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Thanks. I intend to add AIS for the barge-heavy Illinois/Missippi/Tennessee Rivers. Radar for fog prone lakes is a good idea. Have covered all of east coast and only one day when fog was a real problem. I was more lucky than prepared that day. Won't push that luck. Thanks, Rob

Wow. Came out really well. Nice work.

Thanks, Magical and no worries. I'm getting the advice I asked for and that's great. Current thinking is that I'll skip ahead of the Great Lakes - for now. Instead, I'll take my 258 from Chicago to Mobile and then home over the next two-three summers. I think the 258 is perfectly sized for that...

Thanks, Grunt. Gotta rethink this dilemma. Would a 30' Grady make a significant difference in the number of days you can run comfortably? You guys might be building the case for a new boat! Thanks, Rob

I've got some disc issues and the memory foam route wasn't quite enough cushion for me. So I went to a local mattress store with the Grady cushions in hand. They did the measuring and then made a quilted, 4" pillow-top mattress topper for me. Not the cheapest route at $300, but we overnight and...

Thanks Family and Magical. Really useful and somewhat surprising information. For us, when the ocean is flat calm, we say its "like a lake". Guess I better stop saying that! Family: My single-engine Journey is probably a bit bow heavy. On the plus side, I can keep the bow down at a fairly slow...

Hoping to cruise through three of the Great Lakes this summer, from Buffalo to Chicago. Question for those who know: In what month(s) am I most likely to get predictably calm seas? And, is it likely that my 258 is enough boat to give a fairly comfortable ride on an 'average' day? I appreciate...

Travis. If you haven't tried this yet: The faucet folds into the sink to allow you to lay the cushion over the sink. I keep the faucet folded into the sink and have not had the accidental flow you have. I'll add that, after 11 years of happy ownership, I do not recall ever using this sink for...

Re: NY-NJ Trip Completed. Thanks for the help! Question for Thanks to Bob, Beach Bum and Bayhouse for your advise on timing a cruise through NY and NJ. We did as advised and left right after Labor Day. We put in in Albany, came down the beautiful Hudson, then out and around Sandy Hook, then...

Nice that you closed the loop for the rest of us who were watching. Thanks.

Brian: I initially thought the same. But I'm becoming convinced otherwise. Last week I had occasion to run the boat with my local Yamaha tech. He was confident that the prop was fine. With 1/2 fuel we saw 32 mph at 4,000 rpm, getting 2.7 mpg. When we repowered five years ago, the dealer...

TGR: 258 is a great boat - but I'm biased! We had an F250 for first six years of ownership and we were very happy with it. Four years ago we replaced it with an F300 and like it even more. Most notable difference is in a following sea. The F300 has a bit more throttle response to keep me...

Jig: first, welcome to the forum. Others will chime in who know the Marlin well. Regarding engine hours, I had 1,300 flawless hours on my F250 when I traded it in. A guy I get live bait from swapped his out after 3,000 hours. Good luck in your search. Rob

Welcome to the forum. I'm not much help on the technical issues, but I can comment on power. I had a 1992 Spirit 175 that we bought new. It had a 90 hp Johnson carbed, two-stroke. That power was adequate, but not great. I think a 115 two-stroke would have been perfect. Not sure I would have...

Bob, Beach and Bay: Your replies are helpful - thanks. I'm doing the Great Loop, two weeks at a time. Its the 'forever and a day' plan. I'm not terribly hardy, so I prefer small marinas with mom-and-pop hotels nearby. I'll stay on the boat when those aren't available. I'm just now doing my...

Thanks, Bob. Local knowledge is always a great thing to have. Tx, Rob

Hi John. Congrats on the Gulfstream! Yup, you need a stand pipe. I don't have one at home to measure, but I'm guessing it is about 1.5" in diameter. I've only seen two sizes in boating stores, a fat one and a skinny one. Grady uses the fat one. How's that for technical talk!? To operate, you...

Speck: I have no actual experience, so take my comment for the two cents it's worth. Four strokes were the reason why Grady extend the running bottom on the 247/248 and renamed it the 257/258. I suspect that Grady would give you an honest answer if you call them.

In the absence of real world results, you may choose to scan Yamaha's test results on their website. See if there is a test of a boat with a similar length, beam and weight. I didn't see anything comparable in a quick scan. That might tell you something if there is nothing comparable...

A question for you who know the Hudson River, New Jersey ICW and Delaware Bay waters: Are the waters significantly less busy after school begins? I'm planning an annual boat trip in which we cover a segment of the Great Loop. This year, we hope to begin in Albany, head south through NJ, and...