Factory Tour

[leek]

Today en route from Washington DC to Charlotte we stopped at the Grady White factory. They provided us a very nice personal tour. The gentleman that gave us the tour also is in charge of the final fit up and assembly. He is a three year employee and quite knowledgeable.
The factory is about 350,000 sf. Currently they are finishing about 20 boats per week. They have cut their work force a little and are only working 32 hours per week due to decreased demand for the product. The factory is very clean and well organized, the people are friendly and professional and the air is well ventilated (particularly for a fiberglas factory). They have a number of employee programs designed to promote employee retention and development.
There is a definate focus on quality control and providing a great final product. The most popular models right now are the 225 and 275 tournaments.
I was pleased witht the qc and the approach in general. The only things that bothered me was the amount of wood in the boat and the lack of new technology, the hulls are hand laid up without the benefit of vacuum infusion (not sure if I got the name right). Everything else looked top notch.
If you are in the neighborhood it is worth and hour or two...

 

[gregsnow]

Other than the wood (which I prefer) what else did you see that lacked in advances of technology?

GS

 

[Average Joe]

Glad you got a chance to take the tour. Our club is going down for a group tour in about three weeks ad I'm looking forward to it.

 

[Heavy Duty]

Yep..I'd like to go but gots to work.

Hey Average Joe...we need to hook-up (no pun intended) and do some fishing. Getting to be that time of year to hit the bay and I figure 2 singles =s twins if some one needs a tow.


HD

 

[BobP]

Leek, did you ask them why still wood, and not the modern composites ?

 

[wahoo33417]

Leek, did you ask them why still wood, and not the modern composites ?

Bob: I had an opportunity to ask Grady's VP of manufacturing that same question a few weeks ago. He indicated that Grady evaluates every 'new' technology out there. Nothing, in his statements, holds up better than properly sealed wood.

Rob

 

[gregsnow]

Leek, did you ask them why still wood, and not the modern composites ?

Bob: I had an opportunity to ask Grady's VP of manufacturing that same question a few weeks ago. He indicated that Grady evaluates every 'new' technology out there. Nothing, in his statements, holds up better than properly sealed wood.

Rob

I agree with the man. Everything else is somewhat new to the market, not time tested like wood. Some of the worlds best boats are made of what? 100% old fashioned WOOD.

GS

 

[Fishtales]

I took a tour last year and shot about 60 pics or so. 3rd time down, it gets better each time.

 

[leek]

New Technology (or lack of)

They did not use any vacuum bagging to increase distribution of resin, no use of composites in stringers and framing for major pieces of the superstructure and stringers, also no use of kevlar or other high strength composites.
Than being said; there were no "bad practices" as far as I could tell. All of the wood was coated in resin and seemed to be very dry.
If they used the vacuum bagging the boat may get lighter and stronger. My 38 has no wood in structure and is rock solid.

 

[shadygradycapn]

Sorry but I like my heavy, wood-laden Grady. When I'm winning the race back into the channel and the brand x-ers are out there bobbin' like corks in the slop, I grin ear to ear. It's the one time I must confess I enjoy being a Grady "snob". Tabs down a little, throttles up and go!

And don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. :wink:

 

[BobP]

On wood, the standard ctextbook salesman response nothing new there - my comeback to the Grady guy would have been -

Ever heard of Boston Whaler and Steiger Craft?

And both of these brands are used commercially too.

If I ever get down there, there will be a "whole lot of shaken goin on" .

 

[megabytes]

Many fine boats still use wood such as Albemarle, Regulator, Carolina Classic, Hatteras, Viking, etc.

 

[gregsnow]

Is Egg Harbor still alive? I remember those boats were floating tanks of forestry. Don't build them like they used to!

GS

 

[BobP]

The only reason wood is still used today is the exact same reason 49 cent incandescent light bulbs are still used. They work and are cheap $$ relative to other technologies.

No one questions synthetic maintenance / treatment free house deck lumber for a long time now, but can be still more expensive. Or those rubbermade sheds and deck boxes, new house framing would be the same stuff if the price lowered more.

Boat construction techniques have evolved as much as outboard engine technology has, and the modern materials/techniques have been around a lot longer than 4 stroke outboards that no one including Grady is rejecting because it's isn't "tried and true". Even car manufacturing is advanced with the use of synthetics as structural members not just dashboard construction.

One example, look at how hardtops have developed with the precision molded machine made formed plastics technology. Integrated flood lights, molded in radio boxes and radar pedestals, rain & drip gutters, edge railing along the walkaround, rod holders, speaker bases, sunroofs, all molded and shaped up in a shiny finished product, at greatly reduced cost and weight vs. a hand made fiberglass skin sandwich with balsa in the middle, and everything else drilled, caulked, and bolted on by hand.

Now I'll leave you guys alone.

I do like wood too mosty for it's looks, so fake wood like duratrim works fine for me since time for maintenance is precious little.
Too bad I can't find a replacement for it. Have to go back to the old trusty formica wood grain laminate and make my own.

 

[SoutheastFL]

The only reason wood is still used today is the exact same reason 49 cent incandescent light bulbs are still used. They work and are cheap $$ relative to other technologies.

That is exactly right, the TRUE reason GW stays with wood stringers is because it puts more money in Eddie Smiths ( owner of GW ) pocket. And he's got his employees trained like robots to spout the corporate line everytime the question is asked, "we stick to the tried and true in boatbuilding". Forget the truth that it makes the owner more money.

 

[gregsnow]

Not totally true. Smith could keep the same profit margin no matter what material he uses to build the structure. Most GW owners trust the Grady quality, history, integrity and value of their product. Just the fact that new technology is always changing doesnt mean its ALWAYS BETTER!
Arent all boat manufactures trying to make a profit?????????

GS

 

[ocnslr]

Not sure I understand the basis of the complaints.

Grady White builds boats the way they want to, with wood.

If you don't like that, then I don't see the point of trying to get them to change their methods.

There are so many other boats with foam structural members, vacuum-bagging techniques, etc. You should be able to find something that meets your standards.

I will happily stick with what I have now.

Brian

 

[gregsnow]

The only reason wood is still used today is the exact same reason 49 cent incandescent light bulbs are still used. They work and are cheap $$ relative to other technologies.

That is exactly right, the TRUE reason GW stays with wood stringers is because it puts more money in Eddie Smiths ( owner of GW ) pocket. And he's got his employees trained like robots to spout the corporate line everytime the question is asked, "we stick to the tried and true in boatbuilding". Forget the truth that it makes the owner more money.

Show some proof of your accusations. Until you can do that, hop on your jon boat and ride off into the sunset gracefully.

GS

 

[Tuna Man]

For my needs Grady's methods of construction work just fine. That being said, didn't Grady introduce non-wood stringers on the first 33 Express? I remember talking to a factory representative at a local boat show about this. He said it was done to save weight so the boat could be adequately powered with the outboard engines available at the time.

Does Grady still use these non-wood stringers in the new 33' models? Which models? Just curious with the much larger outboards available today.

 

[gradyfish22]

gregsnow, Egg Harbor is still alive, but they build very few boats, actually not sure they ahve put a boat out the door in a few months, but they are building the Davis line which they bought from Buddy Davis a few years back. Heard they are trying to burry that brand now too and Buddy has yet again started his own company.

As for Grady's, wood is a great building material and will never get my complaint. as for new technologies, they are not always the best. I've seen new core materials desintirate because air was present in manufacturing and the boat pounded a bit and it actually rattled the core apart into dust. New technologies bring about new unknown adverseeffects. Reducing weight which is what many new build techniques would do would worsen the ride of a Grady, going lighter then they are would be bad, you wan tthe weight. It will also increase the price of the boat, not only are most new technologies more expensive, they inviolve training of workers, that emans down time and money invested, new equipment to work with the new materials, and research to ensure the product going out the door is worthy of the Grady name, or any boat builder for that matter. There has to be a significant reason and lots of data to prove that using another material over wood is worth it. I've looked into many lay up types for the company I work for and changing to another material or lay up technique might make the boats lighter or go faster, but will increase the price and will lengthen the time to build the boats, which in our case was not worth it. Additionally it would only be needed for some models, adding even more to cost since there is a need for more workers, trained in either both types of build, or one or the other, as well as more space to handle the manufacturing and the materials. Wood has been sued for years, and will remain in boat building for more to come. For its weight and price, it is one of the strongest materials out there. Unless you want a plastic boat, be glad wood is used in certain parts of the boat. As for how the wood is sealed and such that is another topic and that is what worries most owners. Also, do owner's know how to properly maintain the wood structure in their boats as well as how to prevent problems down the road from proper maintenance?...that might be the problem. Maybe Grady needs to address known issues to new owner's and convey ways to prevent issues when you buy the boat. I'm sure they do not do so because then you would ask why am I buying this boat and why will this happen, it will make you second guess your choice, but in reality it would actually make them an even better boat. Most issues that boats enocounter are not from the way they are built or faulty materials, but from a lack of knowledge and proper maintenance.