So I have been looking for my next boat now for over a year. Yesterday I went to look at two potential new to me 1999 year Grady's. One was an 208 adventure and the other a seafarer22. Both boats had cracks in gelcoat in the splash well where it meets transom. The adventure also had cracks on the outside corners as well. I have gone to check out probably 7 adventures over the last year and they all have had the same cracking. I own a 2001 Grady 180 sportsman center console the i am selling today. It has no cracking of any sorts on the transom or hull. I loved my little center console but it doesn't fit my families needs any longer. I am now second guessing the quality of the grady whites. I love the looks and the ride but every boat I have looked at has had these cracks. Now I wouldn't mind so much if the price wasn't so high for such an old boat to have some cracking on the older late 90's hull but for 15- 20,000 I don't think so. Why is this on every boat I have seen???? I'm starting to look at other boat brands like seaswirl striper and the like. I have looked at two stripers with no cracks at all and for the same price range as the older Grady's. I'm not happy! Again this problem isn't just on on boat or one model. I have looked at 9 boats between the adventure ,overnighter, seafarer and islander. All late 90s all with cracking. Can anyone explain?
Cracks in transom
- Thread starter jake378
- Start date
Have a 91 marlin, hull looks to be a five year old boat. To my knowledge this is not a problem I have heard of. Anything will fall apart if not taken care of. Actually Old Grady and whaler seem to with stand time better than most other boats I have come across. IMO They also hold there value better.
jake378 said:
No cracks on my 2001 208. Two questions pop up in my mind: What motors were on those boats and where were the boats located. The first questions is to make sure that the HP limits weren't exceeded. Even with motors that do not exceed the HP rating, unusual loads can cause cracks. The second is more complex. Cracks in the gellcoat are usually not all that serious but 'cracks' in the glass are a concern. The 208s often have wet transoms caused by water getting in under the aluminum strip on top of the transom. Water also often enters through poorly sealed holes for things like tabs, transducers and the like. If the core of the transom gets wet and the boat is located in an area where seasonal freezing occurs, the transom can expand when frozen. That can lead to delamination and cracks.
The wetness of the hull can only be determined by a trainer surveyor with a moisture meter.
I also think that the prices you are quoting for late 90s 208s are a bit high. Of course a lot depends on the motor.
The engines on the adventures I have looked at were all saltwater series II two strokes 200 hp. The cracks were all hair line type cracks in gel coat. All years were pre 2000. 1995 to 1999. Also the hatch covers on the islander I looked at were awful. They were cracked and delaminating on every one. So is this a pre 2000 year issue or what? My 2001 180 with 115 four stroke has no cracks at all and the engine weighs in around 370 I think. The asking prices for these Grady's has been 10,000 for the 95 to 18,000 for the few 96-99 adventures. 20,000 for the seafarer which is 1999 with 225 ox66, this one had slight gel coat cracks in splash well all the way across. It was a nice clean boat besides the cracks.
Doc Stressor
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If boats are regularly run offshore they all eventually develop cracks in the gel coat at stress points. My 2008 Seafarer developed them after 5 years. I've dremelled them out and replaced the gel coat and they formed again. There is just a lot of stress at the corners of the transom well and at the corners of the cuddy cabin doors. Every fiberglass boat I've owned developed those cracks. They are usually superficial. They are just part of the wear and tear on a hull when you regularly run in a heavy chop or bigger seas.
Stand on the anti-ventilation plate of the motor and jump up and down to see if there is visible flex in the transom. Also have it checked with a moisture meter by a surveyor who knows his instrument. As long as the transom checks out OK, I wouldn't worry about gel coat cracks for now. But understand that when you get an old hull you will need to keep checking it out every year.
Stand on the anti-ventilation plate of the motor and jump up and down to see if there is visible flex in the transom. Also have it checked with a moisture meter by a surveyor who knows his instrument. As long as the transom checks out OK, I wouldn't worry about gel coat cracks for now. But understand that when you get an old hull you will need to keep checking it out every year.
Life of the transom has a lot to do with owner maintenance (how well are penetrations sealed ?) and winter storage. Allow a water to freeze and thaw and it can be very damaging. Although where gel coat is sprayed in a very thick layer such as corners, cracking is pretty common and not necessarily a problem. As previous poster mentioned, stand on motor and bounce. That will tell you what you need to know.
My 1992 204c overnighter has had cracks in the gelcoat in the corners for as long as I can remember. Kiss a dock piling a little too hard once or twice and there they are. None in the splash well however and just had the transom inspected by by a fiberglass specialist before repowering and it was rock solid. Good luck.