Older Grady Hulls

[el.Pereh]

I have been looking at a few older grady's down south that are in need of a repower. Does anyone currently/used to own a grady that does not have the SeaV2 Hull? How does it perform?

 

[mikep]

We have a 1986 228 Grady, I have ridden on the newer hulls and I really didn't notice a big difference. That being said be careful buying an older Grady. There is a good chance that the transom or stringers are at least wet or even rotten.

 

[BearCove]

I have an 89 252 Sailfish with twin 150 4 stroke yammis on it. It has been an amazing boat and have really not notice much difference in it than my newer cv2 hulls. It is a bit under powered when fully loaded with fuel and water but still gets the job done. Without the load she cruises right along.

I did have to take the pod off and redo the transome when I bought it as it was soft and rotten, stringers were all good though.

Hope that helps

Cheers

 

[Derby]

I have 1997 seav2 hull..love the hull takes the heavy water well..

 

[el.Pereh]

Thanks guys will keep all that in mind.

 

[vanisland]

Yup the older Grady hulls are good but be weary of rot issues. Almost all the used ones before 1991 I looked at had rot somewhere. If you find one with a cutout transom you are almost guaranteed to have a wet and rotting transom.

 

[Peahead]

Just a note that may also assist.......even though the Grady models switched to SeaV2 hull design during the nineties, I know that Grady White made a change to the Seafarer in 2002 to accommodate the heavier 4 stroke technology. They made at least one change, raising the scuppers that year to accomodate the increasingly popular 4 strokes. The additional approx 100lbs of the F225 4 stroke ( vs 200 2 stroke) for eg. would push scuppers below water line on pre-2002 models. I saw an older Seafarer the other day with a F250 on it and the top of the pod surface was awash at/or below the waterline which would mean even with raised scuppers they'd still be at or below waterline.
.....So be careful with adding heavy 4 stroke re-power when the older hulls were designed for lighter 2 stroke power.

 

[Cuba Libre]

I have a friend on the east coast of the US. He told me that he shakes his head when other US fishermen and Canadians buy "hurricane" boats without a survey from a reputable outfit. Its not just transoms and stringers that we have to be aware of--- some being shipped have been patched together with cheap patches after being holed. gelcoat is a good coverup apparently............

 

[searun]

I have to agree with Cuba on that one having purchased 2 boats in the US, including my last Grady a 265 Express. I have always hired a good surveyor...check them out as not all are licensed and there are 2 standards. Older Grady's have a few known issues, such as wood transoms and stringers that are known to rot, and bad fuel tanks. Always a good idea to specifically ask the surveyor to check those out for sure. That said, I wouldn't shy away from looking at US boats...but do your due diligence in checking them out before buying.