- Joined
- Sep 16, 2020
- Messages
- 59
- Reaction score
- 12
- Points
- 8
- Location
- Moosehead Lake, ME
- Model
- Adventure
Greetings to all. I've been a "lurker" on the site for a while and enjoy reading the advice of contributors. The threads stay on track without degenerating into opinionated name-calling, which is refreshing (unlike many of the threads I've followed on The Hull Truth and similar). I am more than happy to get critical feedback that is helpful. Having said that...………
Short back-story: I live, work, and boat on Moosehead Lake in Maine. I sold my boat at the end of the season with plans to save winterizing/storage costs and find my next boat in the spring (not sure about where you live, but COVID has driven our boat and real-estate markets crazy. Inventory is low, prices are high). Old boat was a '01 Pro-Line 19' CC with '03 Suzuki 140hp 4s. Ran great, but wanted a little more boat for the big lake. Obviously I didn't wait for Spring.
I bought the following:
'93 Grady White Adventure 20 (based on my review of archived brochures, the first year of this model, and the precursor of the Adventure 208)
'02 Johnson 175 2-stroke
The following work was recently completed by seller (a marine engineer/mechanic): new hydraulic steering added, panels/gauges replaced/rewired, new OEM VRO pump, new power pack/plugs/wires, carbs rebuilt, new optical sensors and tstats.
I have run the boat few time, and she will be hauled this week or next. I am trying to anticipate some spring projects based on the boat's current specs, and my initial observations. This creates a pretty broad list. I have searched and read many of the threads on each individual topic. I'm happy to have references to previous posts, but I'm lumping them all together here to also address things from the standpoint of prioritization and overall cost (time/effort/money). Where would you start? Where do you think the biggest "bang for the buck" is? Personally, I am a low-to-moderate level do-it-yourselfer with zero mechanical skills. So, in no particular order...………
1. Repower? The engine appears to run well and be well maintained. It is obviously a big change from the 140 4s. Given issues around boat age, design, etc, if I do repower I would likely look for a Suzuki or Yamaha 4s 175. Maybe a 200, but I would prefer to stay as light as possible. Good used 4s are hard to find around here. It would actually be easier to buy a used boat with the desired engine, swap them, then flip the boat with the loss being the cost of the engine. Not sure the gain in performance, mileage and would be worth it in the end...….
2. Performance- On the few runs I've taken the boat runs well, but is not performing optimally. The engine starts and idles beautifully. However, rpm @WOT is 4400 to go 24mph (online sources say 4500-5500 expected). By the specs, the 20' Grady is about 1000 pounds heavier than my old 19' Pro-Line and is certainly 'feels heavier' to operate. I don't have prop specs, but will check in the spring to see if I'm over-propped. The boat does not have trim tabs. She feels like she rides with the bow a little high, but it may just be me adjusting to the new hull. When I trim the bow down using engine tilt I actually lose speed. Maybe I'm losing prop efficiency, but maybe I just don't know my boats sweet for trim yet. Bottom is clean, no excess load or weight (that I know of. may try to get her on a local truck scale in Spring). I'm not looking for fast, but I would like to see if I can get the rpm range up and the top speed into the high 20s if I can.
3. Fishing Power Options- I am a casual fisherman. I won't be heading to the coast to go offshore. I enjoy spending some time chasing salmon and togue around the lake, which means slow trolling- about 1.5-2 mph. In the old boat I avoided the need for a kicker by putting a trolling plate on the Suzuki. It worked like a dream. I don't think this is a good idea with the current power. So, unless I repower to a 4s I'm considering a kicker. No transom plate now. Swim platform on starboard side, well-patched holes from an old transom plate on port. New transom plate, used outboard (8hp? bigger?) and EZ steer should work. I suppose a larger electric (ie- Minn Kota 80) could work, but I have no experience with those. Or I could just go back to fishing from my angler's kayak...……….
4. Trim tabs- independent of the repower and performance issues above, thoughts on adding trim tabs? "self-adjusting" hydraulic tabs are cheap, but I feel like I'd be happier spending a little more to get adjustable electric or hydraulic.
Those are the high points. The boat needs very little in terms of cosmetics or hardware- partly because of the good condition, and partly because I don't need a pretty boat. I'll do some simple repairs on some gelcoat chips and cracks, upgrade the anchor/rode/line. The full enclosure is in excellent shape. There may be minor cuddy window leaks to mitigate. But that's all the small stuff that I'm willing to do myself.
Any and all thoughts are greatly appreciated...…….
Joe
Beaver Cove, ME
Short back-story: I live, work, and boat on Moosehead Lake in Maine. I sold my boat at the end of the season with plans to save winterizing/storage costs and find my next boat in the spring (not sure about where you live, but COVID has driven our boat and real-estate markets crazy. Inventory is low, prices are high). Old boat was a '01 Pro-Line 19' CC with '03 Suzuki 140hp 4s. Ran great, but wanted a little more boat for the big lake. Obviously I didn't wait for Spring.
I bought the following:
'93 Grady White Adventure 20 (based on my review of archived brochures, the first year of this model, and the precursor of the Adventure 208)
'02 Johnson 175 2-stroke
The following work was recently completed by seller (a marine engineer/mechanic): new hydraulic steering added, panels/gauges replaced/rewired, new OEM VRO pump, new power pack/plugs/wires, carbs rebuilt, new optical sensors and tstats.
I have run the boat few time, and she will be hauled this week or next. I am trying to anticipate some spring projects based on the boat's current specs, and my initial observations. This creates a pretty broad list. I have searched and read many of the threads on each individual topic. I'm happy to have references to previous posts, but I'm lumping them all together here to also address things from the standpoint of prioritization and overall cost (time/effort/money). Where would you start? Where do you think the biggest "bang for the buck" is? Personally, I am a low-to-moderate level do-it-yourselfer with zero mechanical skills. So, in no particular order...………
1. Repower? The engine appears to run well and be well maintained. It is obviously a big change from the 140 4s. Given issues around boat age, design, etc, if I do repower I would likely look for a Suzuki or Yamaha 4s 175. Maybe a 200, but I would prefer to stay as light as possible. Good used 4s are hard to find around here. It would actually be easier to buy a used boat with the desired engine, swap them, then flip the boat with the loss being the cost of the engine. Not sure the gain in performance, mileage and would be worth it in the end...….
2. Performance- On the few runs I've taken the boat runs well, but is not performing optimally. The engine starts and idles beautifully. However, rpm @WOT is 4400 to go 24mph (online sources say 4500-5500 expected). By the specs, the 20' Grady is about 1000 pounds heavier than my old 19' Pro-Line and is certainly 'feels heavier' to operate. I don't have prop specs, but will check in the spring to see if I'm over-propped. The boat does not have trim tabs. She feels like she rides with the bow a little high, but it may just be me adjusting to the new hull. When I trim the bow down using engine tilt I actually lose speed. Maybe I'm losing prop efficiency, but maybe I just don't know my boats sweet for trim yet. Bottom is clean, no excess load or weight (that I know of. may try to get her on a local truck scale in Spring). I'm not looking for fast, but I would like to see if I can get the rpm range up and the top speed into the high 20s if I can.
3. Fishing Power Options- I am a casual fisherman. I won't be heading to the coast to go offshore. I enjoy spending some time chasing salmon and togue around the lake, which means slow trolling- about 1.5-2 mph. In the old boat I avoided the need for a kicker by putting a trolling plate on the Suzuki. It worked like a dream. I don't think this is a good idea with the current power. So, unless I repower to a 4s I'm considering a kicker. No transom plate now. Swim platform on starboard side, well-patched holes from an old transom plate on port. New transom plate, used outboard (8hp? bigger?) and EZ steer should work. I suppose a larger electric (ie- Minn Kota 80) could work, but I have no experience with those. Or I could just go back to fishing from my angler's kayak...……….
4. Trim tabs- independent of the repower and performance issues above, thoughts on adding trim tabs? "self-adjusting" hydraulic tabs are cheap, but I feel like I'd be happier spending a little more to get adjustable electric or hydraulic.
Those are the high points. The boat needs very little in terms of cosmetics or hardware- partly because of the good condition, and partly because I don't need a pretty boat. I'll do some simple repairs on some gelcoat chips and cracks, upgrade the anchor/rode/line. The full enclosure is in excellent shape. There may be minor cuddy window leaks to mitigate. But that's all the small stuff that I'm willing to do myself.
Any and all thoughts are greatly appreciated...…….
Joe
Beaver Cove, ME
