1992 Tournament 225

[PointinDog]

Good afternoon.

I'm looking at a used 1992 tournament 225 with a Springfield engine bracket. The man who owns the boat has recently gotten the bottom paint blasted off and the whole boat newly gel coated. I'm having trouble locating an available surveyor in his neck of the woods, so I wanted to ask some questions here.

1. Has anyone had any transom rot issues with this (bracket) model? I called GW Customer Service and the woman let me know all Grady's before 1996/97 were built with plain plywood.

2. Any Gas tank issues with this model or boats nearly 20 years old?

3. Is there something I should look for when viewing the boat? I don't have a hydrometer, so is there another way to look for water damage or delamination? Problem spots?

Thanks.

 

[PointedRose]

1) yes could definitely be an issue, worth inspecting closely. There would be some signs, cracks, bulging, etc inside or outside on the transom. Look for any obvious prior owner patches or half-ass fixes

2) yes typically a 20 year life is maxing. its almost at 30 if original. There may be a cap/cover you could remove and sniff the compartment and look for signs of corrosion/leaks. It’s possible for you to replace yourself if handy and new tank fabrication. Lots of guidance on this forum too.

3) look in the bilge. Look for any cracking of fiberglass near structural supports/stringers. You can use the handle end of a heavy screwdriver and tap around the transom to l for any dull thuds suggesting water intrusion. Look at the inside of the motor bracket bolts for any signs of corrosion.

surveyors are in high demand and prioritize newer boats. New gel coat will look nice but hopefully not covering up some prior mistakes. Definitely do a water test. Get it up on plane and run some different speeds.

Honda engine looks nice, not too old, but look closely at it. Could run some checks yourself

Does it have a trailer? Can get a handheld temperature reader to check bearings temp on the road. Bring grease gun and grease the bearings before any transport.

probably won’t last long if competitively priced

 

[PointinDog]

Thanks for the feedback. Funny, I'm also looking at a 1997 Boston Whaler Dauntless 20" with 225 Honda. Very clean boat. I've always been a GW guy and love the SeaV2 ride, so I'm going to sea trial them both. Thanks!

 

[DennisG01]

Since it's a bracket model, though, that greatly lowers (I don't want to say "completely eliminates since anything is possible) the liklihood of transom rot. Most of those issues happen with open transoms that use "bang caps" to cover a poorly mated hull/deck joint.

There's no specific issues with that models gas tank - other than aluminum tanks have a finitie lifespan - pull access plates/floor panels and give it a good look. Or, if the owner says it's never been replaced, just go into the sale assuming that you'll probably be replacing it in the near future.

Yes, if you're comfortable with it, "sound" can be used to get a decent idea of hull integrity.