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I went by the fiberglass shop today to do an interim check on my boat before the engine gets re-installed. I am glad I did - while the job seems functionally good (it reportedly took 5-10 layers of glass and resin to make the transom true), the old and new gel coat are obviously different...

Guide coat on for fairing... then final gel coat and the engine goes back on. Almost there!

It looked a little salty under the bang cap when it first came off but once it was prepped it looked clean and dry. Moisture readings on the transom were low when I bought it in June.

New glass in place

Engine off, trim off (click to expand) Starting to prep. You can see the 1/2" aluminum plate embedded in the transom in these shots. Will post more photos as things progress

At work in the San Francisco Bay

The F350 is a very solid engine if you adhere to the flywheel replacement program. So they kept making it and rigging it. Its torque filled a market niche. The 425 is the new solution for that niche but it weights 190 lbs more. All generations of F350 require flywheel replacement and all get...

I dropped the boat off yesterday to get the transom cap glassed over permanently as well as taking care of a few other gel coat issues. I'll share photos here as they come in.

Always add at least 50 hp when going from 2 stroke to 4 stroke.

There haven't been many/any reports of F350 failures once the preventative flywheel replacement program was put into place in 2015. I wouldn't worry about it. Every engine has vibrations.

I have a 2011 275 Freedom with an F350UCA, which has the original style manifold. The engine has 750+ hours and no problems. It is torquey and efficient (2+ MPG) under 4500 RPM and it will push the boat to nearly 45 MPH at WOT. I bought my boat used and it was at least $20K cheaper than...

I am about to move forward with this project. Still deciding between replacing with the updated OEM vinyl cap ($500 for labor - Grady sent me the part for free), replacing it with a custom stainless steel angle piece ($900) or getting it glassed over ($1300). I read that Grady's rationale for...

I wonder why.

$500 per year for $80,000 agreed value on a 2011 GW 275 Freedom used 12 months per year in Northern California.

It should stay closed - it does on my 2011 275 - keep demanding your dealer fix it.

I get 2 MPG at cruise (16 GPH at 32 MPH) on my Freedom 275 with a F350. My F350 is an "A" model with nearly 800 hours and running strong. I need to look into this Nizpro tune...

Bumping this thread... I have a 2011 Freedom 275 on which I'd like to update the seating. I have the electromechanically adjustable helm and extendable companion lounge seat. From looking at pictures online it seems like Grady is equipping new Freedom 255s with the same helm base and aft facing...

I bought a 2011 F350UCA (2nd generation) with about 750 hours earlier this year. I haven't had any problems with it - and it has no notable warranty claims on file. Yamaha told me by phone that they will cover replacement flywheels for the life of the engine. I think the key to happiness with...

Does anyone here own a boat club franchise (Freedom or Carefree or another network)? If so I'd be interested in learning more about how hard it was to get started, what the economics look like, how challenging it is to run, etc.