Both the Premier Boats Cast-A-Way 231 2012 and the Premier Boats Escapade 250 2007 are pontoon designs, both built in aluminium, so the buying decision usually comes down to a handful of practical questions: how many people are you putting on the water, how far do you trailer, and what does your tow vehicle weigh?
On paper these two are close siblings in the size department - Premier Boats Cast-A-Way 231 2012 at 23,4 ft versus Premier Boats Escapade 250 2007 at 24,0 ft. Weight tells a clearer story for trailering families: the Premier Boats Cast-A-Way 231 2012 tips the scales at 2 650 lbs - 200 lbs more than the Premier Boats Escapade 250 2007 at 2 450 lbs. That difference is meaningful if you're working within a half-ton or three-quarter-ton truck's tow rating, especially once you factor in a motor, gear, and fuel.
The power gap is worth calling out. Rated to 150 hp, the Premier Boats Escapade 250 2007 has a 25-hp advantage over the Premier Boats Cast-A-Way 231 2012's 125-hp ceiling - enough to notice on acceleration and at cruising speed, particularly with a full passenger load. Both carry nearly identical fuel loads - 27 gal and 30 gal - so range won't be a tiebreaker here.
For family outings this is probably the sharpest distinction between the two. The Premier Boats Escapade 250 2007 is rated for 14 passengers, while the Premier Boats Cast-A-Way 231 2012 caps at 12. If you're regularly pulling extended family or a group of friends onto the water, the extra seats on the Premier Boats Escapade 250 2007 could be the deciding factor.
Bottom line: Choose the Premier Boats Escapade 250 2007 if your priority is putting more people on the water - it handles 14 passengers and at 24,0 ft it has the deck room to back that rating up comfortably. The Premier Boats Cast-A-Way 231 2012 is the smarter pick if you want a lighter, easier-to-trailer boat rated for 12 that costs less to run day-to-day.