New Grady Freedom 325

[LJG]

Hello all. New to forum here as this is my first Grady. I traded in a 290 Amberjack for a 2021 Freedom 325. The Amberjack was a great boat but underpowered. So the 325 is fully loaded with a great Garmen electronics package being installed at the dealer. It will live on Moosehead Lake in Maine. I was looking for some input on what I should look for when taking delivery. I feel under qualified to be able to notice any fine details. Thanks in advance for any input. See a shot of the boat on the factory floor yesterday.

 

[Rustygaff]

What a beauty! There is not a whole lot you can do while its on the lot besides a thorough visual "once over". Once the boat is in the water, go through each system to insure they are in working order. You purchased a premium boat. There is a reason GW's reputation for service is second to none. Good luck! And BTW, do not baby those motors. They like to run hard.

 

[LJG]

Thanks for the tip Rusty. I must confess with all that has happened in the last year, I feel like a little kid with this purchase.

 

[Uncle Joe]

Oh Man! SWEEEEET! best of luck with it and if you ever want to get it a little salty and the decks bloody... look me up and we will run it out to the Hudson Canyon!

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

That's a sweet ride. Enjoy it.

 

[PointedRose]

Thanks for the tip Rusty. I must confess with all that has happened in the last year, I feel like a little kid with this purchase.

nothing to find in a brand new boat, looks like a beaut. Get yourself comfortable with the features and handling. Keep up with the maintenance and it will look like that for a decade or more.

 

[LJG]

New Grady 325 delivered last night to Portland, Me!! More pics when it is unwrapped.

 

[LJG]

Electronics being installed. Here are the specs and a couple of pictures. Hope this helps anyone looking to upgrade their electronics. I will give feedback on this setup once she is in the water.

Displays
- 2 Garmin GPSMAP 8616SV 16" MFD/FF (I could have squeezed in 20" but it would be crowded)

Transducers
- Garmin GT51M-TH DownVU/SideVu
- Garmin Panoptix PS30 Down Scan transom Mount.

Radar
-Garmin GMR Fantom 18" High Definition Radome

VHF
-Horizon GX18000G VHF Radio
-Garmin AIS 800 Class B Transceiver

Camera
-Flir M232 Thermal Camera with Pan/Tilt

Auto Pilot
-Garmin GHP Reactor Autopilot

Fishhawk X4D

 

[danielwjackson]

Electronics being installed. Here are the specs and a couple of pictures. Hope this helps anyone looking to upgrade their electronics. I will give feedback on this setup once she is in the water.

Displays
- 2 Garmin GPSMAP 8616SV 16" MFD/FF (I could have squeezed in 20" but it would be crowded)

Transducers
- Garmin GT51M-TH DownVU/SideVu
- Garmin Panoptix PS30 Down Scan transom Mount.

Radar
-Garmin GMR Fantom 18" High Definition Radome

VHF
-Horizon GX18000G VHF Radio
-Garmin AIS 800 Class B Transceiver

Camera
-Flir M232 Thermal Camera with Pan/Tilt

Auto Pilot
-Garmin GHP Reactor Autopilot

Fishhawk X4D

Congrats on new boat. Beautiful! Curious why you went with a Garmin Autopilot on top of the Helm Master autopilot? Redundancy, or is there functionality in the Garmin autopilot that Yamaha does not have?

 

[LJG]

Hey Daniel I will know for sure when I use the boat for spring fishing. I do a lot of freshwater trolling. About 50% of the time alone. The Garmin unit works in conjunction with helm master to give me steer-by-wire functionality. That way I can plot course and speed around the lake at the depths that I want to fish, and let the boat drive itself while I fish! Obviously, I need to watch for traffic, but this is a remote lake. Helm Master is very powerful and I would not get a new boat without it.

 

[capeguy]

Congrats! Beautiful boat, enjoy!

 

[Uncle Joe]

Beautiful!

 

[Stephnic]

Congrats beautiful boat.

 

[Fishtales]

Nice boat. Good luck with her.

 

[devnull]

keep us posted with updates, I'm looking at the same model

 

[devnull]

@LJG how is the ride with the windows closed and the bow door shut? Keep the elements out pretty well at speed? Any rattling or noise issues with that setup?