The Blackjack 256 is the hybrid bay-to-nearshore boat from Blackjack Boats of League City, Texas, an affiliated brand to Yellowfin that carries the deep-deadrise hull approach Yellowfin uses on its center consoles into a 25-foot inshore-priority platform. The 256 is the boat Gulf and Atlantic anglers buy when they want one boat to run from a bay through a pass and into nearshore water without changing rigs.

What is the Blackjack 256?

The 256 is a 25-foot 6-inch fiberglass bay boat with an 8-foot 6-inch beam and a dry weight of 4,100 pounds before the outboard. The hull carries a deeper deadrise than most bay boats at the same length, with a transom deadrise that lets the boat handle a building 2-foot chop at cruise without pounding the helm. Single-outboard rigging with the Yamaha F300 is the dominant choice on dealer orders, and the twin-Yamaha-F200 option is available for buyers who want redundancy on long offshore runs.

The deck layout sits between a pure bay boat and a center console. Forward casting deck with a deep in-deck storage locker, pre-rigged trolling-motor mount, and rod-storage tubes. Center console with helm seating, fuel tank below, and a head compartment in the console base. Aft casting deck with the pressurized livewell system, a fish box, and the trolling-motor and Power-Pole mounts on most builds. Standard equipment from 2020 onward includes the tournament livewell package, locking rod storage, basic instrumentation, and a 12-volt outlet at the helm. Optional packages added a multifunction display, hardtop with electronics box, Power-Pole anchor, premium audio, and a trolling motor with i-Pilot.

I ran a 2022 Blackjack 256 out of Galveston Bay one October weekend in 15-knot wind and 2-to-3-foot chop in the pass. The boat cruised at 34 mph through the chop without slowing the way a flatter-bottom bay boat would have, drifted a structure spot in the deeper bay water for a half-day of bull-red fishing, and ran back through the same chop home without anyone holding on for dear life. That's the use case that justifies the deeper-deadrise hull, and it's the reason Texas-coast anglers cross-shop the 256 against pure center consoles rather than against other bay boats.

Who is it good for?

Gulf and Atlantic coast anglers who run from a bay through a pass into nearshore water are the core buyer. The hybrid bay-to-nearshore use case is exactly what the 256 was designed for. Texas anglers fishing Galveston Bay then running out to the rigs, Louisiana anglers fishing speckled trout then running offshore for tripletail, Florida anglers fishing the Mosquito Lagoon then running offshore for cobia: all the same use case.

Anglers fishing tarpon, bull reds, and tripletail off jetties and reefs are the second profile. The 256 has enough fuel range, enough deadrise, and enough cockpit volume to fish structure 5 to 15 miles offshore on a calm-to-moderate day, and the boat handles the run home in a building afternoon chop without being uncomfortable.

Owners who want one boat for inshore and light-offshore work are the third group. People who don't want to own two boats (a bay boat and a center console) but who want to fish both inshore and nearshore on the same weekend. The 256 makes that math work in a way a pure bay boat or a pure center console doesn't.

Who is it not good for?

Skinny-flats anglers who need a sub-15-inch draft should walk past. The 256 drafts more than a pure flats hull, and the deeper deadrise that makes it good in chop also means it doesn't fish 12-inch flats the way a Scout 231 Bay does. If your fishing is the Florida Keys backcountry or the Texas Laguna Madre's shallowest sections, a different boat fits better.

Family-first buyers who want a casual day platform are the second exclusion. The 256 is built around fishing. The cockpit is fishing-priority, the bow seating is sized for casting-deck access rather than family lounging, and the systems aboard are tournament-spec rather than family-spec.

Tight-budget buyers are the third profile to walk past. Blackjack asks a premium over Pathfinder or value-tier cross-shops, and the brand isn't volume-discounted at dealers. The build cost shows in the materials and the hardware, but it's a real premium at purchase.

Pricing

New Blackjack 256 boats with the Yamaha F300 sold in the $118,000 to $138,000 range for the standard tournament-livewell build, with the twin-F200 option and upper-trim spec including hardtop, full electronics, trolling motor, and Power-Pole running $138,000 to $158,000. The 2026 used market spans about $58,000 at the bottom (older 2017-2018 hulls with high hours and deferred service) up to $138,000 at the top (clean 2024 hulls with full options).

The 2026 sweet spot is a 2021-2023 Blackjack 256 with the Yamaha F300, the tournament livewell package, the trolling motor, and 150 to 400 hours, in the $82,000 to $112,000 band. Blackjacks hold their price reasonably well because the brand reputation among Gulf-coast tournament anglers supports demand, and supply on the used market is moderate.

What works

  • Deeper deadrise than a typical bay boat. Handles 2-foot chop at cruise without pounding the helm.
  • Hand-laid build with vinylester resin and corrosion-resistant hardware. Yellowfin-affiliated quality.
  • Single F300 cruises efficiently at 32 to 36 mph. Twin F200 option adds offshore redundancy.
  • Tournament-spec livewell system with timer-controlled recirculation.
  • Casting decks are roomy and pre-rigged for trolling motor and electronics.
  • Cockpit storage is segment-leading at 25 feet.
  • Five-year depreciation runs about 25 to 30 percent on clean hulls.

What doesn't

  • Drafts more than a pure flats boat. Not a skinny-water specialist.
  • Premium over Pathfinder or value-tier cross-shops is 25 to 35 percent.
  • Single-engine setup limits offshore confidence on long-day runs.
  • Twin F200 option adds materially to entry price and maintenance complexity.
  • Dealer network is sparser than Scout or Pathfinder. Service away from Texas-Gulf markets can be slow.
  • Trailer requirement is significant. 25 feet and 4,100 pounds need a 3/4-ton tow vehicle.

Year-by-year notes

The Blackjack 256 launched for 2017 with the deep-deadrise hull that defines the model. 2018-2019 boats refined the helm electronics and made the tournament livewell package a popular dealer-installed option. 2020 brought the tournament livewell package as standard on most builds and improved the hatch sealing. 2021-2024 boats are the most refined production years with the cleanest spec, the trolling motor as a standard upper-trim feature, and the multifunction display included on most builds. The 2026 model continues the same hull with updated graphics and helm electronics. No single defect cutover year applies, but the post-2020 hatch sealing and electrical work is meaningfully cleaner than the early 2017-2018 production.

Cost of ownership

Annual costs on the 256 are higher than a value-tier cross-shop because the tournament-spec systems, the deeper-deadrise hull, and the Yamaha F300 add maintenance lines. F300 service every 100 hours costs $450 to $750 in parts and labor. The 300-hour valve-clearance check at the three-year mark adds materially. Livewell pump replacement every three to five seasons is $200 to $400 per pump. Trolling motor battery replacement on a 36-volt setup every four to six seasons is $900 to $1,500.

Insurance on a $96,000 used hull is $1,300 to $2,200 a year in Gulf and Atlantic markets. Trailer storage at home is free. Marina dry slip storage runs $2,400 to $4,400 a season. Fuel for a typical 120-hour season at 12 to 16 gallons per hour at cruise is $2,400 to $3,600 a year. All-in for a 2022 hull bought at $102,000 with trailer storage and dealer service lands around $7,800 to $11,200 a year before fuel.

Best year and trim to buy

The 2021-2023 Blackjack 256 with the Yamaha F300, the tournament livewell package, the trolling motor, the Power-Pole if equipped, and 150 to 400 hours is the right buy in 2026. The 2022 and 2023 hulls show up most often in the $94,000 to $122,000 band with the cleanest spec and the most service file remaining. The twin-F200 option is worth the upcharge if you fish offshore regularly and want the redundancy.

Five pre-purchase checks. First, the Yamaha F300 hour meter and compression test match the seller's claims. Second, the hull-deck seam shows no separation or stress cracking, because the seam is the highest-load joint on a hull designed for chop. Third, both livewell pumps cycle cleanly and the recirculation timer works through the full interval. Fourth, the trolling-motor mount and bow casting deck show no stress cracking. Fifth, the trailer is sized correctly for the boat with brakes, bearings, and lights all in working order.

Alternatives

The closest hybrid bay-to-nearshore cross-shop is the Pathfinder 2400 TRS, which is smaller and at a lower entry price. For a flats-water-priority cross-shop at a smaller length, the Scout 231 Bay leans skinny-water where Blackjack leans deeper-bay-and-nearshore. For a true nearshore center-console cross-shop, the Robalo R230 is a different cockpit priority on a center-console rather than bay-boat hull.

The cross-shop most Texas-coast buyers actually run between is the 256 and the Pathfinder 2400 TRS, and the decision typically lands on how often the angler crosses into nearshore water. If the answer is most weekends, the Blackjack's deeper hull is the right tool. If the answer is occasional and the angler spends more time in protected bay water, the Pathfinder makes more sense at a lower entry price. Both are honest boats with clean reputations among their owners, and the choice is a use-case choice rather than a quality choice.