Key West 225 BR Boats For Sale

The Key West 225 BR is a center-console bay boat built for inshore and nearshore fishing, with a step-back transom that adds working room behind the splashwell rather than running straight across, plus a built-in swim platform. It suits anglers chasing drum, trout and flounder in skinny water who still want the freeboard to run open bays like the Chesapeake. Buyers shopping the Key West 225 BR for sale will find a layout centered on a large oval recirculating livewell with its own lighting and pump, foam-filled insulated hatches throughout, and an anchor locker in the bow.

Power on this BR-series rig comes from a Suzuki 250SS, the high-performance version of the outboard rated near 270 horsepower, bolted to an Atlas six-inch hydraulic jack plate. The jack plate lets you lift the motor to run shallower and to tune engine height for fuel efficiency, raising or lowering it to dial in RPM and speed. Trimmed light, with no tackle aboard and little fuel, the boat has run as fast as 58 mph. Factory trim tabs on both sides help it get on plane quicker and level the hull in an uneven load.

The helm carries tilt steering, standard throttle controls, a jack plate switch and trim tab controls at the dash. Electronics include a Garmin 8600 series 10-inch chartplotter and sonar that supports Panoptix LiveScope, a Garmin VHF, and a Jensen stereo. The console is roomy enough to house the wiring, chargers and the three deep-cycle batteries that feed the 36-volt trolling motor system, and the head compartment under the console holds a porta-potti with enough space to use it.

On deck, the cockpit has fold-up jump seats on each side and a leaning post with a backrest, cooler and added rod holders, including a fold-up step bar that gives an elevated stance for sight casting and driving. Dual 10-foot Power-Pole blades mount on the transom, controlled by a single dash button so both deploy together to hold the boat pointed in any direction against wind. A raw-water washdown, icepick drains and aft storage round out the rear. The bow has a flip-up seat with storage beneath, twin grab/rod lockers rated to hold eight-foot rods, a five-gallon-bucket hatch, and a second forward livewell that doubles as a release well or insulated fish box.

This particular boat is rigged with a 36-volt, 112-pound-thrust Minn Kota Riptide Ulterra with a 72-inch shaft and quick-release bracket; the factory motor was a 24-volt, 80-pound-thrust, 60-inch-shaft unit, which can pull out of the water in chop when run bow-down, so the longer shaft is worth specifying for open-water use. The custom trailer is built for the hull and carries LED lighting. When buying, check the prop, and get in the habit of trimming the motor up and lifting the jack plate before powering onto the trailer to protect the lower edge of the blade.