1997 17’ Grady White

[ayiani]

Hi Everyone - I am new here and am looking at a 1997 17’ CC Grady White that needs to be aesthetically restored and re-powered. I am new to the Grady world and want to know what I should be looking for when I inspect the boat? Was the transom composite in these boats? Stringers? Floor?

Thanks for the help!!

 

[wahoo33417]

Ayiani: Welcome to the forum!

The Spirit 175 was our first Grady. About the most sea-worthy 17-footer you can get.

That said, the transom is solid, 1" thick wood inside that fiberglass. The question is whether anything around it has been compromised to let water in. Three places to look.

First, look carefully at the bang cap. That is the piece of aluminum corner brace that joins the hull to the liner at the transom. The engine mounting sits over the top of the aluminum brace. Still, you can see much of it. Look for such extensive corrosion that the hull-liner joint may be exposed and let moisture into the transom.

Grady has come up with a fix for this aluminum bang cap. Its a polyurethane piece. If you have a little moisture intrusion. its not too expensive of a fix - as boats go. If there is a lot of moisture, well you probably know it can get expensive quickly unless you can do it yourself.

The second area to look at are the two copper drain tubes that drain the engine motorwell. I bring this up because both of mine cracked when the boat was two years old. I noticed it right away. Grady replaced the tubes under warranty. they said it looked like one of their people squeezed way too hard on the tool that puts a lip on the tubes once they are in place. I don't think this is a common problem.

Lastly, any holes that previous owners drilled into the transom have to be suspect unless you can see adhesive sealant pouring out of the hole. I don't know a better way to determine of the transom has moisture issues than to have a marine surveyor check that out for you.

Maybe you can find one who is willing just to check moisture content at a much reduced price than a typical marine survey since this boat doesn't have the same systems on it as a larger cabin cruiser would have.

Good luck.

Rob

 

[Mustang65fbk]

1997 is the first year that Grady White switched from using your standard marine grade plywood to a product called Greenwood XL and it's supposed to be much more impervious to rotting, though some obviously still do. From what others have said on here, they can become delaminated, which can cause some rotting and moisture intrusion issues, though I can't say for certain whether or not that's true. I honestly don't have the knowledge or expertise to check out a boat myself and look at all of the intricacies, etc, so I always recommend anyone having a competent marine surveyor inspect the boat for them. They're usually anywhere between oh $400-$1k, but they can check out the hull to see if there's any damage or moisture intrusion, they can oftentimes do compression checks or leak down tests on the outboards and so on. Not that I don't know anything about boats, cars or so on, but I've only owned 3 boats in my life and don't know the ins and outs for all of them, so that $500 or so that you spend on a surveyor is going to at least give you a little bit better peace of mind. If you're confident in being able to check it out yourself, you can buy most of what you'll need on Amazon or elsewhere, like a moisture meter reader and other tools, if you don't already have them. You could also take the boat to a competent mechanic and have them look over the motor and so forth as well. Here are a couple of good sites to check out if you are wanting to get a surveyor, good luck with whatever you decide on doing.

NAMSGlobal | An International Association of Marine Surveyors | The National Association of Marine Surveyors, Inc. | Find A Marine Surveyor Near Me | Training | Education | Certification | Referral | NAMS | NAMS-CMS

NAMSGlobal members are marine surveyors who inspect, and provide a broad variety of consulting services for the maritime industry. Our members are certified based on their knowledge and experience, with designations for: Yachts and Small Craft, Cargo, and Hull and Machinery (including Fishing Vessel

www.namsglobal.org

Home - The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors

Welcome to The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors® Find a Marine Surveyor Locate By: U.S. States | Canadian Provinces | Other Countries Types of Surveys Types of Surveys Tug & Barge Cargo Commercial Workboat Yachts & Small Craft Engine Fishing Vessel Hull & Machinery Tug & Barge Cargo...

www.marinesurvey.org

 

[ayiani]

Thank you all so much for the thoughtful responses here! I am going to go the surveyor route just to be sure. I’m not opposed to replacing the transom but the boat would need to be priced right you know?
Another question I had was what size motor is right for the boat. I was thinking the Suzuki 140 given it’s the same weight (and almost price) as the 115.