1997 Tournament 225g - Whats the Skinny

[Jereazy]

Well the center console experiment failed with the family. And I understand why. Long story short I bought and began the refurb of an 86 Mako 20c. I loved it. Structurally was sound as a pound. Just was ugly and mistreated. New non-skid, a respray and a whole bunch of rubbing compound and she was beautiful. Add in a new Stryker T-top, Taco leaning post, upgrade the sound system and I was mostly happy (the livewell was annoying as hell and installing the t-top was annoying). This all took about 6 months, using the boat the entire time. As soon as she was done is when the weakness was found. Trip to little gasparilla island with my wife, Father in-law and his wife, brother in-law in his wife left me seeing what has been staring me in the face the entire time. I was the only one comfortable on the boat :mrgreen: Even when it was just the wife, kid and I, now that i look at pictures, they were sitting on the console cushion taking the splashes off the waves in their face. Not being able to relax, and many other things. Honestly, my wife is awesome. Because even though she HATED riding on it and was uncomfortable. She never said a word until i very specially asked her about it. Even then she said she didn't mind. What a champ.

Anyway, to the nitty gritty. A gentleman not far from where i live has a 97 225 tournament that we are considering a swap for. He likes the CC, I have no problem with the DC. He loves old Mako's. I love old Grady's. It's got a Johnson 225 and i grew up working on Johnson 2-strokes. The Mako has a yamaha 150 ox66, he's a certified Yammie mech. It's quite the match.

So here's my questions for you all knowing Grady owners and enthusiasts:

On the 225 with the bracket, i assume the transom issues weren't as prevalent as they were with the notched transom. Am i incorrect in that assumption? I'll give it a good tap and listen regardless, but where are the trouble spots on these structurally?

According to the owner there are 2 fuel tanks. But the front one has not been used in a long time. Any fuel that is in there is surely bad and the tank needs cleaned out. But he runs on the rear tank which he said is close to 60 gallons. My research has found that the Auxiliary tank is 56 gallons according to the owners manual. I don't really do any CRAZY long trips, but How big is the main tank? Is tank access a PITA with the DC? Or does the center hatch pretty much get you right to it? IS it worth my time to bother with refurbing the "main" tank if 56 gallons more than suits my needs? IT would eventually be on the list of course. Just not sure if i should put it at the top.

Other than that, please feel free to flame, scream, complaint, compliment or otherwise advise this poor soul on his anticipated transaction.


Thank you in advance!

 

[Jereazy]

Oh! and the brochure has the center-line length listed at 22'2 - Does anyone know where she would measure in with the bracket? I bought a slightly oversized trailer for the mako (Rocket 22') and i'm hoping it'll work for the Grady. Damn trailers are expensive.

 

[Parthery]

Congratulations....

The main tank is 92...the aux is 56.

The hull length is 22'8...you've got at least 3' off the back between the bracket and the motor.

It's a heavy setup....mine scales out around 6K sitting on the trailer with about 1/2 tank of fuel.

Top end will be in the 40-41 MPH range.

 

[Jereazy]

Congratulations....

The main tank is 92...the aux is 56.

The hull length is 22'8...you've got at least 3' off the back between the bracket and the motor.

It's a heavy setup....mine scales out around 6K sitting on the trailer with about 1/2 tank of fuel.

Top end will be in the 40-41 MPH range.

Thanks for the info! But, don't congratulate me yet! Still have to put the two girls together and see if he and I are OK with the swap. I love the heavy set-up for a solid feel in the water. the 20' Mako comes in at almost 5k on the trailer with 60 gallons of fuel. Either way it's in the range of the tow vehicle.

Wow, so if both tanks were functional, I've got fuel for days. Good to know on that. And my overall length is about 25' from what you're saying. I'll touch base with the trailer manufacturer and see if it's up to the challenge. Lord knows i don't want to spent that $3500 again.

Any advice on problem areas or "Be sure to check.............." on these? It's not my first rodeo. But every boat has their own quirks.

 

[Fishtales]

I'd get a survey from a reputable guy as you are looking at a 20 year old hull with a wood core and a reputation for rot - got to put all the cards on the table.
Curious why the tank hasn't been used and why it was left to fester. Doesn't give me a good feeling the boat was well cared for. I'd probably be asking or planning to replace it and potentially the rear tank at this point - again 20 year old tanks.
If thinks structurally are ok, you won't get hurt. I'd be less concerned about power. While costly, it is a bolt on.

 

[Ky Grady]

Hmm, maybe they changed the tank setup in later years. My auxiliary tank is in the front, 56 gals of fuel. My main tank, 92 gals of fuel, is in the rear. This is my layout in a '04 228, which should be the same hull layout with a different liner installed for the 225.

 

[Jereazy]

From what the manual says the aux is towards the stern.

Thanks for the advice on the survey. I’m not saying I’m some amazing boat reviewer. But I can tell the general good from bad and know the major stuff to look for. So, I won’t be getting a survey.

Guess what I’m asking is are there specific areas of this particular model that historically have shown to be problematic? If in general there aren’t any model specific problems. That’s great. She will still get a thorough going through.

 

[Ky Grady]

Ok. Must be different than a 228. My bad.

 

[Jereazy]

Ok. Must be different than a 228. My bad.

No worries - made do a double check for good measure!

 

[Parthery]

You are correct.....the aux tank is behind the main tank if the boat is so equipped.

My 225 OX66 burns 29 GPH at full throttle. Guessing your carb'ed Johnson is going to be about as thirsty....

Things to check? I'd make sure you can move the seacocks for raw water washdown/livewell. They tend to get frozen in place. I'd also consider pulling the inspection plate to make sure there is no water in the bracket. Make sure to replace the seal when you do so. What kind of shape is the hydraulic steering in? Have the fuel hoses been replaced? At 20 years I'd consider doing that, particularly with ethanol.

I owned a mid 70s Mako 20 many years ago. Great boat on the flats, but no comparison to the GW in any kind of rough water.

 

[Green Mountain Grady]

I have owned a 1991 Tournament 225 for the last 10 years. All in all it's been a great boat. I use it mostly for family excursions running around on Lake Champlain easily hauling up to 8 adults depending on the conditions. The fuel tank layout is the main up front and aux tank towards the rear. I've had my tanks pressure tested and now looking at pumping out and cleaning the rear tank as its got a lot of gunk in it that keeps clogging my filters. However, I might also just stop using it as the 92 gallon main tank holds plenty of fuel for my purposes. However, if I was running on the ocean I'd have two tanks as its a heavy boat and can drink gas pretty quickly in my opinion. You will want to check the hatches over the fuel tanks as mine were soft and I just had a fiberglass shop fix them. They had to replace the entire plywood core for the rear hatch and 1/2 of the forward hatches plywood core. I was able to feel mine flex underfoot. My engine bracket has been solid. Just make sure the caulking between it and the hull is in good shape. Good luck as I don't think you can go wrong with the Tournament for what you want in a boat.

 

[Jereazy]

Thanks again!

Will post up results after the meeting in a day or 2.

 

[glacierbaze]

Green Mountain, what did it cost you to have your hatches re-cored? I am looking at doing the same on at least the rear hatch on a '93 Tournament 22. Mine is getting spongy to walk on, as well. Grady told me that marine plywood had not been invented in '93, and they were cored with small blocks of wood, rather than a single piece.

 

[Jereazy]

Welp... way too much glass work needed for it to be an equitable straight up trade. And, seller didn’t have enough $$ to make it worth my while and effort. So back to it.

Thanks everyone for the help.

 

[Green Mountain Grady]

Hi Glacierbaze, it ended up costing a $1,000. I was originally quoted $700 to $800 but the fiberglass shop ended up having to do a lot more work than they originally thought. The rear hatch had to be totally re-cored and the forward hatch had to be 1/2 way re-cored.