91 Tournament 22 w/ Grady Drive - What to Look for w/ Transom

mb_24

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Long time boater, but first time looking at a 91 Tournament with Grady Drive. Boat's never been bottom painted. Always trailer stored/berthed. I'm going to keep it on a trailer as well, only dropping in to use it.

What would you expect the transom condition to be in? Would you expect 30+ years of water intrusion if it's basically only in water while underway? What should I look for w/ the Grady Drive-transom connection?

Appreciate the insight since I'm not as familiar with Gradys, especially in the pre-greenwood transom era.
 

Mustang65fbk

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If the boat has always been stored like you mentioned as well as trailered and doesn't have any damage, I would expect it to be in at least better than average condition, if not greater. I don't have much experience with the 225 Tournament of that vintage other than to say yes, it has your standard marine grade plywood as opposed to the Greenwood XL. On top of that, the 1991 model year is going to be an SeaV1 hull design and before they changed over to the SeaV2 hull design the next year in 1992. In regards to what you should look out for on the transom/transom bracket itself, I'd say any damage or cracks, if the outboard transom bracket has any leaks and is full of water or if it's bone dry. I'd also look for flex both on the stern of the boat as well as the transom bracket and/or swim platform if it has one and so forth when raising and lowering the motor as well as acceleration. Also, you can always go over the boat and especially the transom area with a rubber or plastic mallet and tap to see/hear/feel any duds or soft spots, which would indicate water intrusion. Other things that will indicate water intrusion would obviously be damage and cracks as mentioned above, as well as rust or dark colored stains and seepage that could be coming out of the hull.

One of the many things I love about my boat is that it's the same as yours where it has the fully enclosed transom as well as the transom bracket as opposed to the bang cap or transom plate. In theory, you would think that it should make the transom that much more enclosed and not allow any water inside. My boat had/has no water intrusion and the transom is still sold. Hopefully the owner is being honest and forthright with you by giving you accurate descriptions of the boat and anything else included in the sale and you should be able to confirm that pretty easily without bottom paint on the boat. I always recommend having an accredited marine surveyor inspect the boat with you so that you can get a "professional" opinion on the matter. They usually run $500-$1000 but can save you headaches in the near future by pointing out what will need to be replaced and how much it will cost. I personally am curious though as to why this specific year and model of Grady White? If I were in your shoes, and especially if the boat turns out to not be in the condition it's advertised to be in, I'd look for something newer that is a SeaV2 hull and has the Greenwood XL in it, as opposed to the former. Just my opinions of course. I'd also mention asking price, location and so forth to make sure you're getting at least a fairly decent deal on the boat. Either way, good luck.
 
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DennisG01

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Short and to the point... the reality is that it could be anwhere between Great Condition... SO-SO, but savable... to "It's going to sink!". The only way to know is to inspect it (or pay someone knowledgeable). Given it's a solid transom, though, that does give "more" hope that everything is OK. But as you can see, there are still multiple penentrations through the hull that, if they haven't been re-sealed every so often, can lead to water intrusion.
 

OceanSun

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Water in the Grady Drive bracket is not necessarily a problem - just need to replace the caulk between the bracket and the transom. 4200 UV works great for this. Otherwise a fresh o-ring in the inspection plate and the drain plug and you're good as new with the bracket. Mine was filling up and before I re-sealed it all I soaked it with a good dose of freshwater with salt-away and let it dry out good. Has stayed bone-dry since.
 

Fishtales

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I agree with Dennis, but my realistic expecation is between so-so and run-like-hell. Please - get a survey.
 

mb_24

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I'm leaning towards bailing (no pun intended.) This particular boat was interesting because of the fact that it wasn't always in the water that made me think it could skip the transom rot. And it very well might have. But it's also a 33 year old boat.

The things you guys raise are the things that have always been in the back of my mind. While leaky bang strips suck, the whole "drive concept" with those multiple thru-hulls to support it always bothered me. Hard enough to keep water out. And now you have 400-500 lbs sitting out there on this lever stressing the connection to the stern.

Appreciate the insight.
 

Mustang65fbk

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If the boat is somewhat nearby and you're even remotely still considering it, I'd at least go and look at it in person to see what the actual condition of the boat is. You are correct, it is now a 33 year old boat that could very well have issues, in fact I'd say most boats of that vintage do have some sort of issue(s), but you won't know until you look at it in person. If you're not wanting to bother and have already moved on, then I also think that's a good decision because as mentioned above, I personally would look at something a bit newer and with the SeaV2 hull.