Help, first time buying a new Grady!

[tgr23]

I own a 95, 208 but I think we've decided to move up to new 258. A few questions, as I've never purchased a new boat. We live in Brooklyn NY. Any thoughts on the best dealer to trek too. They're all far away. I checked Spellman's but they don't seem to have a boat in stock. How long does it take to take delivery on a new boat? Anything I special I should consider? Any hidden costs? I know all the options I want but what about things like electronics?

Any owners of 258's that wish they'd done it differently? I'm leaning toward single 250 outboard. We don't do long trips out in the ocean so I don't think I need the security of a back up engine. Any other benefits to getting two engines? I know that's a big question, with many opinions.

Thanks in advance for all your sage wisdom.
Travis

 

[Parthery]

If you are buying new - current model year - you will have to go to Spellman's. GW protects their dealers by requiring new boats to be sold through dealers who cover a specified geographic area. If you order one, I would guess 8-10 weeks...maybe longer. Another dealer may have one in stock and GW will coordinate a dealer trade....

 

[Seafarer228G]

Poe Marine is one of our sponsors. It would be great if you could buy from them.

 

[family affair]

The 248 and 258 are very similar, so here are my $0.02 on the single ob:
- the single is roughly half the maintenance and potential head-ache of twins... especially if you do your own maintenance or if you need to take your boat in for service.
- I agree that a single is not a significant safety issue if you are not making long runs and boat in areas with regular traffic. A well maintained single you are familiar with is good insurance.
- A 250 should have plenty of power unless you are running max load often.
Now the bad:
-Controlling this hull at low speeds with wind and current is NOT for the novice. I don't even have a hard top or use curtains and it still is tough. If you will be docking in tight quarters, consider twins. A couple accidents would make the additional cost worth it. I would even ask if a small bow thruster exists.

 

[tgr23]

That is a really an interesting point about maneuvering with a single ob. Something to consider for sure. My slip is not too small but could be a problem.
Thank you very much!

 

[family affair]

I forgot to mention that the boat prior to this one was a 20 ft. Overnighter. Rarely did we ever have an issue docking because handling was predictable.
Other things that have come to mind:
-if possible don't let them mount the radio antenna in the walk around. No matter how often you remind yourself it is there, you will bash your ankle and foot on it.
-if you trailer, make sure the trailer is set up to prevent the winch stand from smashing the pulpit. Hopefully Grady changed this on the 258, but the bow eyelit on the 248 is so high that launching and retrieving on some ramps is a real PIA.

Give me enough time and I'll think of some more! :mrgreen:

 

[GradyJ258]

I have a 258 with Twin 150F's (as do two other people in my 'smaller' marina. I confer with the previous posts and emphasize the docking comments. At my old marina I used to have to travel down the slip 20 spots in cross winds (blowing 25% of the time) and the twins made it manageable. My neighbor had the 255 with a 300hp and noted the difficulty in docking.

The other commentsI would add are:

1) resale - check which configuration has a better resale in your area (twins dominate up here in the Northwest (there are a few single configurations but not many); and

2) ask about the 'ride' in rougher seas. My perception (not proved) is that duals have more 'bite' and thus lend to a better ride in the rough. The 258 hull is a thing of beauty and when it get rougher out (up to 3-4 ft seas) I actually increase the throttle to improve the ride. I have an '08 with '07 Yami's that came with the painted stainless steel props. I recently upgraded my props to the new factory stainless steel props (different pitch) and was amazed at how much better the ride was in the rough (more bite/surface area, etc). I am not sure how a single would push a 258 (heavy boat) through the rough as compared to twins).

My two cents.

David

 

[wahoo33417]

TGR: 258 is a great boat - but I'm biased!

We had an F250 for first six years of ownership and we were very happy with it. Four years ago we replaced it with an F300 and like it even more. Most notable difference is in a following sea. The F300 has a bit more throttle response to keep me positioned on the back side of a wave, especially when running an inlet.

I thought long and hard on the single vs. twin question. We went with the single for fuel economy. We just keep up our subscription to Tow Boat US. Haven't regretted it yet. When we do things like Bahamas crossings we go with another boat and would do that anyway.

When we repowered with the F300, our dealer suggested we try a prop one pitch larger than what Grady has on its website. Glad we did. We honestly get 3.5 mpg at 3500 rpm and 26 mph in good conditions. Draw back is I only get to 5400 rpm and 46 mph at WOT. At 4,000 rpm we see 31 mph and 2.8 mpg with full fuel and not much else. Our boat is normally fairly lightly load, so maybe we get away with this a bit better than many would.

Boat has most 'fishable' transom of all Grady walk-arounds, in my opinion.

My one complaint is that batteries, live-well and freshwater tank are all to port, causing uneven distribution of weight when water and live-well are full. It was easy enough to move the batteries to starboard and that corrected much of it, but I still have to use some trim tab to correct the lean when the live-well is full. Since I use the live-well a lot, we went with AGM batteries and that added even a bit more weight to the starboard side.

For what its worth, if it were me and my primary concern of engine choice was tight docking, I'd be tempted to go with a bow thruster and stay with a single (F300) engine. If I frequently boated alone outside of Tow Boat's range, I'd lean more toward twins. As it is, I have neither and I love the boat.

Good luck with your decision. And send pictures!

Rob

 

[ocnslr]

For wahoo33417: if you are only getting 5400 rpm at WOT you are over propped by about 3" to 4" pitch.

This puts a strain on the engine throughout the RPM range. Like lugging your stick shift car in the wrong gear.

You should be able to hit 6000 rpm at WOT with a light to medium load, and trimmed up to just below ventilating.

Don't have to take my word for it. Check with Ken at propgods, or any good prop shop. But not the dealer who overpropped you.

Brian

 

[wahoo33417]

Brian: I initially thought the same. But I'm becoming convinced otherwise. Last week I had occasion to run the boat with my local Yamaha tech. He was confident that the prop was fine. With 1/2 fuel we saw 32 mph at 4,000 rpm, getting 2.7 mpg.

When we repowered five years ago, the dealer suggested trying the larger prop, offering to swap it out if I didn't like it. In that time, I spoke with a Yamaha rep who thought it was fine.

From my less-technical perspective, the engine seems very happy in the 3500 - 4000 rpm range. And I'm happy with both the performance and the fuel burn.

If it turns out that I have cause to regret this choice, I'll be sure to report that here too.

Rob

 

[journeyman]

Our first Grady was a 208 and we loved it. But when we jumped to the 258, we were AMAZED at the difference in ride and stability. We were able to go out on days that would have punished us in the smaller boat.

Mine had a single F250 and was plenty enough power although the 300 sounds like the way to go if staying with a single. I don't have to deal with current at my marina but sometimes the wind can be a bear. I learned to dock it without too many headaches. Good advice from many here on this board. Engine trimmed up a little, tabs retracted, curtains rolled up, back into the wind etc. But on days when the wind was very strong, I just went in bow first. Also, my slip neighbor told me that, if necessary, put fenders out and use his boat to come in on like we were rafting up. Then just pull the boat snug up to my finger dock. Nice guy!

All that being said, twins probably would have made things easier. I'm just starting to learn how to handle twin engines so I don't have a lot to comment on that issue except that I know there will be a cost consideration with maintenance etc.

If unloading from a trailer with rollers on a very steep ramp, watch the anchor catching the winch stanchion if you get the pulpit option (recommended!). Get the stern to just float and back off on the winch gradually until clear. Normally not a problem, only on very steep ramps.

My batteries were somewhat centered but, as noted above, with a full fresh water tank and a full livewell, tab adjustment is needed.

Good Luck, you will LOVE the 258!

 

[VeroWing]

With now having a 258, you may end up deciding to run offshore some, and should probably give twins another consideration. I sure would. Just my opinion.