunwale height protects guests during go-fast time; unique reverse-opening compartments securely store the bumpers and bags inside the U-shaped front bench; and making the owner/operator merrier, a lower panel on the starboard side provides straightforward access to batteries and mechanical systems.
3- Similar to Shadow-Caster, the App-driven VersiControl 4-zone smart system by ITC comes integrated into the digital dash on the twin flush-mounted Garmin screens. Lighting up the always dully lit indoor boat show booths, you can see from the photos, Jamie provided a brief tutorial demonstrating how the full-color spectrum of lights in all areas can be controlled over the phone.
4- On the newly designed T-top styled with D pipe supports, speakers are molded in and twin LED illuminated rain showers occupy each end. HydroDeck marine matting not only provides superior traction under foot, but it too covers the overhead.
5- Making its inaugural appearance on the latest unit at the Miami Show, the aft bench accommodating four, now splits in the middle where a covert cooler can be found below. More space for beverages can be had in the air-conditioned cabin complete with fridge, flat screen TV, full-length mirror, hidden head, and filler cushions to stretch out for a siesta.
6- If point No. 1 running near 90 mph didn’t leave you screaming, maybe No. 6 is more redeeming. Outfitted with a twin engine package, the GSX 36 is priced under half a million dollars. Did we mention it includes the trailer?
7- Have a lower budget? Consider the GSX 32 for $400,000. The Jane Brady of the series first debuted last summer at the Glasstream-sponsored Tiki Lee’s Shootout on the River in Maryland under the command of Tom Caruso from Total Marine. Need to knock off a few hundred thousand more... for $200,000, the GSX 28 propelled by a pair of Mercury Marine 225s can be all yours.
8- Finding the right center console to suit your needs should be easy enough due to GSX Powerboats expanding dealer network which includes: Big Thunder on the shores of Center Missouri and South Florida; Day’s Boat Sales in Kentucky; and Total Marine with locations in Connecticut, Maryland and New Jersey.
9- As a supporting sponsor of last month’s Florida Powerboat Club and Speedonthewater party at the Sagamore Hotel, the GSX Powerboats team likes to live it up in the powerboating community off the water just as much. RDP is excited to continue tracking the brand’s rising success and its reasonably valued vessels!
