20' vs 22'

[NJ-JOHN]

Hi, great site over here!! I have a few questions. I live in NJ and have been buzzing up and down the coast diving inshore stuff. I've outgrown my lil 18' Wellcraft and have been looking at 208's. I will be primarily using the boat for diving, but may make a few trips out ~15 miles.

Because I've never fished one and only seen them in boat yards I was hoping to get some feedback. We are usually in a rush to catch slack tide, so speed is a concern

What speeds are obtainable with 200-225 hp, 2&4 strokers? Can that size boat really handle that much power? Will the 20' out perform the 22' or vice versa?

Is there a distributor for aftermarket hardtops, or just local customs? What prices have people paid? How do these tops compare to factory builds?

I am sorry if these questions have been asked before. and I am afraid I will have a few more.

 

[wahoo33417]

John: Welcome to the forum.

We had a 1995 208 for ten years before going to the 258. The 208 was a great boat. It is a nice, open deck and good for dive gear. We made a number of crossings to the Bahamas - on good weather days!

Grady's website ( http://www.gradywhite.com/208/ )will give you the performance data with the F150, F200 and F225 engines. For two-stroke data, you can check Yamaha's archives here: http://www.yamaha-motor.com/outboard/pr ... s=outboard. Grady hulls are not designed for speed, but yes, the 208 can handle the 200 or 225. It certainly is not too much power or weight for this hull. My 208 had a 150 HPDI and we cruised at 30 mph at 4,000 rpm.

Our 208 didn't come with trim tabs and when I added them it may a good ride better. Especially with the weight of tanks and gear near the back of the boat, it helped to be able to keep the bow down in a chop.

When looking to step up, we rode in the 228. I thought it was an incrementally better ride than the 208 but not a world of difference.

No experience with after-market tops, but I see plenty of Grady's with them so I don't suspect there are any particular problems with doing that. Like anything else, some are probably better than others.

Good luck with your search.

Rob

 

[mhff34]

I had my 208 past 40mph with 6 people on board, 200hp 2 stroke.

 

[striped bass]

We have a 1998 GW Tournament with a Yamaha 225 HP OX66 fuel injection and achieve 38-40 mph at WOT with no problem. Normal cruising speed is 32 mph for us. The GW 20 and 22 footers are excellent boats but the 22 footer is much more boat and more suited (IMHO) to your needs. The newer GW 225 Tournament comes with an F250 HP Yamaha which is plenty of power to handle your needs. The GW 225 Tournament also has more open deck space for dive gear. Used 1998-2000 225 Tournaments have the 2 stroke 225 HP Yamaha OX66 fuel injection which has more punch and power than the 225 4 stroke. The 225 Yamaha 2 stroke consumes more gas and oil but is not difficult to service and maintain. The 4 stroke Yamaha is more economical on gas and will last longer but service will probably be more expensive. Obviously the newer GW 226 and 228 also come with a Yamaha 250 HP 4 stroke.

We are certified divers and are familiar with the dive gear requirements. I would much prefer a GW 22' Tournament to handle the dive equipment and divers and use the Vista top only when needed. A 20 footer may be a little cramped. My preference as a diver would be for the Tournament over the cuddy cabin 226-228.

 

[CJBROWN]

Welcome to the Grady forum!

The fellow I bought my boat from did quite a number of dives from it. They used the footwell in the cabin for their tank storage. All of the cushions can be removed and the whole area can be used for gear, wet or dry.

While the 22 footer is a little bigger boat and certainly worth the step up, it comes down to if you can find one, and if you can afford one. They are more rare and cost a bit more. And they have bigger power.

The cockpit is roughly 8 square feet larger, I believe. So they are very similar in that regard. The advantages are a little longer running surface and a little more weight, so it's going to be a hair better in a chop. The 228 with the bracket is nice, especially if you fish and can use the built-in livewell centered in the stern.

If you can find a 208 you like that has bigger power then by all means, go for it. It will handle 200hp easily, and will drive the hull just a bit faster, maybe 10-12% is all though. The bigger motors weigh more too, so everything is a trade off.

My F150 pushes the boat about 26-27 at cruise, 4200, or if you bump it to 45-4600, which I do a lot, it runs at just under 30 then. Top end is about 38-39 with a 15x15 prop. You can pick up a mile or two with a smaller diameter larger pitch, but accelleration and climbing is better with the bigger prop. Again, you gain about 10% in your performance numbers with a bigger motor. The 150 is still the most popular on the 208.

The tournament is a different boat. I call it a day boat, not that the 208 is much better as an overnighter just because the cabin is so small. Which BTW, is not appreciabley different than the 226/228. I will tell you for an ocean boat the cuddy is really handy though, great for dry storage, and with the windshield on top it provides a lot of protection from wind and spray. My preferrence would be for a tourney for lake use, water sports, and day-trips with lots of passengers.

Factory hardtop parts could be sourced but prolly quite expensive. you could price one in comparison to a local tower/top builder. I like a hardtop, but for a trailerable it sure is handy to put the cockpit tonneau on and have a really low profile for towing. It's also handy for harbor cruising as you can put it down and get under low bridges.

All in all, for either model, they are nicely laid out, and have more cockpit room than any of the other competing designs. They are finished nicely and quality is evident throughout. You would be happy with either model regardless of whatever you end up with for power. If you want top speed, then go with the one that has a motor that's right up to the hull capacity.

 

[NJ-JOHN]

Thanks alot for the replies. I am dead set on a cuddy, reason being, in the spring and fall we've come out of the water already chilled to the bone. It will be nice to have a warm dry cuddy to change in or get wrapped up in blakets if someone turns a little blue. I'm not real concerned about tank storage because we all freedive, the only time we would have a tank would be for a safty diver if we go out for depth instead of fish. So it looks like I am sold on the 208. I've been led to believe they can do close to 50mph with the 200 or 225's, is this a myth or has anyone seen this performance out of that hull?

I realize the grady is not going to get a good as performance as something lighter, but I really like the way they look. I have read that the they outperform similar size boats because of the deep V and that is a big selling point as well. Am I on a unicorn hunt with the speed I want, or should I consider a different line of boats?

Again, thanks for your help, if I go with a Grady, I probably will not get to test one prior to purchase. Most of the boats I've seen are out of state so I must go by whatever info I can gather from enthusiasts like yourselves.

Edit: I just checked the link to the Grady site. Thats exactly what I was looking for. Thanks!

 

[enfish]

For all practical purposes, I think 50 mph is not realistic. But you're not buying one of these boats for speed... :lol:

We have a carbed 2-stroke 175 HP Yamaha, 15x17 prop (I think... can't remember right now) and bottom paint. In flat, glassy ocean conditions, we cruise 4400 RPM, 32 mph. WOT at 5400 RPM gets us about 39 mph.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

We upgraded from a GW 192 to the 228 G equipped with a F250 and hardtop. I did notice a ride difference between the 192 which is a tad bigger than your current boat to the 228. I have never riden in a 208 nor have I seen one in person or at the dealer. I am 5.5 and have 3 kids from ages 8 to 13 and we did a sucessfull cruise on the St. Johns River in Florida over spring break for 5 days on the boat, camping out on the boat itself. was it cramped at night, sure, but I am backpacker too,so being cramped while sleeping is not foriegn to us (lol).

I love the cabin for reasons mentioned and when we troll offshore it is a great place to get away for a nap when seas are kind of course. My kids spend alot of time in the cabin while boating on area lakes too.

Our boat tops out at 43 or so with our full crew on board and 125 gallons of fuel. welcome and have fun making your decision on a Grady.

 

[CJBROWN]

>snip
I've been led to believe they can do close to 50mph with the 200 or 225's, is this a myth or has anyone seen this performance out of that hull?

Top speed specs are just that, specifcations. No one runs their boat at WOT for any length of time. The old-time outboards used to run wide open all the time, but the newer ones generally don't, just finding the sweet-spot for performance and fuel economy.

Here's the factory test chart on a 208 with F225 power. Compared to the F150, it cruises at 2mph faster at 2K rpm less on the motor. And top speed is about 4-5mph faster. But you probably won't reach 6Krpm and find yourself at more like 42-43 for top speed. The bigger motor will accellerate faster, and is better for pulling skiers out of the water and such.

Depending on the distance you will generally travel to your favorite spots, you may decide that something around 30mph is fast enough. If the water is flat-calm you can run 'er up and cruise comfortably in the mid-30's. If your heart is set at getting there at 50mph you have the wrong kind of boat. If your water is generally flat and can make that kind of speed then perhaps an off-shore style racing boat or a bass-boat would make more sense. Something that can run at 60-80mph is going to cruise at 50. Me thinks you may be a bit optimistic to think you're going to cruise at 50 in any kind of recreational type water craft.

 

[NJ-JOHN]

CJ: Thanks, I will definatly consider the smaller motor, I didnt realize what little performance gains are made on the bigger outboards. I have considered a center console with big power, but will never be able to run it in cooler temps because of the wet divers, so thats out. The water is usually flat calm when the water is clear, so were usually wide open on our way to the dive spots.

I am really on the fence about performance. The Grady is by far the nicest 20' boat in it's class, and I prefer buying a proven design over the run of the mill. If I were to go with the 208, which motor is going to be more useful to run as close to WOT as possible? The dealer suggested a 4-stroke, but I always thought 2-strokes were designed for top end.

 

[CJBROWN]

John,
I would have to agree with you on two vs four stroke motors. A 2-stroke will run at WOT or close for hours on end, that's what they're made for.

If you're buying a 8-10 year old boat you're probably looking at a OX66 or HPDI on it anyway. You really don't see the strokers 'till 01 or '02,and then most are 150's. It's adequate power, but no hot-rod for sure. Get a two-stroke 200 to 250, you can run it around 40 on your trips.

If you go a little older you could buy with the thought of repowering. The new E-tec outboards are really fantastic, you could get a real hot-rod that way. Or a Optimax. Either way you would have a very fast boat.

When I first got mine we made a few trips to the Colorado River Lakes, where the water is flat and you can run fast. I was looking for a little more oomph and seriously considered offing the F150 for a 175-200 e-tec. But it would have cost me about 5 grand to do it and most of our running locally is in the Pacific Ocean and it's always rough, so making 25mph is doing really good. The 150 has turned out to be just fine. We've put almost 300 hours on it in three years. What a great little boat!

Grady is married to yamaha motors so if you buy new you're stuck with a four stroke now. I guess you can special order a boat through your dealer and have them mount what you want on it. That's an alternative albiet an expensive one.

The boating public has really adopted the four-stroke motors because they're quiet, they don't smoke, improved longevity, and they are really smooth. But they don't even come close to the top performance the old two-stroke motors provide, accelleration, simplicity, and wide open running.

 

[CJBROWN]

John,
Was just browsing the forum this morning and see there's another member with a 20 footer with new E-tec 225 - you could ask about his experience and performance with that motor. Here's a thread he started in the other section:
http://www.greatgrady.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=11343

 

[Little Buddy]

I have a 1996 226 Seafarer with a 1997 200 HP Yamaha 2 Stroke carbed.
I top out at about 40 mph at 5300 rpm with flat water.
I get 2 to 2.3 mpg at 26 to 30 mph depending on conditions.
No hard top. I really the open deck area of the 22'.

 

[NJ-JOHN]

Thanks for all your help. I have decided to persue a 20' with the big power. The performance pages were alot of help when making my decision.

To achive the 50+ speeds it appears that a small CC is the only way to go, or spend big $$ on twins. I hope to have an update in the next week or so. Thank you very much. - John