Grady V Bayliner...no brainer, right?

[Finished Business]

Not to mislead and fire up emotions, as I know we would all pick a Grady (or similar) if we could.

If you had a choice between a solid Grady hull from the 90's, or a solid Bayliner Trophy hull of the same condition, but a late 2000's design, for arguement sake, which would you choose?

The reason I ask is, in time I hope to get a glasser for myself (2 years or so), and I often question which is the best route to go. Its a hard comparison to make, apples to apples, so an imagination helps!

Considering same length, width, and power options, if you had 30k to spend would you do it on a 90's Grady, or a 2007 and up Trophy? Again assuming both have reliable, similar power electronics ect...

More concerned with what time and technology can do for a hull, as far as design (fuel economy, ride ect)

I think this thread makes sense...thoughts from you Lads?

 

[chris73]

I like those newer Trophies and given it has the same setup and power I would no doubt choose a 5 year old trophy over a 20+ year old Grady. No hesitation here whatsoever.

 

[nedarb2]

good question.
personally not talking age but condition, eg. 500 hours on a 2007 trophy or 500 hours on a 1995 grady, i would take the grady. that said, its very hard to find an older boat truly in great condition that is comparable.
My grady is a 1989 and it shows better than many early 2000's hulls, but its been babied and kept in a heated garage its whole life and never beat on.
The biggest difference between the two is the quality of fit and finish. the higher end boat will take alot more abuse before it starts looking like a cheaper brand with quite a bit less wear and tear, think of it like a 1995 diesel engine with 150000km or a 2005 gas engine with 150000 kms.

like chris said though, there comes an age where no matter the condition newer is just nicer. unless you find a real gem of a high end boat below 1995, i wouldnt compare older than that. i would really only look at early 2000's to late 90's high end vs. late 2000's lower end.

hulls and design havnt changed, power has and thats where all the fuel savings are found in newer models. hulls are moreless exactly the same, grady hasnt changed theirs since 1993.

 

[juandesooka]

Great question. Goes perfectly with that "noob" thread ... 1988 Arima or 2005 Trophy, equivalent quality power, same price ... same exact question. Does the higher quality trump the newer age?

For me, I tend towards the newer, but not sure if that's the smart call or not. As an example, I have a Pontiac Vibe, love it ... but once it is 10 years old it will be worth nothing, whereas the Toyota Matrix (exact same drive train) will still have resale value. Same argument applies to GW and Arima vs Trophy.

Being honest, I don't know enough about hulls to judge quality.

I know that once you get into a hull that has no wood whatsoever in it, you have a lot less to worry about for rot.

I was once told by a boat mechanic that the reason Trophy can sell its boats so much cheaper is that it is a mass production model that very slightly cuts corners ... let's say by 10%. Profit wise, that means for every 10 boats built it gets one free....so it can charge less. Most of this stuff is below the shiny surface, things you can't see. But 10 years in, you have a boat that is suffering ... crappy electrical, poorly designed features that break, poor quality components that wear out too quickly.

I have a Campion, which some say is Canada's answer to Trophy. I paid $15k 5 years ago, it was nice and shiny, and it is still working great. Would I have been better off with a smaller 1980 GW, a 1988 Arima, or what I got? All similar style and function? I dunno...I think I lean towards what I got.

 

[dmurph]

I have an 07 2359 trophy and have been on similar grady's and a 28 king fisher and must say I am very happy with the ride of the trophy . The grady and king fisher were way more expensive. Trophy has a bad rep. from the old days of bayliner, but I think they are good value overall. Trophy does use cheap detailing though. I would go for the newer boat . Try to take a ride in each and see what you thnk.

 

[Sharphooks]

The unspoken metric between high-end quality and mass produced mediocrity is price. Would you have the same qualms between a somewhat newer GW or Arima and a Trophy if the buy-prices were within hand grenade distance of each other?

In the late 90's I was stuck between a 19 ft Arima (1994 vintage) and a 21 ft Grady (similar vintage). I really wanted the Grady (much larger forepeak for over-nighters, self-bailing deck for safety, and the overall Grady sex appeal).

But I ended up springing for the Arima, mainly because there would have been a $30K additional outlay for the Grady that I didn't have--the market was firm and bouncy, everyone in the world had a job and extra cash in those days, and the word "negotiation" didn't seem to be in anybody's vocabulary

Today, it's a whole new world-- down here, I regularly see Grady's and Arima's offered at levels within spitting distance of a Trophy. No doubt the owner's are taking a bath, but this anemic economy has finally put high-end boats within reach of us 99 percenters.

There's a lot to be said for the smell of a new hull. But if I were going used in today's economy, I'd make a play for a high-end hull with a few years on her with low-hour power hanging off her stern. Great timing for that approach.

 

[Degree of Freedom]

First of all, I am not a Trophy basher, nor am I a Grady worshipper...but for my two cents...there is a huge difference between 1990 vs 2007 and 1999 vs 2007. The larger the age gap, the tougher the question. Last winter I purchased a
1996 Sea Ray 240 for what I could've got a 2005 Bayliner 245 for...at the time it was an easy choice...I don't think I would've gone much older, though.

 

[Sculpin]

I'd go for something in aluminum (bias opinion obviously ha ha). In the senario you described I would go for the newer hull for sure. Fiberglass deteriorates over time with ultraviolet rays etc. stress from pounding sea's etc. Wood or no wood the stringers have to be inspected period. Besides aluminum is 10x stronger than fiberglass for tear resistance and is totally recyclable.

 

[Jencourt]

Seems to me I remember reading another post about the trophy. If I recall Charlie went into detail about how the Brunswick Marine group took the trophy and at some point ,Mid 2000's I think they started using the same high end components (electrical ,fittings,gauges ect.)as they use on the Boston whalers.

 

[salmonkiller01]

I have an older grady, love the boat meets my needs, but if I really like the layout of the trophies they make the most of the space avaliable. My boat has a huge dancefloor out back and a tiny cuddy, trophys seem to have more of an even approach giving sufficient room in both. The newer trophy hulls are well built and if i had to make a choice i would go with the newer trophy.

 

[nedarb2]

First of all, I am not a Trophy basher, nor am I a Grady worshipper...but for my two cents...there is a huge difference between 1990 vs 2007 and 1999 vs 2007. The larger the age gap, the tougher the question.

i think that hits the nail on the head. check both out real good and go for what makes you the most satisfied.

 

[Despy]

Degree of Freedom, if I`m not mistaken, are not Sea-Ray and Trophy not both built by the Brunswick group?

 

[J-GLOBAL]

I'd go for something in aluminum (bias opinion obviously ha ha). In the senario you described I would go for the newer hull for sure. Fiberglass deteriorates over time with ultraviolet rays etc. stress from pounding sea's etc. Wood or no wood the stringers have to be inspected period. Besides aluminum is 10x stronger than fiberglass for tear resistance and is totally recyclable.

How about an 22' Aluminum ('95 hull) with 2 y.o. Suzuki 140 main and 8HT kicker? For under $30Gs...

 

[Degree of Freedom]

Degree of Freedom, if I`m not mistaken, are not Sea-Ray and Trophy not both built by the Brunswick group?

Yes...there are 34 boat brands under the Brunswick name... Including Boston Whaler, Lund, Princecraft.

Kind of like Ford owning Aston Marton, Jaguar, Land Rover, Mazda, Volvo, and Lincoln.

 

[Finished Business]

great cents to you all. I maybe shouldn't have been so specific in regards to it being a Trophy specifically. I just used that as an example to cover a spectrum of base to mid level boats, as with the Grady covering those of the higher end.

I surf regularly on all the major US boat sites (yachtworld boattrader and the likes) and with a keen eye, a lot of spare time, you come across some pretty mind blowing finds. The majority of those beings on the higher end boats. Most Trophy (or similar) boat owners I find know the market value of their boat, and hope to get within a few thousand of that on the sale price.
A Grady owner I find, is one of two people (not to assume, this is what I find when searching boat classifieds), you either, like the Trophy owner, know the market value and hope to sell within a few thousands, or the second guy, who has $$$money to spare, is willing to sell his 24' Grady at a fire-sale price because he needs the room on the slip for his new 38' Grady. As a result two things happen. The average market value of similar 24's is brought down slightly, by these more than once in a while fire-sale boats, and of course, you have a good chance to find one of them yourself.

Before anyone else offers their boat for sale, this is a 2 years down the road plan of mine! haha, not tommorrow.

Ive come across some beauty albemarles, and luhrs boats (some of my faves), gas powered 98-05, for under 30K (20-25' range). The odd diesel in there as well for the same market.

Even a year 2000 fisher in that make would be hard to turn down, sitting next to a Trophy 05-09 vintage.

It'd be great to narrow my search over the next two years. The last two have been spent drooling and dreaming! haha

thanks

FB

 

[beemer]

One item no one has mentioned is fuel economy. The grady is fully twice the weight of the trophy.I have worked on a grady 23 with a yamaha 250 and own a trophy 23 with a 225 optimax and I would take the trophy any day. Much better fuel economy and much more nimble on plane. Each to their own , but given the choices presented I would go with a good survey.

beemer

 

[high tide]

It's called Bang for your Buck .........

if you have tons of cash go Grady ......... that said Some Bayliners OLD ones were tanks .... the 95's and newer are MUCH better made. Also affordable for the average JOE


HT

 

[pescador]

Grady= Mercedes, Trophy= Chevrolet Impala. Both have their purpose, both have pros and cons. Personally, I'd prefer the chicks to see me in a Merc. Just one mans view.

 

[Degree of Freedom]

Grady= Mercedes, Trophy= Chevrolet Impala. Both have their purpose, both have pros and cons. Personally, I'd prefer the chicks to see me in a Merc. Just one mans view.

valid point...but I'll bet most chicks would rather see you in a shiny new Trophy than a 20 yr old Grady...

 

[Aces]

valid point...but I'll bet most chicks would rather see you in a shiny new Trophy than a 20 yr old Grady...

But most of them don't know anything about boats.

We have an expression around here.... "friends don't let friends buy Trophys" . Sorry if i have offended anyone.