Is this to low ?

[Kabitz60]

Hi all.
First of all Thank you for letting me come aboard.
A question I have posted elsewhere... trying to gather opinions please.

My wife and I are in the market and looking for a boat.
I found a 99 GW 228 Seafarer back east that is pretty damn clean. We had a surveyor go out to the boat
and perform a preliminary inspection of the boat ((out of the water)) to see if it was worth moving forward with
a full survey... the surveyor did find one wet spot in the transom, no surprise for a GW, but the rest of the hull was dry.
We are wanting to move forward with a full inspection this week HOWEVER...the boat has a big beautiful 2019 DF250
on it. We where sent additional pictures of the boat yesterday per my request, the owner put the boat in the water to clean it up
and take the pics. He sent me the pics and the second or third picture is this..
I would like to get your opinions on this...Is this to stern heavy ? The boat will be used 80% fishing and 20% cursing around / pleasure and we BOTH fish hard.
PS. Boat has full fuel (tanks). The owner felt compelled to fill it up yesterday.
Thank you.

 

[seasick]

Quite hard to tell . I can't really see where the anti-ventilation plate sits relative to the keel. The bracket will make a difference but the real test is a thorough sea trial by you if you are experienced or someone else like the surveyor. You might want to ask what holes the motor is currently mounted on. That will tell you if you have wiggle room if the motor is too low. Also make sure that the motor length is correct for the setup.
Remember that at rest the position of that ventilation plate may be very different then when on plane.

I also suggest that you take a look at the aft scuppers to see where they lie when at rest.

 

[Kabitz60]

Quite hard to tell . I can't really see where the anti-ventilation plate sits relative to the keel. The bracket will make a difference but the real test is a thorough sea trial by you if you are experienced or someone else like the surveyor. You might want to ask what holes the motor is currently mounted on. That will tell you if you have wiggle room if the motor is too low. Also make sure that the motor length is correct for the setup.
Remember that at rest the position of that ventilation plate may be very different then when on plane.

I also suggest that you take a look at the aft scuppers to see where they lie when at rest.

Thank you much, Yes the scuppers are my # 1 concern right now.
I/we plan on fishing offshore ...west coast... and I don't need for my time on the water to be spent worrying about taking on water because of the scuppers be to low...etc. The boat is back east and Im out west...sight unseen.

 

[DennisG01]

Can't really tell anything from those pictures as far as the scuppers and their level compared to the water line. But there doesn't appear to be any water in the cockpit... which is your primary concern, right?

 

[Kabitz60]

Can't really tell anything from those pictures as far the scuppers and their level compared to the water line. But there doesn't appear to be any water in the cockpit... which is your primary concern, right?

My primary concern is when we are 30 + miles off shore fishing bottom/drifting. When family or friends are with us it could be
as many as 3-4 grown men at the stern fishing. According to the owner sitting wet slipped or under power its fine and takes on zero water.
Thank you.

 

[DennisG01]

My primary concern is when we are 30 + miles off shore fishing bottom/drifting. When family or friends are with us it could be
as many as 3-4 grown men at the stern fishing. According to the owner sitting wet slipped or under power its fine and takes on zero water.
Thank you.

IF water backflows in, worst case is a few inches towards at the aft end of the cockpit. That probably only has a possibility of happening if you all are back there at the same time. As soon as you move, the water will drain back out. I don't particularly like them because they can get fouled (although unlikely 30 miles off), but you could always install ping pong ball one-way valves.

30 miles or 30 feet, though, doesn't really matter as far as whether water comes in or not. Plus, it's not like the situation is going to surprise you - and you can easily rectify or avoid it.

 

[PointedRose]

Seachoice makes scupper drain covers with ping pong balls to prevent back flow. I haven’t tried them personally. Worth making sure scuppers are good to go with double clamps each end and the hoses are still good.

Amazon.com : Seachoice 18271 Boat Self-Bailing Cockpit Mounted 2-7/8-Inch Scupper Valve Kit, Clear : Boating Hardware And Maintenance Supplies : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Seachoice 18271 Boat Self-Bailing Cockpit Mounted 2-7/8-Inch Scupper Valve Kit, Clear : Boating Hardware And Maintenance Supplies : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

also can get some of these on board

Almencla 20pcs Marine Boat Wooden... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V959F2W?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[Kabitz60]

Seachoice makes scupper drain covers with ping pong balls to prevent back flow. I haven’t tried them personally. Worth making sure scuppers are good to go with double clamps each end and the hoses are still good.

Amazon.com : Seachoice 18271 Boat Self-Bailing Cockpit Mounted 2-7/8-Inch Scupper Valve Kit, Clear : Boating Hardware And Maintenance Supplies : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Seachoice 18271 Boat Self-Bailing Cockpit Mounted 2-7/8-Inch Scupper Valve Kit, Clear : Boating Hardware And Maintenance Supplies : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

also can get some of these on board

Almencla 20pcs Marine Boat Wooden... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V959F2W?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Yes indeed , I looking at these and they ...or the one with the flap will be installed if and when I get my hands on the boat.
Thanks.

 

[glacierbaze]

I thought all Gradys came with flappers in the scuppers, are you sure this one does not have them already?
Luckydude has a 250 Yamaha on his west coast Seafarer. He can chime in on how dry the cockpit is. I thought the limit went to 300, before they discontinued the model this year.

 

[Kabitz60]

I thought all Gradys came with flappers in the scuppers, are you sure this one does not have them already?
Luckydude has a 250 Yamaha on his west coast Seafarer. He can chime in on how dry the cockpit is. I thought the limit went to 300, before they discontinued the model this year.

Not sure about the flaps on the scuppers for now.
The weight limit slowly went up over the years.

 

[leeccoll]

Correct!!
My 87 hull was designed for lighter 2 strokes.
I really like the boat you are looking at. My 2 cents would be was it dry stored or wet slipped. That is a huge difference in how wet the hull might be. If it sat in saltwater, there is a chance the transom got pickled and the wood is still wet, but not rotting. Don't ask me how I know .
Hope you can look at the big picture, buying is tough these days.

 

[Kabitz60]

Correct!!
My 87 hull was designed for lighter 2 strokes.
I really like the boat you are looking at. My 2 cents would be was it dry stored or wet slipped. That is a huge difference in how wet the hull might be. If it sat in saltwater, there is a change the transom got pickled and the wood is still wet, but not rotting. Don't ask me how I know .
Hope you can look at the big picture, buying is tough these days.

I really like the boat too. My understanding is that it was dry stacked/slipped...I have been wrong before and will work with he surveyor and seller to get more info on this. The boat is most definitely on a dry stacked now though.

 

[wrxhoon]

I put pictures on the other thread of the old boat suitable for lightweight 2 smokes and the later models suitable for 4 bangers.: https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/228-repower.33257/page-2
The scuppers should have flaps and you need to change them on a regular bases if you don't want water on the cockpit. The scuppers on the boat you are buying look like they are all underwater, hard to tell from the photo you put up.
On that boat you are going to get water in the cockpit with 3 people on one corner , that's for sure when the boat is stationary in the rough Pacific. As soon as you start moving forward even a very slow speed the water will go.
My biggest concern would be the wet transom, I know you said the boat was kept out of the water but you don't really know. Make sure the surveyor tests with a moisture meter but the boat has to be out of the water for some time to get a certain reading. If there is moisture in the transom I would walk away if I was you.
Zukes are very heavy, much heavier than the old 2 stroke Yamaha that boat was designed for .

 

[Kabitz60]

I put pictures on the other thread of the old boat suitable for lightweight 2 smokes and the later models suitable for 4 bangers.: https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/228-repower.33257/page-2
The scuppers should have flaps and you need to change them on a regular bases if you don't want water on the cockpit. The scuppers on the boat you are buying look like they are all underwater, hard to tell from the photo you put up.
On that boat you are going to get water in the cockpit with 3 people on one corner , that's for sure when the boat is stationary in the rough Pacific. As soon as you start moving forward even a very slow speed the water will go.
My biggest concern would be the wet transom, I know you said the boat was kept out of the water but you don't really know. Make sure the surveyor tests with a moisture meter but the boat has to be out of the water for some time to get a certain reading. If there is moisture in the transom I would walk away if I was you.
Zukes are very heavy, much heavier than the old 2 stroke Yamaha that boat was designed for .

The surveyor said '' there is a wet spot in the transom but it is not a soft spot'' (he did a preliminary inspection for me that included thermal imaging of the hull The rest of the boat was dry and in his opinion the boat is sound What I don't know is if the wet spot is (pickled) or not as somebody on here mentioned.
Im sure that all the thru-hulls need to be addressed.
2 smoke. lol. so true.

 

[Kabitz60]

Update.
As some know I had a preliminary survey done on the boat.
The surveyor did /took a thermal reading and found the transom to be wet, '' no decontamination but wet.
SOOOO I called him back this AM to revisit our transom conversation.
I asked him how wet is the transom and he said ''Ill bet if you drilled a hole big enough to put your hand in there your hand would get / be wet''
He also said this was no surprises to him. He says ''their all wet'' referring to older Grady's
bummer.

 

[seasick]

I don't know how to interpret thermal imaging of a hull. Thermal imaging shows temperatures and I don't know how temp differences relate to moisture content. It's new to me.

They are not all wet either.

FYI, the condition he said he didn't see is delamination not decontamination.
Did you pay for his assessment and did you get a written report?

 

[Kabitz60]

I don't know how to interpret thermal imaging of a hull. Thermal imaging shows temperatures and I don't know how temp differences relate to moisture content. It's new to me.

They are not all wet either.

FYI, the condition he said he didn't see is delamination not decontamination.
Did you pay for his assessment and did you get a written report?

LOL...spell check strikes again. There is (no delamination ) no written report yet. This is a preliminary inspection of the hull. we are trying to determine if it's worth moving forward with a full survey...sea trial and on work rack etc.
I don't know how temp differences relate to moisture either.
Agreed, I'm sure their not all wet too...but this one is and it's no surprise to him and I'll bet it's no surprise to others.

 

[ItalianAngler]

Seachoice makes scupper drain covers with ping pong balls to prevent back flow. I haven’t tried them personally. Worth making sure scuppers are good to go with double clamps each end and the hoses are still good.

Amazon.com : Seachoice 18271 Boat Self-Bailing Cockpit Mounted 2-7/8-Inch Scupper Valve Kit, Clear : Boating Hardware And Maintenance Supplies : Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Seachoice 18271 Boat Self-Bailing Cockpit Mounted 2-7/8-Inch Scupper Valve Kit, Clear : Boating Hardware And Maintenance Supplies : Sports & Outdoors

www.amazon.com

also can get some of these on board

Almencla 20pcs Marine Boat Wooden... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07V959F2W?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

FWIW. My neighbor has the ping pong ball scuppers and hates them with a passion. They get fouled constantly and leave him with inches of water in the cockpit when they stick. His boat is wet slipped, 21 Mako.

 

[Kabitz60]

I called the surveyor and communicated with the seller that we will be passing/not buying this boat.
Thank you all for your input and wish us luck on our new search for a boat.

 

[seasick]

The more boats you see, the better your chances of knowing when you see the right one.
Good luck with your search.