Canyon Bay 24B vs Yellowfin 24 vs Pathfinder 2400 and 2600

What do these four bay boats have in common, and where do they split?

They're all 24 to 26 foot single-outboard bay boats built to fish shallow and cross open bays. Each one drafts between 13 and 15 inches by its builder's published figure. Each one takes 350 to 450 HP. On paper they look like the same boat four times.

They aren't. Each builder made a different bet.

Yellowfin calls itself "The Original Icon," and its 24 has been one of the best-known bay boats on the water for years. Its current version, the 24 Carbon Elite, is built "with carbon fiber and vacuum-bagged technology," and Yellowfin calls it "purpose-built for shallow-water fishing" (Yellowfin).

On The Hull Truth, the Yellowfin versus Pathfinder argument has run for years, with Yellowfin praised inshore and Pathfinder for value and layout (The Hull Truth). Pathfinder builds its hulls with VARIS, which it describes as a Vacuum Assisted Resin Infusion System (Pathfinder).

Canyon Bay's bet is the material list. The Canyon Bay 24B uses hand-laid Kevlar below the waterline, carbon fiber above it, vinyl ester resin, and fiberglass stringers molded to the hull. There's no wood anywhere in it. The question is whether that matters to you, and the table is the place to start.

How do the published specs compare?

Here are the specs each builder publishes on its own current page. Where a builder doesn't list a figure, the table says so.

The Pathfinder numbers are from Pathfinder's 2026 build pages. For 2027 Pathfinder lists a 2400 Tournament with the same published specs as the 2026 2400 TRS (Pathfinder), and a 2600 Hybrid with the same published specs as the 2026 2600 TRS (Pathfinder).

Which one is lightest?

You can't tell from published specs, and anyone who says otherwise is comparing different things. Canyon Bay lists the Canyon Bay 24B at 2,500 lbs dry. Yellowfin and Pathfinder list approximate weights with an engine on the transom.

Yellowfin's 4,120 lbs includes power, a light fuel load and empty livewells and freshwater tanks (Yellowfin). Pathfinder's 4,100 and 4,250 lb figures are "approx. with engine," with a Yamaha F300 (Pathfinder 2400 TRS, Pathfinder 2600 TRS).

A dry hull weight and a rigged weight aren't the same number. The fair test is the same engine, the same fuel load and the same scale. If weight is a deciding factor for you, ask each builder or dealer for a rigged weight measured that way, and ask what's included.

What we can say: Kevlar and carbon fiber are stiff for their weight, which is why Canyon Bay uses them. Yellowfin uses carbon in the 24 Carbon Elite for the same reason.

Which one drafts the shallowest?

The Canyon Bay 24B has the shallowest published draft at 13 inches, measured with the engine up. The Yellowfin 24 Carbon Elite and Pathfinder 2400 TRS both list 14 inches. The Pathfinder 2600 TRS lists 15 inches.

Treat that spread carefully. One inch on a spec sheet depends on load, fuel, crew and how the builder measured it. Yellowfin and Pathfinder don't say on their spec pages whether their figures are engine up or down.

In the real world all four boats fish the same broad range of water. The difference between them shows up on the very edge of a flat with three people and full livewells. If skinny water is your whole game, none of these is a poling skiff. A Canyon Bay 18F drafts 8 inches.

Which one has the most range and power?

The Pathfinder 2600 TRS has the most published range and power potential in this group: 88 gallons and a 450 HP maximum. The Pathfinder 2400 TRS also carries 88 gallons but tops out at 350 HP.

The Yellowfin 24 Carbon Elite carries 72 gallons and takes a single Mercury up to 425 HP. The Canyon Bay 24B carries 69 gallons and takes up to 400 HP. Canyon Bay lists Mercury 250 to 300 HP or Suzuki 300 HP for the Canyon Bay 24B, with 53 to 60-plus MPH depending on setup.

None of the four builders publishes a fuel burn on these pages, so nobody can tell you range in miles from the spec sheet alone. Fuel capacity is a fair proxy only if the boats burn about the same, and that depends on weight and engine. If you regularly run 30-plus miles to fish, the Pathfinders' extra 16 to 19 gallons is a real advantage worth weighing.

What does beam width change for owners?

Beam changes towing more than anything else. The Yellowfin 24 Carbon Elite's 8-foot-6-inch beam sits at the 102-inch width many states use as the limit for trailered loads without a permit. That's a genuine point in Yellowfin's favor if you tow across state lines.

The Canyon Bay 24B at 8 feet 8 inches, the Pathfinder 2600 TRS at 8 feet 10 inches and the Pathfinder 2400 TRS at 9 feet are all wider. Rules vary by state; Virginia, for example, has debated permits for boat trailers between 102 and 108 inches wide (NMMA). Check your state's transportation department before you buy.

On the water, more beam means more deck to walk around on and more room to fight a fish around the console. The Pathfinder 2400's 9-foot beam is the widest here. The Pathfinder 2600 lists a 68.5 sq ft cockpit, and the Canyon Bay 24B lists a 65 sq ft forward casting deck. Those are different measurements, so stand on each boat before you decide.

How is each hull built, and why does it matter?

All three builders use modern composites, and the details differ. Pathfinder infuses resin under vacuum (VARIS). Yellowfin builds the 24 Carbon Elite with carbon fiber and vacuum-bagging. Canyon Bay hand-lays bi-axial laminates with Kevlar below the waterline and carbon fiber in the sides and deck, using vinyl ester resin.

The one difference we can state flatly is wood. The Canyon Bay 24B has zero wood: the stringers are fiberglass molded to the hull. Yellowfin's and Pathfinder's spec pages don't say either way. That isn't a claim that they use wood. It means the buyer should ask.

Why ask? Water that gets into a wood core or wood stringer can rot it, and rot repair is one of the costliest jobs on an older fiberglass boat. A boat with no wood in its structure doesn't have that failure to worry about. Ask any builder in writing what's in the stringers, transom and deck cores.

The Canyon Bay 24B is built at Perry Composite Manufacturing in Perry, Florida.

So which 24-foot bay boat should you buy?

Buy the one whose bet matches how you fish. Here's the short version, using only what the builders publish.

• Yellowfin 24 Carbon Elite: you want the name that defined the class, a carbon build, a single Mercury up to 425 HP, and an 8-foot-6-inch beam that tows easily.
• Pathfinder 2600 TRS: you want the most length, fuel (88 gal) and horsepower (450 HP) in the group, and 18 degrees of deadrise.
• Pathfinder 2400 TRS: you want the widest deck (9-foot beam) and 88 gallons in a boat under 25 feet, and 350 HP is enough.
• Canyon Bay 24B: you want the shallowest published draft (13 inches), a 65 sq ft casting deck, separate 55 and 15 gallon livewells, and a hand-laid Kevlar and carbon hull with zero wood.

Common questions