Looking to purchase 2005/2006 Gulfstream

[Fire33]

Hello, I’m new to this forum and I am looking to purchase a used 2005/2006 gulfstream. Any feedback on the positives/negatives would be great.

Will the cabin sleep 2 adults on same bed or does one have to sleep on the bunk?

F250 or twin F150’s for power?

Any issues with water into hull? I saw one with water in the t-top…..

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I don't know a ton about the 232 Gulfstream but know some about Grady White's in general. I believe it was 1997 where they switched over from marine grade plywood to Greenwood XL, which is supposed to be much better at resisting mold/rot from water intrusion. With you looking at a 2005/2006 year, you shouldn't have as much concern as the older years but I personally like to have a surveyor/inspector look over every boat that I purchase. The reasons for doing so would be that it's relatively inexpensive to hire one, they can take moisture readings inside the hull for you with a moisture reader to tell you if you've got water intrusion, they can check over the motor for things like compression, can do a leak down test, they can scope the inside of the motor for corrosion issues and most have years, if not decades of experience looking over boats. In regards to the motor selection, Yamaha F225's and even some of the F250's in that vintage can, and do have a dry exhaust corrosion issue that you can look up on Google. But it looks like the maximum horsepower for the years you're looking at is 400 hp total, so the most you could run for twin's would be twin 200's. It's up to you if you'd like to run a single main motor or twin's, the 232's had options for either and you'll see some with a single main whereas others had twin's. I personally would rather have a single main and possibly a kicker motor for redundancy in the event of a motor failure and that's going to cost you a bit less than having two main motors. Especially when in terms of maintenance and upkeep and just the purchase price overall.

If you do go with a single motor though, a good deal of them had Yamaha 250's on them, which some still had the dry exhaust corrosion issue. The gist of it from what I've read is that Yamaha tried to save weight on their outboards in the early to mid 2000's and so they added lighter weight exhaust components, but in doing so they made it easier for the dry exhaust to corrode the exhaust tubing as well as other exhaust/mechanical parts. So the dry exhaust can eat through the tubing as well as other parts of the motor if you wait too long to take care of it. There's a ton of info on Google about it, so I won't bore you to death but that would be on the top of my concern list about a boat of that vintage, if you're looking at one with those motors. But as said earlier, I'd pay a competent marine surveyor to look everything over so you know what you're getting yourself into. The kit for the dry exhaust corrosion issue is about $600, combined with the labor to fix it and you're looking around $2k total per engine to do, if you catch it early enough. While I'd rather not spend the $2k if I don't have to, it's much better than having to buy a new motor or powerhead. Before I bought my 2004 GW 228 Seafarer, I looked at at least 3-4 others, of which a couple had the Yamaha 225's and at least one had the dry exhaust corrosion issue. It's not a huge problem if you catch it early enough as stated above, and if you can work that into the selling price then it can come out in your favor oftentimes. I liked the 228 Seafarer better than the 232 because the floor is all one level, it's a narrower boat, weighs less and I liked the cabin design much better than the 232's bunk bed style cabin. Depending on the size of the people, you might be able to get two adults on the bottom portion of the cabin area without one having to sleep on the bunk bed portion. Lastly, a 232 Gulfstream has a 9'3" beam, of which I've heard certain states require a special "wide load" permit when trailering one. Just something else to think about. Here's a link about the dry exhaust corrosion issue as well as a couple of sites for certified marine surveyors. What's your price range for purchasing the 232?

Yamaha F225 Corrosion Complaints

Owners of some Yamaha outboards are incensed at having to pay thousands to repair their relatively low-hour engines.

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[Fire33]

Thanks and I am aware of the exhaust issue. I also planned on a survey!!

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Thanks and I am aware of the exhaust issue. I also planned on a survey!!

One other thing to think about if going with twin motor's would be the weight. A single Yahama 250-300 hp outboard are actually the same weight at around 550 lbs dry whereas a single Yamaha 150 hp outboard is just under 500 lbs dry. So if you had twin 150's on the boat then you'd be looking at over 1k lbs of weight just for the outboards, not including fuel, batteries, water, ice, bait and so on. With the added weight of twin's, I also don't think you'd be able to get on a plane if you had a single 150 or even 200 hp outboard, if one of the motors were to die on you while out on the water. Sure, it would be nice to be able to drive and control the throttle of the motor from the helm as opposed to going in with the kicker motor but I still like the idea of a single main and kicker motor much better. Especially in terms of weight reduction. Not sure what size of kicker motor you'd need for a 232 but a 15 hp Yamaha is a max of 132 lbs and a 9.9 hp Yamaha is a max of 93 lbs. I'd take 550 lbs on the single 250/300 Yamaha and 132 lbs on the 15 hp kicker motor at 682 lbs total and save well over 300 lbs in the rear of the boat as opposed to twins.

 

[magicalbill]

I had a 2007 Gulfstream for 10 years with twin F200's. It's a great boat. I slept overnight, took it to the Keys twice a year from Ft Myers, FL (180-185 miles) and trailered it everywhere. Loved it.

1.) I would NOT have that boat with a single engine. It planes much easier with twins, there's better control in rough seas and it's 10 times easier to horse around a dock that a single equipped boat would be. It is a widebody as mentioned, and I think it's too much boat for a single, although many have them.

2.) You can sleep two below in the V-berth, if you are on good terms. The fold-out bunk above is OK for kids or a small adult, but it's far from ideal. Basically, the boats sleeps two. Stove and sink to port are useless; I put overnight bags on them....

3.) I prefer 200's over 150's but 150's would be better than any single. Mileage is about the same, with the 150's maybe a tick better.

Cruise Numbers Below with F200's.

3600RPM 28MPH 1.9-2.0 MPG.
3900RPM 31MPH 1.9 MPG
4400 RPM 36MPH 1.7 MPG (Hi Cruise.)

These numbers are with bottom paint. My son now has the boat-he stripped the bottom paint off and his numbers went up 1-2 MPH per RPM setting and he hits 2.2 MPG on calm days.

4.) Trailering is no prob if you have a strong rig to pull it. I recommend diesel with at least a 3/4 ton truck. My 232 weighed in at 10,100 lbs, loaded for Bear with full fuel. Yours will probably be less. As Stang mentioned, permits are required; Anything over 8' 6" requires special permits to tow legally. Some get them, some don't. Captain's Call here.

That's about it; It is a really big 23 footer and will take reasonable seas. Anything over a two foot wind-driven chop is uncomfortable in one, but not unsafe. Open ocean long period swell? Dunno...I don't run the oceans.

I say get it if the boat checks out. Stang also mentioned the corrosion issues. My F200's had it, many 225's did, as we all know. Stay after that. Good Luck!

 

[family affair]

I had a 2007 Gulfstream for 10 years with twin F200's. It's a great boat. I slept overnight, took it to the Keys twice a year from Ft Myers, FL (180-185 miles) and trailered it everywhere. Loved it.

1.) I would NOT have that boat with a single engine. It
4.) Trailering is no prob if you have a strong rig to pull it. I recommend diesel with at least a 3/4 ton truck. My 232 weighed in at 10,100 lbs, loaded for Bear with full fuel. Yours will probably be less.

MB: I gotta ask. What in the world did you carry in a Gulfy to get to over 10k lbs?
Hull: 4600
Twins: 1000
Hardtop: 300
Batteries: 150
Fuel: 900
Triaxle trailer (typically a tandem is plenty for a Gulfstream): 1700
Water: 100
Gear: 500 and that's a lot of gear
Total: 9250 lbs maxed out with high estimates and a big trailer.
Where did the extra 850 come from?

 

[magicalbill]

Family: Now your making me have to think....

I had 6cyl F200's remember, heavier than 150's.
Overnight bags, food, 80 quart coolers etc.
10 bags of ice in the port livewell and enough Mt Dews for a year or so...
Full fuel
Trailer was steel and a tandem with 7K axles-2 spares mounted with rims & hubs.I believe that trailer scaled at 1900.
Toolbox, 15 lbs, maybe.
Full water.
Hardtop.
2 AGM Batteries.
2 anchors- forward anchor equipped with 15 ft of chain & 200 ft of rode, I think. Stern Danforth with 75 feet of rode.

It's late, I may be missing something.

I know it's weird; It surprised me at the Pilot Truck Stop the first time I weighed it on the Cat Scales, but I swear it was 10,100 lbs.

 

[Fire33]

One other thing to think about if going with twin motor's would be the weight. A single Yahama 250-300 hp outboard are actually the same weight at around 550 lbs dry whereas a single Yamaha 150 hp outboard is just under 500 lbs dry. So if you had twin 150's on the boat then you'd be looking at over 1k lbs of weight just for the outboards, not including fuel, batteries, water, ice, bait and so on. With the added weight of twin's, I also don't think you'd be able to get on a plane if you had a single 150 or even 200 hp outboard, if one of the motors were to die on you while out on the water. Sure, it would be nice to be able to drive and control the throttle of the motor from the helm as opposed to going in with the kicker motor but I still like the idea of a single main and kicker motor much better. Especially in terms of weight reduction. Not sure what size of kicker motor you'd need for a 232 but a 15 hp Yamaha is a max of 132 lbs and a 9.9 hp Yamaha is a max of 93 lbs. I'd take 550 lbs on the single 250/300 Yamaha and 132 lbs on the 15 hp kicker motor at 682 lbs total and save well over 300 lbs in the rear of the boat as opposed to twins.

Thanks for the information

 

[Fire33]

Family: Now your making me have to think....

I had 6cyl F200's remember, heavier than 150's.
Overnight bags, food, 80 quart coolers etc.
10 bags of ice in the port livewell and enough Mt Dews for a year or so...
Full fuel
Trailer was steel and a tandem with 7K axles-2 spares mounted with rims & hubs.I believe that trailer scaled at 1900.
Toolbox, 15 lbs, maybe.
Full water.
Hardtop.
2 AGM Batteries.
2 anchors- forward anchor equipped with 15 ft of chain & 200 ft of rode, I think. Stern Danforth with 75 feet of rode.

It's late, I may be missing something.

I know it's weird; It surprised me at the Pilot Truck Stop the first time I weighed it on the Cat Scales, but I swear it was 10,100 lbs.

It adds up quick!

 

[Fishermanbb]

It’s a really big boat for a 23 footer because of the wide beam. It’s a fantastic boat….But, get twins……The boat runs totally different with twins vs. single screw…..Around the dock and at sea……Get the twins……

 

[family affair]

MB,
If you add 400 lbs for the 6 cylinder 200's and the steel trailer, you aren't far off. That was a crazy amount of weight for a 23 footer, but if you are stocked for hard core fishing with everything maxed out, I could see you getting there.
I run light by comparison and never run full tanks. Typically I'm only around 9k.

 

[magicalbill]

It’s a really big boat for a 23 footer because of the wide beam. It’s a fantastic boat….But, get twins……The boat runs totally different with twins vs. single screw…..Around the dock and at sea……Get the twins……

Exactly.