Never Owned a Boat - Looking for Suggestions!

[TOND7]

Hi Everyone,

First time posting here and first time ever being on the site.

I stumbled across this site while looking into boats. I have been searching FB Marketplace for Grady White 208 Adventure's. Like the subject of this post says I have never owned a boat outside of small bass boats. I want to see if anyone has suggestions on a casual fishing boat that I can maybe spend a night or two on. Located an hour from the jersey shore I want to be able to tow it down on weekends - so I would guess something smaller and more towable with a mid-size pickup. I have no clue what to look out for as far as model years and motors or what boat is capable of what (how far out into the ocean, etc.).

I'm open to any and all suggestions and really appreciate the help!

 

[magicalbill]

Hey TOND7:

Your already in a good Zone boat-wise & size wise. An Adventure would be easily towable and would run in the Atlantic on fairly calm days. When I say "calm" I define it as winds 10kts and under with seas 2 ft or less. (Long-period groundswell is more forgiving, but I can expound on that more if you don't already know about it.)

I would also give a hard look at a Seafarer 22. Probably Grady's most popular boat, although they've been discontinued, creating quite a stir on this site and with current owners. It's cabin is more roomy & forgiving for your overnight outings and it's a tad more seaworthy than it's 20 ft counterpart, the Adventure. It'll come in around 5500-6000lbs w/trailer, still making it an easy tow for a good 1/2 ton truck.

Engines? I am a proponent of as much HP as you can legally hang on there. if you're shopping used, you'll obviously encounter different engines on different boats, but unless the lower-HP boat is a much better deal, I would always opt for all the HP you can get. Yamaha is my personal favorite, although many on here dig Suzuki's these days.

Reliable sources on here? Check with KY Grady; He is a real pro on trailering and Seafarers in general.
Smoky MT Grady can also give you valuable tips.
Anything Doc Stressor says is required reading if you want to be a better boater.
DennisGo1 is a huge help to so many boaters on here. Ask him anything and he'll steer you in the right direction.
Any exchange with the guys mentioned will not be a waste of time.

 

[TOND7]

Awesome! Thank you so much for all the info - appreciate it!

 

[coldpizza]

I think you are on the right track. I had an Adventure for 15 years and loved it. Moved up to a Gulfstream. Might only be 3' longer, but 'bigger' to tow, bigger to maneuver in small places, and bigger to store on the trailer.
I towed my Adventure by my Excursion, and even used my 1993 Jeep Cherokee for a couple of years (50 mi RT), not quite the best set up, but it worked.
Did a few overnight trips but mostly I used the cabin to store stuff (my boat was on a mooring in the Spring/Summer/Fall seasons. Also for napping and my wife liked the option of having a porta potty convenient.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I think the biggest question that I have would be what is your budget? The 208 Adventure's are a decent sized boat that you can trailer, launch, fish and retrieve on your own. They tend to be a bit more readily available than the bigger boats like a 226/228 Seafarer, and are usually a bit less money but they do have a motor well or notched style of transom as opposed to the 228 which is enclosed. Knowing your budget will help out tremendously as you likely won't find a decent 226/228 Seafarer that's less than $20k, if that just happened to be your budget. Also, are you looking only for a Walk Around type of cabin or are you potentially interested in Center Console's or Dual Console's as well? If you're wanting to stick with a walk around cabin then I wouldn't go with anything bigger than 226/228 Seafarer as the next size up from there is a 232 Gulfstream and it has a 9'3" beam, compared to the 226/228 Seafarer which is only an 8' beam. That means in some states you'll have to get a special wide load permit for trailering and it's not going to be as easy to trailer and manage on your own. It also means that it's going to be considerably more money than a 208/226/228 will be, especially if you're looking at one with twin motors.

If you do go for a boat with 4 stroke motors on them, the early 2000's Yamaha motors had something called a dry exhaust corrosion issue, which you can look up on Google. It effected mostly the Yamaha 225hp motors from roughly 2001 until 2007 or 2008, but it effected other motors such as the 200's or even the 250's as well. I personally just bought my 2004 GW 228 Seafarer in Maryland back in early October after looking for one for over a year. I bought mine on the east coast when I live near Seattle because of the price, and found mine for about half of what they sell for out here. I then rented a U-Haul truck and trailered her back 3,009 miles to Seattle. I personally think the 228 Seafarer is perfect for me in that she has the enclosed transom with the transom bracket on the back, a decent sized cabin/cockpit/helm area and does everything that I need her to do. I leave my boat on a mooring buoy in front of my beach cabin on Whidbey island during the summer for weeks on end and didn’t like the idea of leaving the boat out on the buoy with a notched or open transom. She's very easy to trailer/launch/fish/retrieve on my own and think she's just about the perfect sized boat for salmon fishing in the Puget Sound without being overkill. She still gets decent fuel economy and rides great in the rough water, wind and chop. I think the 208 Adventure as well as the 226/228 Seafarer are extremely versatile boats in that you can fish, crab, cruise, overnight if you want, but you’ve still got a ton of space for gear in the cabin or in the cockpit area. It’s a big enough boat that’ll handle just about any decent amount of weather you throw at it, but where she’s also manageable on your own as well. Good luck with your search!

 

[Chessie246G]

There is an endless supply of used boats on the Jersey shore. Get it surveyed..... Its worth the money. My gf is from southern NJ and we spend a good bit of time up there in the summer. Longer run to the canyons though.
Mustang is correct, watch you beam width if you plan to trailer. Here in MD anything over 8ft requires special permits and placards. It limited my choices of models. Possible just cost exceeded what I wanted to spend to be able to move it without fear of a huge fine. I went with an Explorer 246G 24ft with 3ft bracket. Lighter of the larger boats with a single 2 stroke. Took about a year to find the right deal for the right boat. Don't rush a decision and make sure you do your homework.
You mentioned overnights. From my research the 20ft cuddys are going to cramped for space unless you're a short fella. I'm 6ft5 and can fit comfortably in my 24ft cuddy.

 

[blynch]

Welcome aboard. To say you've come to the right place is an understatement!

I bought my first boat for myself at 27 a year ago. Settled on a 226 seafarer. Gave it an obnoxiously wordy writeup here if you're interested https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/not-that-anyone-asked-my-226-seafarer-1-year-review.33913/ , I'd suspect alot of this applies to the Adventure as well.

I also spend several years fishing primarily on a 20' Boston Whaler with the same layout, based out of Manasquan Inlet in NJ. The boat was pretty capable of handling most inshore fishing up to a couple of miles off- stripers, fluke, maybe even some midshore mahi and sharking further off on a perfect day. Adventure/Overnighter would be an extremely similar boat to this and should be pretty well suited to the inshore game as long as you keep in mind that it (like almost any boat) will have its limitations with adverse weather. Best advice would be to not benture too far from the ramp while you learn the ropes and the boat's capabilities, then expand your range once you have your feet under you and have a better sense for what level of rough water you're comfortable with etc.

Finally I'll say that it would be helpful to give the folks here a sense of your budget since this will determine the age of boat and motor you'll be targeting, which will in turn dictate what the major issues to look out for are and whatnot.

 

[Ky Grady]

Welcome. Plenty of info on here along with experience.

You say mid size pickup?? Are we talking Ranger, Colorado, Tacoma? Or are we into F150, 1500, Tundra category? I probably tow overkill with my F350 dually for my 228 Seafarer, but I regularly tow over 1000 miles round trip to South Carolina and even further when I go to Florida,, hazzards of living in Kentucky. The dually is a pleasure to tow with, no sway when semi's pass and roll right on down the road with the Seafarer. For the distance I pull, I'll always have a diesel pickup, maybe not always a dually. As far as overnight on the Seafarer, it's doable but cozy. I've been on a 208, but it was a long time ago, so I can't speak of the room in the cabin.

As far as looking for a boat. FB Marketplace is a start. Look on here in the For Sale section, Boat Trader, Yacht World, local dealer,, many different places to look. With the state of our world right now, the used market is pretty crazy on price due to the shortage of new boats. If you find what you want, you'd better be ready to move on it because there is probably someone right behind you that will. Know your budget and don't get in over your head. A good survey is priceless, just make sure the surveyor is of your choosing, not the seller or dealer suggestion,,, they've been known to work together sometimes to make a sale to an unsuspecting buyer. These are boats, things need repaired or replaced. The older the boat you get, the more potential for a little sweat equity on your part there will be. If you're handy, that's a good thing, if you're not, it could get expensive depending on the project. I've pretty much rebuilt mine from the hull up but I did most all the work myself. Couldn't imagine what the cost of everything I've done would've been.

Good luck in your search.

 

[TOND7]

I think the biggest question that I have would be what is your budget? The 208 Adventure's are a decent sized boat that you can trailer, launch, fish and retrieve on your own. They tend to be a bit more readily available than the bigger boats like a 226/228 Seafarer, and are usually a bit less money but they do have a motor well or notched style of transom as opposed to the 228 which is enclosed. Knowing your budget will help out tremendously as you likely won't find a decent 226/228 Seafarer that's less than $20k, if that just happened to be your budget. Also, are you looking only for a Walk Around type of cabin or are you potentially interested in Center Console's or Dual Console's as well? If you're wanting to stick with a walk around cabin then I wouldn't go with anything bigger than 226/228 Seafarer as the next size up from there is a 232 Gulfstream and it has a 9'3" beam, compared to the 226/228 Seafarer which is only an 8' beam. That means in some states you'll have to get a special wide load permit for trailering and it's not going to be as easy to trailer and manage on your own. It also means that it's going to be considerably more money than a 208/226/228 will be, especially if you're looking at one with twin motors.

If you do go for a boat with 4 stroke motors on them, the early 2000's Yamaha motors had something called a dry exhaust corrosion issue, which you can look up on Google. It effected mostly the Yamaha 225hp motors from roughly 2001 until 2007 or 2008, but it effected other motors such as the 200's or even the 250's as well. I personally just bought my 2004 GW 228 Seafarer in Maryland back in early October after looking for one for over a year. I bought mine on the east coast when I live near Seattle because of the price, and found mine for about half of what they sell for out here. I then rented a U-Haul truck and trailered her back 3,009 miles to Seattle. I personally think the 228 Seafarer is perfect for me in that she has the enclosed transom with the transom bracket on the back, a decent sized cabin/cockpit/helm area and does everything that I need her to do. I leave my boat on a mooring buoy in front of my beach cabin on Whidbey island during the summer for weeks on end and didn’t like the idea of leaving the boat out on the buoy with a notched or open transom. She's very easy to trailer/launch/fish/retrieve on my own and think she's just about the perfect sized boat for salmon fishing in the Puget Sound without being overkill. She still gets decent fuel economy and rides great in the rough water, wind and chop. I think the 208 Adventure as well as the 226/228 Seafarer are extremely versatile boats in that you can fish, crab, cruise, overnight if you want, but you’ve still got a ton of space for gear in the cabin or in the cockpit area. It’s a big enough boat that’ll handle just about any decent amount of weather you throw at it, but where she’s also manageable on your own as well. Good luck with your search!

Thanks you for all the helpful info. Good to know about wide load permit. I most likely will stick to the 208 or seafarer.

As for budget, I am looking right around that 20K mark. Most of the ones I've seen are mid to late 90's and ranging from 15-25K price range. The motors I'm seeing vary from boat to boat so that's awesome info about the Yamaha motors.

Thank you!

 

[TOND7]

There is an endless supply of used boats on the Jersey shore. Get it surveyed..... Its worth the money. My gf is from southern NJ and we spend a good bit of time up there in the summer. Longer run to the canyons though.
Mustang is correct, watch you beam width if you plan to trailer. Here in MD anything over 8ft requires special permits and placards. It limited my choices of models. Possible just cost exceeded what I wanted to spend to be able to move it without fear of a huge fine. I went with an Explorer 246G 24ft with 3ft bracket. Lighter of the larger boats with a single 2 stroke. Took about a year to find the right deal for the right boat. Don't rush a decision and make sure you do your homework.
You mentioned overnights. From my research the 20ft cuddys are going to cramped for space unless you're a short fella. I'm 6ft5 and can fit comfortably in my 24ft cuddy.

Awesome thanks! Yes, I've done a few tuna fishing trips and it's about 4 hours or so out to the canyons going from Margate, NJ. I don't know if a 208 would even be safe or capable of doing that but my thought is for now start with something small and stay closer to shore until I figure it out.

 

[TOND7]

Welcome aboard. To say you've come to the right place is an understatement!

I bought my first boat for myself at 27 a year ago. Settled on a 226 seafarer. Gave it an obnoxiously wordy writeup here if you're interested https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/not-that-anyone-asked-my-226-seafarer-1-year-review.33913/ , I'd suspect alot of this applies to the Adventure as well.

I also spend several years fishing primarily on a 20' Boston Whaler with the same layout, based out of Manasquan Inlet in NJ. The boat was pretty capable of handling most inshore fishing up to a couple of miles off- stripers, fluke, maybe even some midshore mahi and sharking further off on a perfect day. Adventure/Overnighter would be an extremely similar boat to this and should be pretty well suited to the inshore game as long as you keep in mind that it (like almost any boat) will have its limitations with adverse weather. Best advice would be to not benture too far from the ramp while you learn the ropes and the boat's capabilities, then expand your range once you have your feet under you and have a better sense for what level of rough water you're comfortable with etc.

Finally I'll say that it would be helpful to give the folks here a sense of your budget since this will determine the age of boat and motor you'll be targeting, which will in turn dictate what the major issues to look out for are and whatnot.

Appreciate it! I will definitely look into your writeup.

Budget I'm targeting is right around 20K, which is right around what I'm seeing the 208s I'm looking at going for.

 

[TOND7]

Welcome. Plenty of info on here along with experience.

You say mid size pickup?? Are we talking Ranger, Colorado, Tacoma? Or are we into F150, 1500, Tundra category? I probably tow overkill with my F350 dually for my 228 Seafarer, but I regularly tow over 1000 miles round trip to South Carolina and even further when I go to Florida,, hazzards of living in Kentucky. The dually is a pleasure to tow with, no sway when semi's pass and roll right on down the road with the Seafarer. For the distance I pull, I'll always have a diesel pickup, maybe not always a dually. As far as overnight on the Seafarer, it's doable but cozy. I've been on a 208, but it was a long time ago, so I can't speak of the room in the cabin.

As far as looking for a boat. FB Marketplace is a start. Look on here in the For Sale section, Boat Trader, Yacht World, local dealer,, many different places to look. With the state of our world right now, the used market is pretty crazy on price due to the shortage of new boats. If you find what you want, you'd better be ready to move on it because there is probably someone right behind you that will. Know your budget and don't get in over your head. A good survey is priceless, just make sure the surveyor is of your choosing, not the seller or dealer suggestion,,, they've been known to work together sometimes to make a sale to an unsuspecting buyer. These are boats, things need repaired or replaced. The older the boat you get, the more potential for a little sweat equity on your part there will be. If you're handy, that's a good thing, if you're not, it could get expensive depending on the project. I've pretty much rebuilt mine from the hull up but I did most all the work myself. Couldn't imagine what the cost of everything I've done would've been.

Good luck in your search.

thank you!

Yes, the mid-size truck I have right now is a Colorado. Is that capable of handling a 208?

I will definitely get a surveyor. I have a few people in my family who own or have owned boats I will ask around to see if they've ever used a specific person.

 

[Chessie246G]

Awesome thanks! Yes, I've done a few tuna fishing trips and it's about 4 hours or so out to the canyons going from Margate, NJ. I don't know if a 208 would even be safe or capable of doing that but my thought is for now start with something small and stay closer to shore until I figure it out.

I think I bought the boat you're looking for. LOL It came from Delaware. Literally across the bay from you. Looked at several boats on the Jersey shore while deciding. 1992 246 Explorer with a Yamaha OX66 250. Only 463 hours. Boat is turn key and ready to fish. $16,900 with the double axle roller trailer.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Thanks you for all the helpful info. Good to know about wide load permit. I most likely will stick to the 208 or seafarer.

As for budget, I am looking right around that 20K mark. Most of the ones I've seen are mid to late 90's and ranging from 15-25K price range. The motors I'm seeing vary from boat to boat so that's awesome info about the Yamaha motors.

Thank you!

Do you have a preference on motors? Like the rest of us, I'm assuming you'll want the newest boat possible with the newest motors for the lowest price? What year is your pickup truck? Without knowing what year it is, it's difficult to know exactly what the towing capacity is but per Google it says anywhere between 3,500 - 7,000lbs for a new one. Which a brand new 208 Adventure per the Grady White website site says the boat by itself fully loaded without a hardtop or bottom paint is between 4,200 - 4,300lbs. That's also I'm assuming with not a full tank of fuel or the boat loaded down with very much of anything, and it definitely doesn't include the weight of the trailer, which will probably be close to another 1k lbs. Now, I know people are all different and some people like to tow right at the maximum tow rating, and/or above that, but I wouldn't recommend towing much over 80-85% of your maximum. Which 85% at 7,000lbs is going to be right at 6,000lbs, so you should be "ok" but that's if your truck is rated for 7,000lbs. If it's not, and you have a fully loaded 208 Adventure that you're towing with a hardtop, bottom paint, full tank of fuel and so on... it could be very close to that 6k lb mark. Which if you're driving a mile or two to the local boat ramp and it's flat as well as dry the whole way? That's one thing and sure... push the envelope a bit if you're comfortable. If you're making 250 mile roundtrips multiple times a year with a Jeep and you're towing at or over the capacity? No way Jose. I'd try and stretch your budget a little bit, especially if you're looking to try and get a 4 stroke motor, as new of a boat as possible and one that has a trailer. Prices are slightly lower right now since it's February but in the next month or two I think they're going to jump right back up to where they were last summer.

Grady-White Adventure 208 boats for sale - Boat Trader

Find Grady-White Adventure 208 boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate Grady-White boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader!

www.boattrader.com

 

[SkunkBoat]

Awesome thanks! Yes, I've done a few tuna fishing trips and it's about 4 hours or so out to the canyons going from Margate, NJ. I don't know if a 208 would even be safe or capable of doing that but my thought is for now start with something small and stay closer to shore until I figure it out.

No, you won't be canyon fishing in a 208 but you can reach mid-range bluefins along the 20-30 fathom lines on a great weather day with a reliable motor and the right equipment.
You should run the boat a season or two and work your way up to that. Fix all the things that are going to break.

Your budget puts you into 20-30 year old boats with 2 stroke Yamaha 150 or 200HP. If you can find one that spent its life on a trailer and used in freshwater that would be a find. If you can find one that was repowered recently with a 4 stroke that might be worth the higher price.

 

[Fishtales]

My recommendation is to go a bit bigger if you can afford and handle it. After a couple of seasons you'll likely get the itch for a bigger one.
I would get one that is trailered reasonably to give you max flexibility, keep running costs in check and allow you to get introduced to boating. Just my 2 pennies.