2020 228 on the Monterey Bay

[luckydude]

Hi, bought my 228 right before the shelter in place. It was a saga, I wanted a brand new boat, I was buying my 2nd boat 2nd, got burned on boat #1.

And I'm new to boats, I've fished on the ocean for a while, this is my 3rd year, but it is my first year with a boat that works that I'm running. So it has been a steep learning curve. Each time I think I have things figured out, I find some new thing that I don't know and feel like an idiot yet again. But I'm figuring it out and I'm taking my younger son with me, he loves to fish, and he makes launching and docking easy. That's a good way to define my skill level, I have launched by myself with no trouble, I have not docked by myself, I've tried, some kind soul saw me struggling and helped me dock. I'll get there.

I have learned a lot, a 228 is not like a Triumph at all, you need to learn how to trim the engine, use the tabs, it's a more complicated boat but as you learn that stuff the boat becomes more and more fun. The more I run the boat, the more I like it. 228s are popular for a reason.

I have a web page that has all my boat stuff on it, the pics below are from that, feel free to check it out:

Larry and Barry and friends adventures in fishing boats

Enough rambling, how about some pics?

 

[RussGW270]

Amazing catches and pics! If I could buy new, I would in a heartbeat.. heh... no need to Only problem I see... need more pictures and more fish! lol If I had my choice.. I'd have a new 330 express.. Those 228's, clearly, are the best all-around boat. I figured docking out.... don't sweat the docking.. lol.. that is what I figured..

So many tried telling me how to do this or that.. when I went out last time, I just said, "you take this pole, and make sure we do not hit the dock hard or another boat"... done. Does not matter how it "looks" just matters that we worked together... too stressful trying to do it all alone.. lot easier when the people on the boat help out (and I watched those folks "telling" me how to do it.. they played bumper boats as much as anyone else.. they just liked hearing their voices.. .. lol)

Anyway, awesome pics... and you guys clearly look happy. Keep posting!

R

 

[Shannon C.]

Great pics lucky!! I'm glad to see your getting more comfortable with that beauty. I've found that heading up into North Harbor J-dock is an area to practice docking without a lot of (know it all's) telling what you should do and it's out of the sea breeze. BTW the pic with your son holding that ling is mine!! I had it's sibling at the rail and shook the hook out. Dang it!! take care brother..

 

[luckydude]

Great pics lucky!! I'm glad to see your getting more comfortable with that beauty. I've found that heading up into North Harbor J-dock is an area to practice docking without a lot of (know it all's) telling what you should do and it's out of the sea breeze. BTW the pic with your son holding that ling is mine!! I had it's sibling at the rail and shook the hook out. Dang it!! take care brother..

LOL, we've lost some as well. I had a nice vermillion to the surface and lost it, happened twice in fact. And recently we've been after halibut and Dylan and I needed to up our netting game, lost two legal ones at the surface. We've gotten better, I've netted a few by myself, I think I have it figured out.

I love that picture of my son with that ling, that's a keeper!

 

[luckydude]

If I had my choice.. I'd have a new 330 express..
Those 228's, clearly, are the best all-around boat.

Believe me, I wanted bigger. I had the dealer bring up the trailer I would use for a bigger boat, there is absolutely zero chance I could get it home. And I want to get it home, it's easier to clean and maintain when I have all my stuff right here. I didn't want to do bottom paint and spend $400/month for a slip; the other option is store it some place, didn't like that. I want it home, dammit, I have a drink or two and go out in sit in my expensive toy. Very soothing

The boat/trailer just fits going up and down my twisty one lane road. Everyone is amazed that it works but it does. Just barely. A longer trailer would go over the edge, with the one that I have, I'm doing big wide swings to keep it on the road - and off the road isn't just grass, this is a road cut into the side of a mountain, off the road means anything from I have to go get a tractor to it is dragging me and the flatbed down the side of the mountain. It fits, it is fine, but bigger is not an option for me.

Lucky for me, the 228 is enough of a boat. Yeah, Shannon's 300 is a pretty sweet looking boat (yo, Shannon, we should do a two boat launch, I'll get some pics of you on the water!) but I'd have to move to own it. The 228 is fine, she's a nice boat. Besides, we all know Shannon is compensating for something, right? So we should let him have his big toy.

 

[Bloodweiser]

LOL, we've lost some as well. I had a nice vermillion to the surface and lost it, happened twice in fact. And recently we've been after halibut and Dylan and I needed to up our netting game, lost two legal ones at the surface. We've gotten better, I've netted a few by myself, I think I have it figured out.

I love that picture of my son with that ling, that's a keeper!

net at the head, halibut swim either forward or down.right into the. net

 

[leeccoll]

Nice Lucky!

Glad you are sporting those PFD's!!

 

[luckydude]

Nice Lucky!

Glad you are sporting those PFD's!!

They are on all the time when we are on the water. Though I read about a coast guard rescue, I think on THT, and they made the point that bright orange is way easier to spot. So I may switch them out.

The brand new boat makes me more casual than I should be, the ocean will spank me if I get to lazy.

 

[Divajean]

Hi, bought my 228 right before the shelter in place. It was a saga, I wanted a brand new boat, I was buying my 2nd boat 2nd, got burned on boat #1.

And I'm new to boats, I've fished on the ocean for a while, this is my 3rd year, but it is my first year with a boat that works that I'm running. So it has been a steep learning curve. Each time I think I have things figured out, I find some new thing that I don't know and feel like an idiot yet again. But I'm figuring it out and I'm taking my younger son with me, he loves to fish, and he makes launching and docking easy. That's a good way to define my skill level, I have launched by myself with no trouble, I have not docked by myself, I've tried, some kind soul saw me struggling and helped me dock. I'll get there.

I have learned a lot, a 228 is not like a Triumph at all, you need to learn how to trim the engine, use the tabs, it's a more complicated boat but as you learn that stuff the boat becomes more and more fun. The more I run the boat, the more I like it. 228s are popular for a reason.

I have a web page that has all my boat stuff on it, the pics below are from that, feel free to check it out:

Larry and Barry and friends adventures in fishing boats

Enough rambling, how about some pics?
View attachment 15221View attachment 15222View attachment 15223View attachment 15224View attachment 15225

New member here,got a new to me 228,you guys are a great inspiration, still learning my boat,moved up from 16 ft cc,me and my son want to get offshore but cruising local lakes for now

 

[luckydude]

New member here,got a new to me 228,you guys are a great inspiration, still learning my boat,moved up from 16 ft cc,me and my son want to get offshore but cruising local lakes for now

Enjoy it. And ask questions here, this place is pretty supportive. I'll freely admit I was scared the first few times I went out, the 228 is a lot of boat, it is nothing like a CC, you need to experience to run it. I'm 100% sure you are going to love that boat, I love mine but it took a while.

 

[Divajean]

Enjoy it. And ask questions here, this place is pretty supportive. I'll freely admit I was scared the first few times I went out, the 228 is a lot of boat, it is nothing like a CC, you need to experience to run it. I'm 100% sure you are going to love that boat, I love mine but it took a while.

Thanks for confidence boost, I like being part of grady family, learning lots from everyone's post

 

[luckydude]

Thanks for confidence boost, I like being part of grady family, learning lots from everyone's post

You'll find there are upsides and downsides. My dealer is not what was advertised [*], I was told that they didn't rest until I was 100% happy, yeah, I had to beat them up to get them to take care of me. As a newbie I thought they would know everything, I have found way more reliable info here than my dealer. Some dealers are better than others, don't assume the dealer knows everything and tells you everything.

The "Grady family", yeah, I'm new, I bought my Grady in March. Right before the shut down, so I think that is March. The family is a thing. I'm in the San Francisco Bay Area, I'm Santa Cruz, the family or whatever you want to call it is a thing. I've got Grady friends lined up from this forum. The second this COVID thing is handled, BBQ at my place, we'll do a big boat launch with my kid running a drone while we all go out under the golden gate.

I hang on bloody decks and the hull truth, this is a way better place, you can be new here and ask questions, like I have, and the people here just answer.

Welcome.

[*] Edit on 2/3/21 to say my dealer got better. It was a little bumpy at the start but they have stepped up and I'm happy with them, would buy again from them (and will if I ever move and get to step up to Express or a Marlin)

 

[mkslug]

I have a 2006 228 in Santa Cruz. You guys have probably found it is a very trim-sensitive boat in our waters. Adjusting tabs and outboard trim make a huge difference on this boat at cruise. When docking and maneuvering with a good current (often SC harbor) it helps to trim the outboard up several notches. How do you like that Garmin setup? Thinking of replacing electronics in the next year or so.

 

[luckydude]

I have a 2006 228 in Santa Cruz. You guys have probably found it is a very trim-sensitive boat in our waters. Adjusting tabs and outboard trim make a huge difference on this boat at cruise. When docking and maneuvering with a good current (often SC harbor) it helps to trim the outboard up several notches. How do you like that Garmin setup? Thinking of replacing electronics in the next year or so.

I'm still learning mine but I couldn't agree more on trim. I find myself trimming all the way forward out on the bay, I have yet to find a day calm enough I didn't want the bow down as much as I can.

Do you use the tabs for anything other than leveling the boat? Do you push the bow down even more?

I've heard you are supposed to trim the engine back/up so that it will reverse better, is that right? I'm a newbie so I dock *very* slowly and I sometimes have to back up and try again in the wind.

I'm still learning the electronics. I find I don't use the 9" in the cubby at all, I do charts on the 7" that is the Yamaha display (it's just a 7" Echomap with a Yamaha app on it, I really like that they did that) and fish finder on the 10". I personally think I over spent a bit, I think I could have done an 8" fish finder and been fine but whatever. I paid for 2 transducers, chirp and what garmin calls sidevu. I have yet to find a use for the latter but I'm so frigging green I barely know how to turn these things on. In fact on an early run I got on the radio, my transducers weren't turned on and I couldn't figure out how to turn them on. A bunch of THT salty dogs told me to go home (thanks, guys, that was helpful) but some nice guy had the same unit and we went to 69 and he sorted me. If that guy is around and reads this, I owe you a beer and more.

Slug, if you want to check out my electronics, probably gonna launch this Sunday, need to check windy.com. PM me and we can work something out. I'm in the Santa Cruz mountains near the Highland/Mt Bache intersection.

 

[Bloodweiser]

I've heard you are supposed to trim the engine back/up so that it will reverse better, is that right?

yes for docking..not all the way up , but a few inches makes a big difference.

 

[mkslug]

yes for docking..not all the way up , but a few inches makes a big difference.

What Bloodwesier said. Couple inches up makes a noticeable difference for slow maneuvering.

I'm in Aptos. Busy this weekend but thanks for the offer. Might get out Monday if I have time. Maybe i'll check out your electronics at some point down the road when we are both launching together. We have a 14 year old Furuno all-in-one screen that we use for GPS, radar, sounder on split screens. It is not ideal and I would like to eventually mount two screens side by side, possibly something similar to the post someone did in the electronics section earlier this year on a 228.

For tabs I typically find that I have them at least 2/3 to 3/4 extended, often more, while cruising at speed in Monterey Bay conditions.

 

[luckydude]

Tipped, is it also for forward? I've been told it was for reverse. I need to take Shannon's advice and go farther up the harbor and play around.

Do the tabs make a big difference?

More playing with the boat is clearly needed, eh?

 

[Bloodweiser]

tabs all the way retracted too when docking helps alot.

 

[Bloodweiser]

and also remember to remove your fenders once out of the water, that really looks shitty driving down the freeway.

 

[luckydude]

and also remember to remove your fenders once out of the water, that really looks shitty driving down the freeway.

Haven't made that mistake (yet). I have round ones under the bow, I stuff them in the walkway. It would be pretty hard to forget the fenders, we pull out of the ramp into the staging area and there is a whole process, drop the antenna, rods in lower holders or on the deck, plug out, straps on, fenders in, main engine up and secured, kicker down, battery off, 2 safety hooks, double check the ball hitch, etc. It's all pretty second nature at this point. I used to have all this written down, still do, but the list I do has evolved from the list I wrote down

When I started, I leaned on lists, now I lean on past experience. Fear not, I'll still screw it up, I'm Mr Idiot for a reason