Hello from Texas - soon to be a GW owner

[RussGW270]

Howdy yall,

So, started out looking at a cool boat, not a GW...led me down a stressful path. I have owned about 5 other boats. Navy guy, so love the coast.

Anyway, I wanted a fishing boat...one that could do a little of most things inland or coast....and I wanted a porta potty for my daughter lol...plus, shade for my wife. Call me crazy, but this boat needed to be something she could enjoy so I could enjoy her company.
Anyway, I saw a lot of Gradys, always looked at them, but was constantly amazed at folks that would not take care of them and list them filthy. I could not find a nice one at a price I could afford and be happy....I.E. make my wife happy.

So, I resigned myself to another expensice bay boat. I went to lunch, told my wife, “To heck with this, just going to buy a brand new bay boat. It is way too expensive, but tired of buying used and getting junk”

That went over like a lead balloon and so I went back to my office, irked, and googled one more time and BAM! A freaking beautiful GW 232 came up and I have a deposit down on it! Lol

It does not have twin mercs...has a single 225 Yam, but I’ll learn to love it anyway

Here’s hoping the deal closes without a hitch and soon and shipping is not a nightmare heh.

Now, to see what sort of things I can do to make it “mine” like downrighers or outrighers etc heh...oh, and a name too

Russ

 

[Zebulon]

Congrats...........great choice.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Congrats! No recent model of Grady from the 90s on until now comes with Mercury. They had a run with Evinrude and Johnson and by the 2000s came along, it was Yamaha. If the boat is early 2000s You may want to get the engine scoped for that mid section dry exhaust corrosion issue of 2002-2006 F225.

If it has it,it's an easy fix for a couple thousand dollars. Once it's fixed , it's fixed. I point this out not as a deal breaker but as a negotiating tool. Either ask them to get it fixed as a contingency per sale or reduce the price to cover the costs of fixing it. That's a great boat and don't let the dry exhaust issue spook you.

 

[Ky Grady]

Like Smokey said, check the exhaust and if it hasn't been done, go on and have it checked or repaired if necessary. Starting my 3rd season with my F225 after exhaust repair and she seems fine, super quiet at idle and runs out fine. If you haven't done it yet, might also look into a 4 blade prop. The 4 blade helps overcome the lack of grunt of the F225, helps to get up on plane and maintains stern lift at a nice cruise speed. These girls are a little butt heavy so the 4 blade helps with lift.

 

[Fishtales]

nice rig and congrats. you'll enjoy that boat.

 

[RussGW270]

Wow.. well, I spoke too soon.

I am going to get a dang Grady.... it is what I want, but.. no idea what the hell happened. I was on my way home. I spoke with the broker for a few times on the phone, worked out the deal. The guy tells me he is sending me the documents via email in "15 minutes".

I tell him I am headed home and I will send them back signed with a copy of a check to hold the boat and I will mail the actual check the next day and..... we are off to the races...

He even texts me an hour later asking for my email address again. I am not driving, so I text back, send him an email.. it bounces...I google his name.. find he had a typo.. fix it.. he replies "got it" and then...

Nothing.. a few emails later throughout the day letting him know it had not arrived, not a single reply.

So, did me a favor....I want a 258 Journey instead.. lol

Still, annoying, not boo or nothing..

But, I found a few nice Journeys and will keep watching till I get a good deal.

Just a matter of time and will not have to worry about permit fees of 120 bucks each tow

Dagnabit, will not let me change my name to Russ258 lol

Russ

 

[Halfhitch]

Sorry you got scammed on that deal but at least you didn't take a financial hit. On the good side, I agree about the 258, it is a more efficient length to beam hull.
Just send a message to a moderator and ask to get your handle changed and they will take care of it...…..but...….you might wait till you have one sitting in your yard or you might be doing it again.

 

[RussGW270]

Lol! exactly.. will wait till it is a "done deal" heh.

No big shakes, he did me a favor. NOW.. I have a couple leads working. The hard part is getting it with a trailer. I want a solid fish finder.. i.e....daddy loves his dang Lowrance 12 lol.. with all the bells and whistles. I can get that afterwards, but there are some awesome deals.. with a couple gps/fish finders and a radar etc...but no trailer .. then I find a trailer-ed one, but a single small fish finder.. and I am like "dagnabit!" heh

So, just going to take some work.. but will find and get a good deal, eventually.

I run them all through NADA. I found an awesome 2007, but the thing was like 20k more than a 2004, and like 4k over nada...so.. naaahh.. heh

Russ... the 258 wannabe

 

[RussGW270]

So, with these boats being so freaking good, how is it the debate of the 9'x" beam is not such a show stopper? I cannot imagine a person that gets a 232 is fishing a couple times a month and paying 240 a month in permits. Are most folks just risking it and saying to heck with permits?

No, not writing down names.. heh... just a shame to pass on deals due to a few inches beam.

R

 

[Halfhitch]

Russ, Down here in Florida, most guys with marginal width issues just wing it.

When shopping for your boat, don't let the lack of a trailer make you miss your dream boat. If you find your boat in Florida you can find trailers like this all the time. This is a new trailer right near me and it is a current ad.

https://sarasota.craigslist.org/tro/d/sarasota-boat-trailer-10250lbs-brakes/6822089159.html

 

[RussGW270]

Thank you very much! There are two problems I face... not big ones, but..

1 - never had a boat "delivered" so... if I bought a trailer and just had them deliver "the boat"...do they meet me on some lake and drop it in etc so I can then load it onto the trailer? I am not sure how that works.

2 - This one is not that big an issue, but one I ran into yesterday. Yea, I can pay cash for delivery and or the trailer, but I am trying to get all the "big things" into the loan so I can then spend that cash on "making it my own" etc.. heh. I would rather the payment went up 40 bucks a month vs me laying down another 4k in cash I could use for whatever. I do not plan to pay on it more than 5 years anyways, but you never know, so I keep the payments as low as possible, but the cash on hand.

That being said, yesterday.. found a nice 258... no trailer... across the country. After "pay for the trailer, pay for the delivery, put 10% down.. hell.. may as well buy it outright.. lol. I was at 12-13k just to lock it in.

My thought is, if the NADA is good enough to add in delivery, people add in delivery charges on all sorts of boats and vehicles .. as long as the bank is happy with the value of loan to boat ratio.... right? Then, yea, I can pay for the trailer.

3 - Lastly, I like the 258...but wow.. so limited by the beam width and trailering.. and finding out, most people ignore that crap. Wondering what the heck happens if there is a wreck and they meas.. ya know what... just thought.. if there is a wreck.. may not be 9'3" anymore.. lol.. joking.. you get the idea.

So, like you said.. buying a trailer should be easy....making sure it fits... without the boat here.. not so much lol.. and then, how do they transfer it?

Gotta get that 'picture' of the process in my head, so I can prepare for it.. but, agreed.. I can find a trailer myself vs the guy in NY told me "expect the trailer to be about $5k". I am fine with 5k... just would like to find it myself if I need to, and that YOU have done for me, lol.. ty


Russ

 

[Greyduk]

Thank you very much! There are two problems I face... not big ones, but..

1 - never had a boat "delivered" so... if I bought a trailer and just had them deliver "the boat"...do they meet me on some lake and drop it in etc so I can then load it onto the trailer? I am not sure how that works.

2 - This one is not that big an issue, but one I ran into yesterday. Yea, I can pay cash for delivery and or the trailer, but I am trying to get all the "big things" into the loan so I can then spend that cash on "making it my own" etc.. heh. I would rather the payment went up 40 bucks a month vs me laying down another 4k in cash I could use for whatever. I do not plan to pay on it more than 5 years anyways, but you never know, so I keep the payments as low as possible, but the cash on hand.

That being said, yesterday.. found a nice 258... no trailer... across the country. After "pay for the trailer, pay for the delivery, put 10% down.. hell.. may as well buy it outright.. lol. I was at 12-13k just to lock it in.

My thought is, if the NADA is good enough to add in delivery, people add in delivery charges on all sorts of boats and vehicles .. as long as the bank is happy with the value of loan to boat ratio.... right? Then, yea, I can pay for the trailer.

3 - Lastly, I like the 258...but wow.. so limited by the beam width and trailering.. and finding out, most people ignore that crap. Wondering what the heck happens if there is a wreck and they meas.. ya know what... just thought.. if there is a wreck.. may not be 9'3" anymore.. lol.. joking.. you get the idea.

So, like you said.. buying a trailer should be easy....making sure it fits... without the boat here.. not so much lol.. and then, how do they transfer it?

Gotta get that 'picture' of the process in my head, so I can prepare for it.. but, agreed.. I can find a trailer myself vs the guy in NY told me "expect the trailer to be about $5k". I am fine with 5k... just would like to find it myself if I need to, and that YOU have done for me, lol.. ty


Russ

Russ, If you are considering the 258, the beam is only 8'6", so trailering would be a non issue. That is one of the reasons why the 248 appealed to me, since it is strictly a "trailer" boat. Best of luck. Pretty exciting stuff. I just got the 248 10 days ago, so I know the feeling.

 

[RussGW270]

Well, gosh darn it.. post pictures of that bad baby! lol

Yea, the 258 is appealing. my buddy says that Texas offers 90 day permits for like $240. If I figure 4 of those a year, it would be $960 a year (right now) to be able to tow it anywhere I want, $720 a year if I left out 3 cold months a year like Dec-feb....with holidays etc... and the real cold weather, that may be a reality..

So...would open up possibilities a lot..

But, the 258 would be ideal... just have to find a clean one... not older than 2001, I hope, with 2 engines, a hard top, radar, and updated electronics.


Naaaahhh not asking for a lot

Russ

 

[RussGW270]

wow.. that is a beauty!

I just discovered the Islander is not over the 8'6" beam so.. can add it to the list of possible models to choose from heh

R

 

[Greyduk]

Russ as per your request.

 

[Halfhitch]

So, like you said.. buying a trailer should be easy....making sure it fits... without the boat here.. not so much lol.. and then, how do they transfer it?

This how mine was loaded. I bought the boat at a marina on blocks. Part of the deal was, they load it. I picked up the trailer at the manufacturer and took it to the marina. They slid the winch post all the way forward, set the width of the bunks according to info from Grady and sat the boat on the trailer with the balance point of the boat over the front axle. Then they slid the winch post back to contact the roller against the bow. They chose that method. If a private hauler delivers it then you could have him splash it and then winch it onto your new trailer. When you pull it out of the water and don't like the looks of it, then refloat it, do a little adjusting of the trailer and reload. Easy Peasey. By using a launch ramp instead of a marina to do it with their Bull you will save a couple hundred bucks.

 

[RussGW270]

So, not new to boats, I have owned 5 other boats. I can afford the boat, but I think I am having a problem with boat overload...that and, honestly...worried about ...everything.

It has to be a Grady. I have a hell of a deal on the table for a 2001 Boston Whaler but, honestly...it is not a Grady.

I do not tube or ski...I fosh, plain and simple. That boat is heavy as heck and not set up for fishing, I.E. it needs upgraded electronics, outrigs etc..

Then, I have this issue finding exactly what I want...a hell of a clean 24-26 ft Grady that has two engines. I can get by with one, but I really want two. I want a hard top, radar, solid fish finders I can update with a sd card etc, out and/or down riggers.

I can even see myself paying the towing permit fees, if I could find a boat with all this, clean, and newer.

Anyway, just rambling. Wife is driving, we are headed home, and my iphone is too small for me to look for boats well atm lol.

Russ

 

[UCPA111]

I like the looks of the journey. I am always curious about the real cockpit and helm space differences between the 228 seafarer and these other models in the 23-28 foot range). Maybe I am spoiled by my seafarer creation....I have a huge cockpit area because I took the cutout transom model 226 and enclosed it and added an engine bracket. I don't have the seating in the stern except on the port and starboard sides. It really makes for a large fishable area vs a lot of the boats I see with bait wells and such built into the transom. I troll a lot so having easy access to the stern and around the outboard is a must and makes life easy. I think Grady makes a nice boat. Mine's a 1984.

 

[RussGW270]

Well, I picked a bigger boat than I expected, honestly....than I need, but the price seemed right and, as long as I can find a survey person, should have it in a week or so.

Found a 2001 GW 282 Sailfish, clean as a whistle with under 500 hours on the engines.

Let’s hope my f-150 4x4 can pull and stop the thing heh.

Will update if it works out.

R

 

[Ky Grady]

Well, I picked a bigger boat than I expected, honestly....than I need, but the price seemed right and, as long as I can find a survey person, should have it in a week or so.

Found a 2001 GW 282 Sailfish, clean as a whistle with under 500 hours on the engines.

Let’s hope my f-150 4x4 can pull and stop the thing heh.

Will update if it works out.

R

Is that the one in Surfside? If so, looks clean. Definitely a survey on it for sure.