What an amazing coincidence! I recently joined this web site and was just logging in when your opening post came up on my phone. The 228 you bought from Tristate was my boat for about 6 years -- until the block sprang a major leak from salt water corroding due to the previous owner not having flushed the engine when he owned it. Tristate declared that the engine was toast. They also told me that Yamaha was not selling any new re-power outboards for the next 1.5 years due to demand from dealers for new boat sales. Sounds like they made repairs or replacement on the "new" outboard they fitted onto the 228. Is it still a Yamaha F225? What did they tell you about the engine? I did believe them when they said it was shot. I wonder what they did to it.
The boat is very, very sound and we loved it for a long period of time. Faced with being without a running boat for some time, I elected to purchase another Grady, as they are clearly one of the highest quality boats made today. We fished it in the Chesapeake and took it to the Keys to fish every summer. You will find it handles a chop fairly well, even though it is a light boat. With the vinyl windows on, it is absolutely dry. I put my old bases for outriggers on it, but used them only sporadically fishing for dolphin in Florida. I towed it with a Ram 2500 diesel for a couple of years, then bought a Ram 1500 Hemi with air suspension to tow it. Pleased my wife, since the 1500 rides much better than the 2500 did.
We have moved on to a Freedom 275 with dual F200's. Will be hauling it to Florida next summer to fish and dive the Keys. Up graded to a Garmin 1243 chartplotter system with an autopilot to make the fishing a bit easier for us. Am looking forward to reporting further on our "adventures" with the new boat. Best wishes to you for great fishing with the 228. You will love it.
