GW service, warranty and support - continues to excel

[sel1005]

Even in these tough economic times, GW FAR exceeds my expectations and continues to go "above and beyond" to keep customers on the water

OK, my boat is way out of the original warranty, but as boats age, they get little things here, little things there, all need attention.

I am SO spoiled by GW service, when ever I have questions, need support, whatever, I email or call them up, quick responses, and most times, they cover whatever is going on under warranty. Even though I am likely out of warranty on many things, they usually just take care of them.

Lots of options these days, boats are definitely on fire sale pricing, dealers trying to survive, but IMHO GW is STILL the best there is on the market.

Top quality, superior service after the sale, ongoing support from real people that you can email or call and get connected with. Things will turn around, get better, and we will all be working and making $$ again, and when that time comes, my next boat will be a GW, just as my last 3 have been.

The folks at GW walk the talk, no BS where they are concerned, and from me and my family, a HUGE thank you and happy holiday for being there for us!

 

[ElyseM]

there's an old saying: "you get what you pay for."

the gw's get trashed alot for the price, but it costs money to build and support a top quality product. yes, there is some amount of pure "premium" pricing in there (and i don't know how much), but if you have gone down to the factory, you know where a lot of the cost comes from.

boats are not like cars, but most people would like to see them priced that way. unfortunately, century just went out because yamaha decided that they just couldn't justify continuation (and those boats were a quality product - i looked at them). you have to make a profit, or what is the point of committing money that won't make a return (and that's not to say that eddie wouldn't pull the plug at his discretion, just pointing up some basic economics)? and how many other mfg's are in financial difficulty because they aren't getting enough per unit profit to support their infrastructure?

i was impressed with the quality of my first gw and the support from the factory and the dealer. that's why we bought another gw when we traded up (and the boats are just a classic design). i hope gw weathers this financial storm and stays around for many years to come. ron

 

[megabytes]

My experiences have been similar. While GWs have defects at times they sure go to great lengths to get them resolved. I've read the same cr*p on boards about the overpriced, blah, blah, blah. Then I read about defects in brand new name boats that owners CANNOT get resolved, much less on a boat out of warranty. Pursuits are another top shelf brand but I recently read of brand new 30' with some major defects. It can happen anytime there is a good deal of hand labor in a product. Unfortunate but the difference is how the builder resolves the issue.

The boating market will look quite different a few years from now. The strong will survive and the weak will be culled. Century just announced they are gone. Others have already vanished. Strong customer service is a huge asset which will keep GW afloat.

I am on my third and will likely replace my 300 in a few years with a new 300. My only concerns are having a local dealer on the level of Crockers and how the next 300 will be laid out. I'd be happy to just add helm air, slap the new F300s on it, and leave the rest as is.

 

[Ed Bukala]

Can not agree with you more. We are on our second Grady with a new 225 with 250hp on order (replacing 2008 185). I wanted to get the electronics ordered and over to my dealer for installation and needed info. I contacted Grady (Dan) to get the electronics box measurements info so I could get the biggest unit I could into that box. Well, within an hour I had an e-mail with all the dimensional info I required. He also answered a few additional questions immediatly while we were on the phone. Gives you alot of confidence in your boat supplier.
Bukster

 

[striped bass]

Add my support for Grady White as well. Grady White corporate in Greenville (David Neese) supported a big repair on my Tournament which was out of warranty. The local dealer in CT was very supportive and did a quality job. No muss, no fuss. All this even during the Great Recession.
Thumbs up for Grady White.

 

[megabytes]

Expect an announcement soon for another new NC GW dealer.

 

[Parthery]

Tough to look up the dealers now unless you know the zip code of the particular city. Personally, I preferred the "by state" listing...for someone who travels frequently on business like me and picks up parts along the way, looking up phone numbers and addresses is a pain now.

 

[Fishtales]

I agree with what has been said. My dealers works hard and proactively to get you in the water early and keep you in for the entire season. If you need a service, they make it happen so you are back in quickly. Any issue I have had has been promptly resolved to my satisfaction.
I am very satisfied with the South Shore MA dealer and I hope they and GW weather the storm and come out stronger.

There are a lot of people out there willing to whack GW owners (paid way to much, never use their boats, transom rot etc), I could care. I've had 2 new ones, and maybe a 3rd at some point (if the colleges don't clean me out). Proven build techniques, great product and stellar post sales service. They treat you like a customer that they actually want a long term relationship with versus a one time mark that they try to pry every dime from. I hope I have enough saved when the 33 walk comes out...

 

[sel1005]

"They treat you like a customer that they actually want a long term relationship with versus a one time mark that they try to pry every dime from"

Fishtales, I could not have said it any better. I think you have captured the essence of GW support in your statement, they simply want to build a long term relationship and their efforts really show.

While I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with, how the economy gets back on track, etc, I have been / will be a GW customer. I have owned several large Pursuits, great boats but not in the same league when you connect all the dots. I have looked at Intrepid, Jupiter, YF, Everglades and a few others, but overall I will put my trust in GW.

Cabo has some very interesting lines, especially the new 40', LOVE the pod drives and Skyhook, but for the $$, I have not seen anything worth a change in plans to this point.

Now if we could just get gas back in the $2 range again.....

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

I really have nothing else to add, you guys said it all, my only question is ........................... where is that 42'er with the twins F550's?

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Come to think of it, pods would work very nice too :mrgreen:

 

[sel1005]

LOL LOL LOL.....

Lets see, GW produces a new 42' Express with triple Yamaha 550's, cruises at 55 with 1mpg; leverages Skyhook with factory delivered Furuno NN3D technology, side scan sonars, autopiots, etc, and 450 gal (gas) and 60 gal (diesel) capacities, plus 100 gal fresh water.

All with "streamlined" styling (as opposed to the current, butt ugly 360 hard glass styling...), helm air and factory LED selectable cockpit and underwater lighting. And power OR's.....

Sign me up, I may be ready to take hull # 4-5....

Are you listening Ms Chris and Mr Eddie?????

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

They do have underwater lights on the 366 i checked out.

On the 42'er i would settle with twins F550, never liked the idea of more than outboards.

 

[mronzo]

The Grady bashers make me laugh!
Over on THT the threads go like this:
Grady vs Hydrasport
Grady vs Aquasport, Edgewater, Wellcraft...!

Get the Grady!
And when you go to sell it to get your NEW Grady,
you will actually get phone calls!

 

[megabytes]

Yep. Ever notice that Grady is involved in almost all of these x vs y?
That says a lot.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Free advertising THT'ers, keep up the good work :mrgreen:

 

[sel1005]

There are some viable other boats out there for sure, and I think some of them are quality machines (I have owned quite a few) but I have yet to see the overall quality, balance of speed / safety / reliability / resale that GW offers. Every time I think I should consider one of the big inboard sportfishers I end up reading yet another article on some failure point with inboard systems.

Not that they are not reliable and safe if well maintained, but I have zero experience with inboards and at this point in my life I don't realistically see myself learning the complexities needed to be safe on the water vs what I already know in the outboard world.

The most interesting thing is that my fishing / cruising ratio used to be 80-20, and now its pretty much reversed. With all the closures, limits and other restrictions in the Gulf now, fishing is much more of a PITA than ever. But I have adapted the way I use my 360 so she is a very comfortable cruising boat and we routinely take friends out and hit different ports, islands, etc just to be on the water.

My point is only that GW can and does easily compete with all sorts of boats across different boat categories. I mean, who trolls from a Searay Sundancer or stops to bottom fish from one? But with our GW we can do that as well as anchor up on Crab Island on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy the AC and music and watch the sun set.

Just my .02...