New Grady 228 owner

[Kessel Run]

HELLO EVERBODY,

I just bought my first Grady White. I am super excited to get some fish in the box, right next to the beers!

I bought a 2005 228 and would love to hear from you all on advice with this boat, handling, trailering modifications, what you like, what you don't like, and what you would do differently.

Looking forward to being a part of this community.

 

[L.R.]

I bought a 2005 226 last year.With the 228 when you back down..tilt the Engine up some.The Prop thrust going under the Hull,instead of hitting it will steer the Boat alot better Docking. Run Her Bow high to an extent.They don't ride bad,But My 1995 Hydra-Sports 2000 C.C.[20 ft.] will blow the ride of the Grady away. Alot Dryer also.I put 140 hrs. on mine since last April.Took a bit to learn how to run it. As I have been running a C.C. for almost 20 yrs. now.Really like the Boat alot!!! Being able to sit down while running,Full Enclosure to get out of the Weather,Plenty of storage.Tons of Deck space. Now if Grady could take the Hydra-Sport Running bottom and put it on the Seafarer....There wouldn't be a better 22 ft. W/A to be had anywhere! I really like the Boat ,it fits my needs perfectly.Really don't think you can find a better W/A of that size in any other Brand.I looked for 5 yrs. and kept coming back to the Grady!

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Congrats on the boat. I dont know what motor you have on the boat. I put a 4 blade prop on mine which is powered by a F250. The boat is very trim tab happy. Learn to use them and you will get dialed in on the ride. Trim the motor up past neutral and it will help handling around the dock. There is not a lot that I dont like about the boat. I live in the mountains of NC and trailer that boat every where all the way down to the Florida Keys. My only advice is keep your trailer in good working condition. The boat can be wet if you take on a decent size quartering head seas. Again, the right trim and speed will mitigate this. Good luck and leave some fish for the rest of us.

 

[Grady_Crazy]

Was this by chance a SC boat?

 

[GulfSea]

L.R., you can't compare a CC to a WA for ride. 2 different animals due to a number of factors; you'll see this posted from time to time but increase the deadrise and you'll get a better ride; decrease deadrise and you'll get a more stable platform. It's really physics more than anything else plus understanding exactly how to run the hull and adjust trim tabs. After 4 years of running my 228, I'm still amazed at how stable she is turning into waves while drift fishing offshore.

Kessel Run, there's a huge history on all Grady's to search on this site, especially 226's and 228's. I would suggest really reading the owners manual a couple times. You would be amazed at what's in there that many people never really pay attention too. As you read and learn, post questions and someone will have answers. I think you're going to enjoy it, I'll probably have mine around from now on; love working on her and the platform could not be better for our use. I pay little attention to temperatures or rain as long as storms aren't around and the seas are decent, we go.

 

[Kessel Run]

Was this by chance a SC boat?

I picked up the boat in Texas but I was looking all over the country for them. I will have it back in the Seattle area by next weekend.

 

[Kessel Run]

Kessel Run, there's a huge history on all Grady's to search on this site, especially 226's and 228's. I would suggest really reading the owners manual a couple times. You would be amazed at what's in there that many people never really pay attention too. As you read and learn, post questions and someone will have answers. I think you're going to enjoy it, I'll probably have mine around from now on; love working on her and the platform could not be better for our use. I pay little attention to temperatures or rain as long as storms aren't around and the seas are decent, we go.

The previous owner had all the owners manual for everything including the electronics so I have been reviewing those in detail. I am already so happy with this boat and all the features it has. I just need to find some time between work and the traveling I do to get some time to get the feel of the boat.

 

[L.R.]

L.R., you can't compare a CC to a WA for ride. 2 different animals due to a number of factors; you'll see this posted from time to time but increase the deadrise and you'll get a better ride; decrease deadrise and you'll get a more stable platform. It's really physics more than anything else plus understanding exactly how to run the hull and adjust trim tabs. After 4 years of running my 228, I'm still amazed at how stable she is turning into waves while drift fishing offshore.

Kessel Run, there's a huge history on all Grady's to search on this site, especially 226's and 228's. I would suggest really reading the owners manual a couple times. You would be amazed at what's in there that many people never really pay attention too. As you read and learn, post questions and someone will have answers. I think you're going to enjoy it, I'll probably have mine around from now on; love working on her and the platform could not be better for our use. I pay little attention to temperatures or rain as long as storms aren't around and the seas are decent, we go.

I agree with ya' that a C.C. will ride better when comparing Apples to Apples and Oranges to Oranges.Know all about deadrise. Been Boating for 40 yrs. Also alot depends on the area that You Boat. Where I'm at ,We have a tight confused chop most of the time in the Chesapeake Bay.I can assure you,In any Seas my 20 ft. Hydra-Sports is a Dryer ride than the Seafarer's.Not talkin' about wind blown water..After 140 hrs. on it just this Summer,I'll still say the Hydra-Sport rides better at 30-35 mph. in 2-3 fter's..I have learned to run the Grady better,definitely different than runnin' the Hydra Sports. Don't get me wrong,I don't think the Grady rides bad at all.Just coming from a 2 ft. shorter,1500 lbs. lighter Boat,I expected the Grady to ride as good or better.The Hydra-Sport has a 22 degree straight deadrise...But the Grady has 20 aft with a sharp entry.I'll try and post a picture of my Hydra-Sport in action...Will have to figure out how to do it...

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

I am not a guy who has owned a boat for 40 years. Though I have been around boats all my life. The 228 can be wet when taking a quartering sea and perhaps if the flair were a bit more pronounced it would reduce it. That said, I have rented a number of center console boats in the Florida Keys prior to owning a boat myself and most of those boats were in the 20-24 foot range and all of them were wet boats. One was an Angler, the other couple were clearly not memorable enough for me.

Perhaps LR's Hyrdosport is a better riding boat, I dont know. I do know this, I have run my Grady now for over 2,000 miles on lakes, rivers and the ocean and it is my Kool-aide opinion that for a 22 footer it rides well and I have run her to the Bahamas Abacos and back and would do it again. But that is just me. I generally dont get into back and forths over ride and such because each boat and captain are different. My experience is Grady builds a pretty dry boat.

 

[GulfSea]

Well, with a WA you have top forward weight that isn't on a CC. With a WA, you're sitting further forward than a CC. Step further back in a WA and you'll feel a similar ride. Not trying to argue but they're different. There isn't a small boat in true 2 foot quartering seas that won't get you wet unless you're far above waterline. Again just physics. I doubt very seriously you'll be showing us true 2' plus seas offshore where a 20' is dry and smooth. Trust me, I see em' all the time offshore and they're not smiling or having much fun when the seas get rough. Now get in the bay and absolutely a 20' can be dry. But a 228 will stand on top of 1-2 footers in the bay (close wavelengths) with the tabs set right. Set them wrong and you'll take a beating.

A 228 has 22' of hull, 3' of bracket and 3' of engine. So you're crossing waves with 25-26' ish' of boat; 20' of hull is not going to cross waves that big without pounding or flying. The trouble comes when the entry of the bow isn't adjusted properly via trim tabs to take advantage of the SV2 hull. I used my 228 incorrectly for about 2 years before accidentally learning the proper way to use them. We got caught in a bad storm offshore one day and when we came into the bay, I forgot to raise the tabs. As I left the no-wake zone preparing for a rough ride across the bay, it didn't happen. Because the tabs were down, she started eating em' up and we maintained a good pace all the way to the dock. Since then, I've learned to really tweak the trim and tabs for the best benefit.

 

[Kessel Run]

A 228 has 22' of hull, 3' of bracket and 3' of engine. So you're crossing waves with 25-26' ish' of boat; 20' of hull is not going to cross waves that big without pounding or flying. The trouble comes when the entry of the bow isn't adjusted properly via trim tabs to take advantage of the SV2 hull. I used my 228 incorrectly for about 2 years before accidentally learning the proper way to use them. We got caught in a bad storm offshore one day and when we came into the bay, I forgot to raise the tabs. As I left the no-wake zone preparing for a rough ride across the bay, it didn't happen. Because the tabs were down, she started eating em' up and we maintained a good pace all the way to the dock. Since then, I've learned to really tweak the trim and tabs for the best benefit.

I don't have much experience with trim tabs and I am coming from a outrage 18 CC. I take it putting the trim tabs down pushes your bow down into the waves allowing you to cut right through them rather then ride over?

 

[GulfSea]

A 228 has 22' of hull, 3' of bracket and 3' of engine. So you're crossing waves with 25-26' ish' of boat; 20' of hull is not going to cross waves that big without pounding or flying. The trouble comes when the entry of the bow isn't adjusted properly via trim tabs to take advantage of the SV2 hull. I used my 228 incorrectly for about 2 years before accidentally learning the proper way to use them. We got caught in a bad storm offshore one day and when we came into the bay, I forgot to raise the tabs. As I left the no-wake zone preparing for a rough ride across the bay, it didn't happen. Because the tabs were down, she started eating em' up and we maintained a good pace all the way to the dock. Since then, I've learned to really tweak the trim and tabs for the best benefit.

I don't have much experience with trim tabs and I am coming from a outrage 18 CC. I take it putting the trim tabs down pushes your bow down into the waves allowing you to cut right through them rather then ride over?

Yes, Grady has it in the manual. The SV2 hull is variable meaning there are no 2 places where the deadrise is the same. So if the tabs aren't set properly, the advantage of the sharp bow entry isn't realized. Always be aware though that they have to be used correctly or the bow could be stuffed into a wave causing damage to boat and people. There's plenty of information to search about proper use and the results of not using them correctly. Here's an example of damage from stuffing the bow: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiJ6kX7mEdE About 1:10 the windshield is knocked out.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Kessle. I am going to give you some Captain Ron advice....if it is going to happen, it will happen out there. Lol what I mean by this is you will have to experience the boat and adjust the tabs to get a feel for her. I had a 192 foot 192 Grady and the boat rode well without tabs and just adjusting the trim on the motor.

The 228 comes standard with trim tabs and I suspect because like Gulfsea says with the physics explanation the hull responds well to them. For instance i have learned when on the lake pulling a tube or wake board and the boat is loaded that having the tabs down 50% or so that the boat will get on a plane at slower speeds and hold the plane at slower speeds. This will translate to bay and ocean conditions when you dont want to pound but cut through the chop by using the boats sharp entry to help with the ride.

In a following sea either chop or swells i often have the tabs neutral or totally up to keep the bow up and use the engine trim to adjust the ride. It took a few hours of operating the boat to get dialed in and now i adjust tabs and motor soley by feel and know based on sea conditions or water sports how to adjust it.

I can not emphasize enough though that i really noticed better over all performance of the boat with 4 bladed prop. If you do anything in terms of modifications, invest in a good stainless 4 blade prop. The prop has a bit more stern lift, better trolling handling, better backing up around the dock, improved cruising fuel economy, holds turns better for water sports, and has better following sea handeling too. It all adds up to mayne .10 to .15 improvement in fuel economy. The high end dropped by .5 to 1 mph depending on load and conditions.

 

[HMBJack]

Congratulations Matt. The 228 is the best 22 footer on the planet and is Grady's #1 seller (I was told). It simply does everything well: seaworthy, can run offshore, offers a warm cabin to sleep in, is very portable on a trailer, is economical and, because of all of this, retains value very well. I purchased a 228 brand new back in 2005 and sometimes regret selling it (I upsized 2X - to a 265 in 2007 then to a 330 in 2010).

Enjoy it and let me know if you have questions as I'm happy to assist as needed.

 

[L.R.]

All right Guys,Tryin' to post a picture of My Hydra-Sport in action like I said I would. Says that "Sorry,board attachment quota has been used". What does that mean.I will tell ya' I'm not good at the Picture thing! LOL..What do I do?? I am much better at runnin; a Boat than postin' pictures! LOL...

 

[bayrat]

I have to agree with whats been said here : learn to use your tabs and you'll be happy with the ride….it does take awhile.

 

[L.R.]

I have to agree with whats been said here : learn to use your tabs and you'll be happy with the ride….it does take awhile.

Already know how to use the Tabs..As soon as I got the Boat,I put 12x12's on it and took the 12x9's off. Runnin' a 17" Rev-4 with the Engine all the way up..80 gallons of Fuel,Hard Top,Full Enclosure, Best of 43.5 mph. so far on the GPS with a F-225.I ain't done tweakin; yet. :mrgreen: She is a bit trim sensitive with the Engine all the way up.The Rev-4 really bites and they like to run high.I may drop down one hole,not sure yet.The Rev-4 also gets you some Stern lift.Tryin' to get every bit out of this Hull that I can and I will! I'm used to runnin' about 38 mph. cruise in my Hydra-Sport when conditions allow. As I said before...I Love the Seafarer,It's a Great Boat!!

 

[GulfSea]

I have to agree with whats been said here : learn to use your tabs and you'll be happy with the ride….it does take awhile.

Already know how to use the Tabs..As soon as I got the Boat,I put 12x12's on it and took the 12x9's off. Runnin' a 17" Rev-4 with the Engine all the way up..80 gallons of Fuel,Hard Top,Full Enclosure, Best of 43.5 mph. so far on the GPS with a F-225.I ain't done tweakin; yet. :mrgreen: She is a bit trim sensitive with the Engine all the way up.The Rev-4 really bites and they like to run high.I may drop down one hole,not sure yet.The Rev-4 also gets you some Stern lift.Tryin' to get every bit out of this Hull that I can and I will! I'm used to runnin' about 38 mph. cruise in my Hydra-Sport when conditions allow. As I said before...I Love the Seafarer,It's a Great Boat!!

I was just reading about different tab size options several weeks ago. What is the lowest planing speed with your current set up? And most efficient cruise?

 

[L.R.]

I went with the 12x12's so I didn't have to re-drill for wider Tabs.For the most part most manufactuers don't put enough Tab on their Boats.They need to work without having to Dig them in.Lowest Planing speed? Don't know,haven't really tried to figure it out.Most efficient cruise,Don't know that either. Don't have a Fuel Flow Gauge on it.It will in the future though.I'd guess 2.0 to 2.5 mpg..I do ALOT of runnin' ,one place to another.Not unusual for me to put 50-80 miles in a day on it. My 2005 Optimax with Smartcraft gauges on the Hydra-Sport stopped registering Miles at 6000 miles,that was about 3 yrs. ago or so! Guess it only goes to 6000..That is in about 7 yrs.

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Kind of curious LR. In one post you indicate as soon as you got the boat you put bigger tabs on it. Does this mean, you purchased the boat, bought new tabs, installed them and then splashed and ran her without ever running her with the 12x9 tabs? Or, did you run it with the OEM tabs and then decide to go bigger?

I find the OEM tabs to do the trick, but if you ran the boat and then upgraded I am curious as to the benefit you found with bigger tabs versus the OEM ones?

If you did not run the boat with OEM tabs before you upgraded, what made you think the OEM ones were not suitable?