Is it possible?

[Bajaahh]

Is it possible to wear the textured gel coat smooth on the deck of a 10 year old GW?
Im currently looking at a 208 to buy, but it has a 3' diameter of the textured deck gel coat(or is it resin?) that has been worn smooth. Its located just behind the helm seats in the middle section of the deck. I have not seen the boat in person(as of yet) but according to the seller he said that it was worn smooth by normal use(while wearing boots). He says its not a soft spot and there was never a bait tank or cooler there...
The pics of the boat seem like it is a well taken care of boat with about 500hrs on the original motor. I have done some research and I cant find anyone with the same problem or any "bad" years of gelcoating. There are no blisters that he reports or other issues in that area. He said there was never any repairs in that area. I am going to have it surveyed soon but this is a possible deal breaker for me. I thought I'd ask you "experts" before I shell out some money for the survey....

Any thoughts? :hmm

Thanks in advance.

 

[DennisG01]

Is it possible? Sure - anything can wear and textured gelcoat (it is, indeed, gelcoat) can certainly be worn away over time. How fast and to what extent simply depends on what/who is doing the wearing. There would be nothing "underneath" the area that would cause this wear. This would totally come from the topside. If it's from "normal" foot wear, the wear will not be perfectly symmetrical or uniform. There's no pictures so I don't know if I can offer any other advice. Hours on the engine will not dictate whether this is excessive wear or not.

 

[Pez Vela]

It took a lot longer for mine to wear, but it's just a matter of hard use.

 

[Parthery]

Without pics, it's just a guess but I suspect it's a patch job. Non-skid is exceedingly difficult to match.

 

[mboyatt]

This is, of course, pure speculation without seeing the area. However, I am with Parthery on this one. I bet you that has been patched at some point. I have a spot in my bow that a previous owner did on the diamond non-skid and it is completely obvious. It is a round smooth area. You will be able to tell if you see the boat in person.

 

[Bajaahh]

Ok , thanks for the reply's. The pic that was sent to me isn't very clear and was taken while the boat was shrink wrapped(I dont know how to posts pics yet). Im still on the fence, but I might shell out a little money to have that area inspected by a surveyor. I just have a hard time believing that its possible to do unless your wearing boots made with sandpaper soles... I usually fish in waterproof rubber boots if I wear any shoes at all.

 

[Pez Vela]

Since you can see the remnants of the non-skid pattern in portions of the pic, I maintain that the deck is showing signs of heavy wear. Mine looks the same, it just took 25 years to get that way.

 

[mboyatt]

Can you go see the boat in person easily? Seriously, I would consider doing this if you can before spending the money to have it surveyed. If you can go see the boat, you will get a much better sense of whether it is even worth paying for a survey. I found a Grady online that I fell in love with. Went to see the boat in person, and it was a no go. Drove 3 hours and it was a bust when I saw the boat. The boat looked good in photos, but was not well maintained. Saw another Grady that looked questionable in photos, and when I saw the boat, I knew that was the one. I purchased her within a week. Bottom line, when dealing with older boats, you just can't tell from a photo. Please go see the boat if at all possible before dropping the cash to have it surveyed.

 

[Bajaahh]

The problem I have is that Im in San Diego and the boat is in Chatham, Mass...
I have to fly out to see the boat, so I was hoping to find a surveyor that might be willing to take a "quick look" at the boat. Its currently winterized & dry stored, so he would only have to look at the area in question for me before I buy the ticket to fly out.

Can anyone in that area recommend a surveyor?
Thanks!

 

[downtown]

There are plenty of Cape Codders on GG. If you don't have any luck with a surveyor rec. go to SAMS website and pick a few on Cape Cod. Talk to them and make sure they are familiar with the boat and potential issues.

 

[Pez Vela]

Is this the 208 for sale at Outermost Harbor Marine by any chance? It would just be a coincidence, since I'm in San Diego and was in Chatham checking it out while on vacation a couple of years ago. There are a lot of Gradys there. If you want to see what I'm talking about, you can look at my deck. Just send me a PM. I think you're making a big deal about something that is likely a non-issue, even if that area of the deck has been repaired. So what? I don't think you need a surveyor to evaluate worn non-skid vs. a gelcoat repair. If you are a serious buyer looking at East coast boats, the travel back is inevitable. How anyone buys a shrink wrapped boat back there in the middle of winter is a mystery to me. For you East coat guys, how does that usually work?