Scout 281 XSS Review

Scout won numerous accolades when the company entered the bay boat market with its now-popular 251 XSS way back in 2011, and they’re turning heads again with the recent launch of that boat’s new big brother – the all-new Scout 281 XSS.

Designed – in the words of Scout – to be like no other bay boat on the market, the new-for-2023 281 XSS sits as the flagship of Scout’s inshore lineup with incredible fishability features including a large casting foredeck, a large casting rear deck, dual stern bait/fish boxes and ample rod storage.

Built from the keel up as a serious fishing boat, Scout’s 281 XSS features a huge stern casting platform that’s flanked by massive insulated fish boxes and dedicated fender storage.

The Scout 281 XSS is an inshore/offshore crossover built with carbon epoxy construction throughout for an incredibly durable, rot-free build. Intended to blend the luxury of a Scout with all the fishability of a serious bay boat, the 281 XSS does all that and more, so let’s take a closer look.

The goodies start at the keel, with the Scout 281 XSS riding on a double stepped hull for greater acceleration, stability under speed, and fuel efficiency. Like all Scout boats, the 281 XSS is fully hand-laid to deliver what the company claims is the best strength to weight ratio in its class.

The big stern deck also conceals a forward-facing bench seat that fold flat when not in use, giving the boat equal appeal for boating families.

As befitting any serious saltwater fishing boat, the cockpit is fully self-draining, allowing any spray or overnight rains to simply run down the gunnels and out over the sides through a pair of transom drains. There’s no need for a bilge pump, and no worry about it failing to do its job because of a lack of power.

The stern of the boat is dominated by the extra-large aft casting deck. The center portion of the deck lifts to provide an upholstered transom seat with storage beneath, while large lids to each side open to reveal two large, insulated fish boxes. A further pair of lids just ahead of the engine splashwell provide dedicated fender storage.

The aft side of the leaning post provides space for a slide-out 65-quart Yeti cooler.

Look closely at the transom and you’ll spot the pocket ladder that Scout includes as standard equipment on the 281 XSS.

Step forward and you enter the cockpit, which is dominated by the center console itself and its facing leading post. There’s horizontal rod storage for a pair of rods to eight feet in each of the gunnels, and surprisingly high freeboard for such a shallow draft boat.

The upper surface of the leaning post houses a bait well and a Corian counter for bait prep.

The leaning post provides a pair of side-by-side bucket seats facing the helm, with both drop-down armrests and pull-up bolsters. The stern side of the leaning post houses a Yeti 65-quart slide-out cooler, a bait well, two stainless steel drink holders, multiple rod holders and a nice Corian counter surface for bait prep. There’s also fresh and raw water washdown sprayers, complete with hose reels.

The glass helm provides space for multiple touch-screen displays.

The helm console of the Scout 281 XSS provides a fully digital glass dash complete with a Garmin 943XS multi-function display fed by a B60 transducer. This can of course be upgraded to a Garmin 8610, 8612, 8616 or 8624 display, or twin 8610s or 8612s. A Fusion audiophile stereo comes as standard equipment, along with seven speakers from JL Audio.

Helm seats include pull-up bolsters and fold-down arm rests for added comfort.

Inside the console is a large head compartment, with a standard Porta potti. Overhead, a standard fiberglass hardtop includes an integrated acrylic windshield for optimal comfort when underway.

A console-face seat conceals a massive storage compartment in its base.

The forward face of the center console includes the traditional forward-facing seat, with a large storage compartment beneath.

The wide beam of the 281 XSS provides a huge amount of seating space, with plenty of room to stretch out.

The bow seating area on the 281 XSS is larger than most thanks to Scout’s hull design, which maintains its full beam far forward of the windshield. This design allows long lounge seats facing forward on each side of the bow, with a double-wide aft-facing seating space between them. Overhead, the bow seating is so spacious it follows a wide U-shape, providing not only plenty of passenger capacity but tremendous versatility besides. Large storage spaces beneath the seat cushions in all three positions provide still more secure storage space on the Scout 281 XSS.

Storage space abounds on the Scout, including huge gear lockers under the bow loungers.

Although Scout’s new flagship bay boat comes loaded with a long list of appealing standard equipment, the option list has a lot to offer as well, including tasty add-ons like radar, VHF, night vision cameras, a stereo upgrade, upholstery upgrades, underwater lighting, outriggers, trolling motors, power poles and more.

Bay boats are wildly popular among saltwater anglers thanks to their incredible fishability and versatility – a fact that is seeing more of them show up on freshwater environments as well. For those in search of a big, comfortable and fully equipped bay boat, the all-new Scout 281 XSS checks all the boxes.