Well have posted this topic a few times without any responce.i recenty bought a 1997 208 with a f200 repower.I have seen some postings about the weight dirrerence between the 2 stroke and the new heaver motor.I did notice that the bow was riding higher and that the scuppers were lower in the water.Some posting i read that grady white was weighting the bow with 400 lbs to compensate for the new motor.I got some really goood sand bags and weighted the bow with 400 lbs of weight.there are 2 side storage compartnments on the sides of the cuddy cabin.also a front compartnment.I removed the portapotti and put 100 lbs there.What a difference.the boat rides so much better and cuts through the waves so much butter.I also much better helm control at low speeds.love my grady..
208 adventure
- Thread starter todd0915
- Start date
Thanks for the information, I have a 94 and may need to repower one of these days. If you trailer your boat I would be interested to know how much this added to the tongue weight.
wouldn't trim tabs do the same..
have the 20 footer with 200 fs, no tabs and it rides pretty good as is...I won't be adding weight to hull.
have the 20 footer with 200 fs, no tabs and it rides pretty good as is...I won't be adding weight to hull.
Hi bigfoot.couple questions.?what year is your boat.were do you use your boat .I use mine on the west coast of this beautiful country mostly for fishing in the ocean.things that i have noticed that have improved is not only the handeling of the boat but the way the bow cuts through the waves that we have out here.also now the bow is settled down in the water .trim tabs would help if the boat did not plane out that has not been the problem.the f200 on this boat is kick ass and will plane up faster than many boats out there.this year grady was designed for a 150 2 stroke,lots of weight difference.
todd0915 said:
I think Grady adds lead in the forward locker on later models which I believe weight 200 pounds more than earlet 208s. You need less bulk and total weight to balance for the heavier 4s when the weight is added further forward. If you store your boat in freezing climates, be careful of sand bags. Based on past experience sand is always damp and will freeze. When sand bags freeze they often burst which becomes an issue when they thaw. Sand will flow everywhere and clog the drain pipes, fill the bilge etc. It can make quite a mess. Some folks add barbell disks to the forward locker wrapped in cushioning material to limit movement and bashing around.
On a similar note, the new Yami 200 4 cylinder motor is an interesting repower option. I would like to hear if anyone has gone that route. The motor weighs in at about the same as the older 2s.
I just repowered my 1995 208 with the Yamaha F200. Had a 225 saltwater series and a 9.9 four stroke on the back before that. First thing I noticed is that the scruppers are actually abve the water line now. I could never ride before without my trim tabs and now they are optional. Also got about 5 MPH more at the top end. My son told me he had it up to 47mph on GPS with the boat relatively empty. Only problem I have is that I troll for Stripers and like to go about 2-2.5 mph and it's hard to keep it under 3mph. Have used my sea anchor to slow me down.
Parthery
GreatGrady Captain
2 stroke V6 weighs 475....the new F200XB weighs 479...and puts out 210+ HP at the prop. Repower with one and you won't need the sandbags in the bow.
Man...I don't see how any of this is good. That hull is not designed for that big 4 stroke. You have an engine about 200 lbs. heavier than the original 2 stroke....then you added 500lbs. of ballast??!! That's like having 3 to 4 guys fishing with you at all times, want them or not!! Can't be good for performance, fuel consumption or anything else! Take all of it off and repower with the new 200 4 cyl. 4 stroke. I'll be doing that soon with my 20 Overniter with the same issue....can't handle the weight of those big V6's.todd0915 said:
As mentioned, 200 lps or so up forward in the locker will trim the boat with a 200-4s older style. The problem with sand is that you can't physically fit the weight you need in the forward locker and when adding sand to the mid lockers, you lose a lot of leverage thus the need for more weight. The iron barbell weights are a better solution or an other type of heavy metal ballast such as lead. Of course lead balast won't rust and can be shaped to fit the locker more effectivelyric2352 said:
Threw 300 lbs of sand bags on the bow for testing...
Scuppers out of water
Stern lift noticable
Much slower out of the hole
Lost 3mph wot
Bow down
Road much much much better
Scuppers out of water
Stern lift noticable
Much slower out of the hole
Lost 3mph wot
Bow down
Road much much much better