New 208 for me?? Maybe

She looks good. Make sure you get her surveyed, and check that transom. Those transom-caps are known to leak. What model year?
 
She's a 2000. I would have never gotten a boat surveyed if it was not for this site and the Hull Truth. I am new to this game, is it worth getting a survey on a 2000?
thanks.
 
208

I have a 94 208, Saltwater Series 175 Yammy, pulpit but no hardtop.

If you are looking for a boat in that size range, that looks like a very fair deal to me. Get a survey for sure but I would think the seller should be able to move that boat at that price pretty quickly.

Try to determine if the motor has been treated with ring free regularly.

It's a great 20 foot boat and a great rig for 25K IMO.

Let us know what you end up with, please.

Jim from Maine
1994 Adventure 208
1994 Yamaha Saltwater Series 175 :wink:
 
The survey will probably cost you $400-$500, and is money well spent. He will probably save you more than his fee if he finds any problems, and you will have great peace of mind if he doesn't.

Problems can not only be found on a 2000 model year, but even on a new boat. ANything from bilge pumps no working, thru-hulls needing attention or a wet transom due to a bad sealant on the cap. I think you should do it, but I agree with others, that's a great buy on that boat.

BTW, the first Grady that I ever bought was back in 1990, and you guessed it, it was a 204c Overnighter. :D
 
Well I'm going to the boat show in NYC in Dec-Jan, after that I am going to make a decision. I always wanted a walkaround, and then I had seen a small pilot house (C-Dory). Not a bad looking boat, not cheap either! There's a new 2006 Key West WA for $26k in my local boat yard, but it's not a Grady :wink:
I'm limited to the size, by my towing capacity on my Jeep 4door Wrangler. So 20' is about all I can do. Although the C-dory is 22" but it's a light boat. I guess if I go used, a survey is a must--Thanks All.
 
Heyspike: Don't be disappointed if the boat isn't there by January. If it appeals to you, it might well appeal to someone else. New, you're looking at $50,000 for that boat, so 50% off is a good deal, depending on what the motor is. The new boat has upgraded instruments and comes with a 4-stroke.

FF
 
She looks clean, but you could potentially do better with a more modern (fuel efficient) engine for that price. Those are gas guzzlers compared to the HPDI or Four Strokes. (the HPDI has a great rep in my biased opinion) Be sure to shop around and compare. Use what you find to whittle that price down if you’re stuck on this vessel.

My wife and I are ecstatic with our 208 after one season and 120 hours. Get one!
 
Nice looking boat, good equipment list with hardtop and pulpit. As mentioned, the SWSII motor is a gas and oil hog compared to the newer technology, and engine hours would have a very large influence on the boat's value since it alone can represent half the value.

A "four door" Wrangler I assume is one of the new Jeeps. It will tow a boat like this across town to a launch ramp but not across the county or in any hilly country. These boats are HEAVY on a trailer, and the hardtop adds a LOT of windage. Consider a 3/4 ton pickup for a tow vehicle. I use a Duramax, and although it's a bit overkill I don't worry about grades and can freeway it at 60-65 and get 14mpg. You are looking at about 5000-5500lbs on that trailer, an aluminum trailer saves about 400lbs. Doesn't sound like much, but a 6-7000lb tow rating for any vehicle is going to feel taxed beyond comfort.

It's still probably a reasonable deal, it's not a steal-deal, and we're telling you all this stuff so you go in with your eyes open. $18K would be a steal-deal but it would probably sell before it sat around long enough for the seller to get soft on his price. Consider that you could be faced with a repower down the road, either by necessity or by choice. A new four-stroke is $10-15K.

Survey - definitely
Four seasons use should mean the motor has about 500 hours. Ring-free isn't so critical for this model as it doesn't have the o2 sensors. Still helps with carbon on the pistons and ring grooves though. A good engine survey will tell you what you need to know.

I didn't see pics or mention of isenglass. Something I would want with a hardtop, and they can be expensive to buy or replace. In fact, most everything that needs to be replaced on a Grady is expensive :wink: However they are terrific boats.
 
Thanks, great info, I didn't know that about the motors. What is insenglass? The snap on plastic glass for the cockpit?
Thanks again.
ps..getting 10" of snow right now!!!
 
It has the OX-66 so it has the O2 sensor and is injected. They aren't as good on gas or oil as the direct injection engines but I wouldn't call them pigs either. You have to watch the O2 sensor, if it gets dirty it'll read rich causing the engine to run lean (BAD). Keep up with the filters and pumps and you'll be good for years to come. OX's are not as efficient as the DI's (of any manuf.) but also have less problems.
 
Heyspike said:
Thanks, great info, I didn't know that about the motors. What is insenglass? The snap on plastic glass for the cockpit?
Thanks again.
ps..getting 10" of snow right now!!!
Click to expand...

Isenglass, isinglass, or eisenglass, depending on where you see it, but yeah, clear windows to close in the cockpit, and a back-drop curtain across the back. For NY, early and late in the season I imagine it can be chilly, so they come in REALLY handy for those early morning runs. Seems to me the canvas package for a new one is well over a grand, but I think that includes the bimini.

Snow?? Yeah, it's snowing in WA too, where I came from 15 years ago. Boating in the NW is fantastic with all the islands and bays of the San Juans, but the weather here in so-Cal is hard to beat. It's been really cold here this week, 42 at night and 63 in the day. Usually it's closer to 70. We boat year 'round here, we put 80 hours on our boat from when we bought it last October, thru April this year. The fishing is better durning the warmer months though 8)

The pic in my sig was taken on Mojave Lake, part of the Colorado River that boarders CA with NV and AZ. We were there in Feb or Mar this year, it was warm enough for bathing suits! The boys got to try out water skiing.

Post us with what you decide and what you find out. Inquiring minds want to know :wink:
 
Last year, I paid 25k for a 1999 w/ 200hp SSII. No pulpit, no hardtop and dated electronics. Great shape though, with trailer, low hours, very good compression test. Always trailered, never painted. Very first boat I have ever owned and could not have come close to buying new. Love it and I should have bought one 10 yrs ago. Family is having a blast. Yours looks like an excellent prospect. Good luck.

langski
 
Heyspike said:
Well I'm going to the boat show in NYC in Dec-Jan, after that I am going to make a decision. I always wanted a walkaround, and then I had seen a small pilot house (C-Dory). Not a bad looking boat, not cheap either! . . .
Click to expand...

Look into that C-Dory a little more. I read a review of that boat a couple months ago. Now I had never seen one in person and I had always thought they were a nice looking boat (and still do). But that review I read kept mentioning that unless the water was flat, you had to keep the speed to a crawl, or you'll take a pounding. They compared it to being more of a trawler and kept referring to displacement speed in the test. Personally, I like a boat that has a relatively soft ride in chop. Based on that article, it sounds like the C-Dory does not possess that characteristic. Then again, most boats can probably be made to pound if you go too fast in the wrong conditions. One more thing about the C-Dory, the boat has no stringers. Instead, it has a balsa cored bottom. I don't know enough about boat construction to say if that's good or bad, but you should be aware of it and look into it yourself if your considering one.

Not trying to steer you away from the C-Dory (or towards a Grady White for that matter), just recommending you do your homework the best you can before you make a decision.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.