Considering Grady White...would like some feedback

[Punchline Cap]

I have a Fisherman 236 and I love it. My dock mate has a 23’ Everglades CC, a very good and expensive boat, and in fact this year at the Atlantic City boat show one was on display for $200K. His boat has the same 300 Yamaha and is a little faster than mine but mine rides much better and the bow flair keeps us dryer. I also believe in Grady’s attention to detail. The small things add up to make a better boat. For example the transom door on my 236 is the same door on the larger models and is much more substantial than the inch thick doors on many other boats. The hardware and cleats, the gel coated head compartment, the fit and operation of the hatches, the toe rails, the recessed hand rails all seem to be just a little bit better than most other boats. Good luck with your decisio.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I think it's crazy that there's a $50k price increase between the Grady White and the Everglades brand boat, and it seems like they are very similar to one another. I had a 21' Arima before my current boat, which is a 2004 GW 228 Seafarer and I noticed a bunch of things mentioned above about the fit and finish when I first stepped onto the boat. As mentioned above, the cleats, the deck hardware, grab rails and especially the stern eyes on the boat are all made of 316 grade stainless steel and look like they're massively overkill for the boat. I remember stepping on it the first time and thinking to myself wow, think is definitely a much nicer boat than my previous Arima. The non skid on the floor as well as the walkaround, the texturing of the hardtop and everything else just looked so much nicer and like more care was put into it. My boat is nearly 20 years old at this point, bought it in October of 2021, but even then as well as today, it still looks fantastic considering its age. But I think the biggest thing would be the quality of parts used, the craftsmanship and attention to detail that is put into these boats. As soon as I stepped foot on my boat, I knew that I wanted to buy it, and thankfully the sea trial run didn't disappoint. The boats are heavier, drier and a much more comfortable ride than what I was used to. The Arima would slap you around and pound quite heavily in the 1'-2' chop, it sat low to the waterline and you'd get spray/waves over both the side and front of the boat. I've never taken a wave over the front or side of my Grady, even with the curtains taken down.

 

[FREEDOM!!!]

I am by no means an expert on boating. But I can say without hesitation that my Grady is a Rolls Royce compared to my previous boats. This is my first Grady, and in fact I had never even been on a Grady before buying this one. But when we went to the dealership and looked, I knew something was different the moment I stepped foot onboard. It's built like a tank. And the ride is incredible. So soft! It just glides across the chop. All the talk about their proprietary hull design is accurate. It makes a difference. The downside is that you pay a price. They are pricey. But then you get an exceptionally well made boat and outstanding customer service. I don't know much about Cobia, but I can't imagine it being "better" than Grady.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I am by no means an expert on boating. But I can say without hesitation that my Grady is a Rolls Royce compared to my previous boats. This is my first Grady, and in fact I had never even been on a Grady before buying this one. But when we went to the dealership and looked, I knew something was different the moment I stepped foot onboard. It's built like a tank. And the ride is incredible. So soft! It just glides across the chop. All the talk about their proprietary hull design is accurate. It makes a difference. The downside is that you pay a price. They are pricey. But then you get an exceptionally well made boat and outstanding customer service. I don't know much about Cobia, but I can't imagine it being "better" than Grady.

I was talking with luckydude on the phone the other day about our boats and definitely came to a similar conclusion about ride quality. I mentioned the story to him, as well as I've mentioned it on here a few times as well, when I did my sea trial run on my Grady we were coming up to a little bit of chop. Having had my 21' Arima before, I instinctively bent my knees a bit to brace for the impact, which there was next to none and we just sliced right through it. The shop tech that I was doing the sea trial run looked over and said something along the lines of she's a little bit different of a boat than you're used to, huh? And I said yes it is, if I was in my Arima we would've taken a small beating going over those waves at that speed. I remember when I sold my Arima, my dad mentioned to me a few times about why I needed to spend more money to buy a better boat. I told him that I'll gladly spend a little bit more money to make it a more comfortable, tolerable ride, of which I actually sold my old Arima for more than I bought my Grady for. So, I actually saved $1k in selling my old boat and upgrading to my Grady, which I can't see myself ever selling it at this point. The neighbor next to us up at our beach cabin on Whidbey Island bought a GW 270 Islander last spring and when he was looking at boats to buy, he came across several Cobia brand boats that he forwarded to me, which I'd honestly never heard of before. Maybe they're a great boat? I've seen some pictures of them before but I don't think I can recall ever seeing one around here as they seem more like an east coast boat. But Grady White's are pretty popular around here, not as popular as the guys that drink the Arima kool-aid, but that's a story for another day.

 

[brdawg2001]

I have had a 273 Chase for 21 years...
Do not get too enamored with beam..I think the 271 is 9 6 and the 306 is 10 7. There is a reason some of the top tier boats do not have that 11 beam until you hit 34 feet...if you do not plan to do any offshore stuff no issues. Test drive them both in rough conditions if you do. Gradys hold up extremely well..only complaint I have had is the wiring sucks bad. Hopefully it is better now. Cobia hull design is not even close.

 

[FREEDOM!!!]

I was talking with luckydude on the phone the other day about our boats and definitely came to a similar conclusion about ride quality. I mentioned the story to him, as well as I've mentioned it on here a few times as well, when I did my sea trial run on my Grady we were coming up to a little bit of chop. Having had my 21' Arima before, I instinctively bent my knees a bit to brace for the impact, which there was next to none and we just sliced right through it. The shop tech that I was doing the sea trial run looked over and said something along the lines of she's a little bit different of a boat than you're used to, huh? And I said yes it is, if I was in my Arima we would've taken a small beating going over those waves at that speed. I remember when I sold my Arima, my dad mentioned to me a few times about why I needed to spend more money to buy a better boat. I told him that I'll gladly spend a little bit more money to make it a more comfortable, tolerable ride, of which I actually sold my old Arima for more than I bought my Grady for. So, I actually saved $1k in selling my old boat and upgrading to my Grady, which I can't see myself ever selling it at this point. The neighbor next to us up at our beach cabin on Whidbey Island bought a GW 270 Islander last spring and when he was looking at boats to buy, he came across several Cobia brand boats that he forwarded to me, which I'd honestly never heard of before. Maybe they're a great boat? I've seen some pictures of them before but I don't think I can recall ever seeing one around here as they seem more like an east coast boat. But Grady White's are pretty popular around here, not as popular as the guys that drink the Arima kool-aid, but that's a story for another day.

Whidby....I used to live there 88-90. My dad was stationed at the Navy Base. I went to WAZZU.

I never did s sea trial on this boat. I just trusted what everyone said about the soft ride. I really wanted a World Cat because two of my friends have them and they are very smooth in chop. The wife wouldn't have it. She doesn't like cats. Anyway, I'd say this Grady rides every bit as smooth at the WordCats. Absolutely worth the $$$. The whole reason we wanted to upgrade is because my old SeaFox would take a beating in waves. We probably missed 30% of the boating days simply because it was a bit too choppy. Now I don't have to worry about it.

 

[Fishtales]

OP - update? Did you buy? What are you thinking?