Looking at buying my first GW?

[release_n_grease]

Hello all,

Friday Aug 5, 2011 I'm going to test drive a Grady White for the first time. It is a 1995 175 spirit. I'm looking for any advise on what others have paid for similar boats? The reports I have received so far are low hours, garage/hoist kept, zero blemishes, 115 hp yamaha 4stroke, trailer, gps, fish finder, bimini top, used in fresh water only/greatlakes, and full cover. Asking price = $7000 u.s. This is going to be a starter boat and it is all I can afford for now so something bigger is out of the question for another year or two. I plan on using this boat for fishing, hunting, and recreation.

I have read the reports that this is a very wet boat, this may be a problem for early and late seaon fishing and hunting. My concern is that this boat might not handle the rough stuff that can sneak up on ya in the great lakes. I have been on the water for years and have a great working knowledge of how to run boats tho.

My final questions are about what to look for. What,if any, problems has this model boat had? What should I look for at the test drive?
Thanks for any advice and I look forward to becoming a REAL member soon!!

 

[megabytes]

Welcome to the GG board! While I have no experience with the 175 or the Great Lakes, I can say that 17' is small for choppy water and will be wet regardless of brand. The size is not large enough for a hull design to make HUGE differences; there just isn't enough hull. That said, the small Gradys are extremely popular, well built, and have more amenities that most comparable brands. Stay at port when it gets rough and enjoy the Grady on nice days.

 

[JeffN]

I just saw my first Spirit a couple of weeks ago at a yard. Previuosly I did not know they existed. I asked the manager about it and he said they were produced to compete with Mako and other 17s as an entry level boat. The Spirit did not have the look of a smaller 19' Grady, it looked a little like a flats boat with low sides. He said they were not available very long and mentioned a couple of things that were problematic. Nothing structural but IIRC he said something about the console being odd and that they were not well received by the buying public. I thought it was not a bad looking boat but with regard to his comments I think I would pay particular attention to the "feel" of the boat, how does the seating and console location fit you, along with the ride and that sort of thing when you sea trial. If it fits your use and meets your expectations go for it. I just did a quick search and found three Spirits for sale and the prices ranged from $5,000 to $8,500.

 

[release_n_grease]

Thanks guys,

The sea trial went well! The boat handled better than I expected. We hit some boat traffic and no one got wet at all. The boat felt solid and I was impressed with the way the Yamaha popped the boat out of the water. I made an offer and I'm confident that I will be in a Grady-White by Labor day. Thanks for the advise. One more Question... this boat has the 2 captains chairs at the console. How labor intensive is it to put a leaning post with a back rest. Can the seats be taken off the pedestals and a bench put in their place?

 

[JeffN]

Glad everything went well! A friend of mine just did the opposite in that he took out a leaning post and installed seats. He had to move his posts as the seats were too wide for the distance between his pedestals. I have seen leaning posts available in boating catalogs, I don't know how they adjust for different pedestal widths. Are they adjustable or do you just move the top of the mount under the leaning post? :hmm I can't imagine it is too tough a project. At any rate glad you had a good sea trial and have fun with the new Grady. When you get the boat post some pictures.

 

[Daman858]

I will say this....that 115 four stroke is about as bullet proof as you can get. I was in Costa Rica and went on excursions on river boats powered by twin 115s. All day long they are hauling tourists up and down those rivers with nary a hiccup. And you gotta know the gas probably is poor quality and the maintenance is haphazard. Good luck with your boat but I think you will get up-size-itis before too long.

 

[NOTHING ELSE MATTERS]

Glad everything went well! A friend of mine just did the opposite in that he took out a leaning post and installed seats. He had to move his posts as the seats were too wide for the distance between his pedestals. I have seen leaning posts available in boating catalogs, I don't know how they adjust for different pedestal widths. Are they adjustable or do you just move the top of the mount under the leaning post? :hmm I can't imagine it is too tough a project. At any rate glad you had a good sea trial and have fun with the new Grady. When you get the boat post some pictures.

PS - I searched and I found these guys http://www.leaning-posts.com/ They have a conversion post for seats to leaning post. Don't know anything about them but I was curious. Found this too http://www.boatdepot.com/productdetails ... =2200-50SA

If it was me i would not go with leaning-posts.com Is the same guy that was banned from here and THT by the name Arctek Jim or something like that. I had order a leaning post and a t-top from him in April and i was given all the excuses in the world for not getting to work on them. He wants to get paid in full in advanced and then he plays you around. I had to go to CT (he was in Clinton, CT) every weekend in order to get him started. He does not care how much you have to wait, all he cares is to get paid before. He still owes me the canvas for the t-top and he charged for a used center console that he had there which i end up telling him that i can not use after two days he charged me and now he will not give me my money back. He is bad news. I really never bad mouth anyone but this guy is something else.
Sorry for the derail, but i had to vent as soon as i saw the name and i would not want anyone to experience what i went through. His work is so,so.

 

[JeffN]

Nothing Else - Thanks for the feedback. I'll edit that out. I just did a seach and found that, I have never had dealings with either Co. If I were buying the next step would be asking around on the forums for reviews. I have had good experiences with two vendors that have later been savaged on the different boards. In my case they delivered what they promised and when, for others I guess not. All part of internet sourcing of services - buyer beware. In the future I'll only note vendors that I have personal experience with.

I'm sure that if one wanted to install a leaning post instead of seats it would be easy enough to find a top that you liked on the aftermarket or even build one and then find the parts to make it work. It should be all over the counter parts needed to get it completed. From the quick look at the one Spirit I have seen the leaning post instead of seats might be a very nice option. I am not sure if the wheel might feel low from a standing position but the OP will be the judge of that. Again thanks for the feedback on that vendor.

 

[cedarholm]

Thanks guys,

The sea trial went well! The boat handled better than I expected. We hit some boat traffic and no one got wet at all. The boat felt solid and I was impressed with the way the Yamaha popped the boat out of the water. I made an offer and I'm confident that I will be in a Grady-White by Labor day. Thanks for the advise. One more Question... this boat has the 2 captains chairs at the console. How labor intensive is it to put a leaning post with a back rest. Can the seats be taken off the pedestals and a bench put in their place?

I would use the boat awhile before going to leaning post. If you're going to troll the Great Lakes, I find that having the seats allows me to rotate around to watch poles for strikes while sitting.

I troll alone alot and use the other seat for a place to set stuff. (GW Escape 209 )

Depends on your needs of course.

What type of steering set-up? Cable or SeaStar?

 

[release_n_grease]

Still waiting for the counter offer from the seller! He came in higher then he originally stated. If he comes back down to near the original price I will make the purchase. The leaning post will be put on hold till I try the seats for a while to be sure I don't like them. Thanks to all for the advice and the replies. Everything has been helpful. I look forward to owning this boat. I will keep ya posted.