new grady

[Halfhitch]

I wish they had addressed the heavier weight of 4 strokes on the 228, you stand in water lots of times. I solved that with some flap valves.

Have a different aftermarket Gil bracket made with more flotation, if you want more freeboard at rest.

 

[luckydude]

Have a different aftermarket Gil bracket made with more flotation, if you want more freeboard at rest.

I've thought of that as well but I've pretty much solved the problem with some brass flap valves.

 

[luckydude]

It would be interesting, and informative, to know what percentage of Grady Whites ever make it west of the Mississippi River, much less the west coast. Some days, it seems like they are 50% of the under 35 boats using Beaufort Inlet, which is the inlet nearest to the factory.

It's by no means 50% in my harbor, Santa Cruz, CA, but there are probably dozens in there. Lots 226/228, 232, Marlins, Expresses, Canyons.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

It's by no means 50% in my harbor, Santa Cruz, CA, but there are probably dozens in there. Lots 226/228, 232, Marlins, Expresses, Canyons.

It's kind of funny, at our beach cabin we used to call it an "Arima beach" because everyone owned an Arima, but now it's the complete opposite where everyone owns a Grady White. I've got my 228 Seafarer, the neighbor to one side of me has a 270 Islander, another has either a 235 or a 255 Freedom, and then the last neighbor has a 192 Tournament. Jacobsen's Marine is the local Grady White dealer in Edmonds, and they're the only one I believe for the entire PNW until you go across the border into Canada or go down to central California. There's a good deal of GW's around here but I don't think they're even close to 50% either as you've got a ton of Arima's, some Stripers, Trophy's and other fiberglass boats. Then you've got the aluminum crowd, which I've personally never been a fan of but people seem to love them, which would be Wooldridge, North River, Duckworth, Alumaweld and so forth. And finally you then tend to see a good deal of older boats from the 1970's and 1980's that are usually in very poor condition, which makes me wonder how they're still even running/floating.

For GW's specifically, most seem to be walkaround models but few of those seem to be 226's/228's, most are typically 208 Adventure's, 232 Gulfstream's and even the bigger ones. Occasionally you'll see DC/CC Grady's like the neighbors have, but those aren't quite as common as the WA's. Arima's around here are like a cult following as they were built in Seattle and now they're built in a place called Bremerton, which is about an hour drive from Seattle out on the peninsula. I owned two 21' Arima's before and they were great when the water was calm and flat, but goodness you'd take a pounding in them when there was 1'-2' chop and greater, which is why I sold those and bought my 228 Seafarer. It is always nice to see other Grady owners here, especially a 228 Seafarer as they aren't as common, I'll always give them a nod or a wave as I go by. I don't think that GW's will ever be as prominent out here on the west coast as they are on the east coast because that's where they're made, and most out here want a WA style of boat, which Grady more and more seems to be going away from.

 

[Rayvon]

Agree with ^^^^^ .I'm on the Canadian side of the border,Victoria/Vancouver Island,we see lots of Grady's here, some are charter boats but hardly ever see an open CC obviously because of our weather.It looks like the east coast(US) has mostly open boats for the same reason.I wonder how many CC/DC boats they build compared to WA/Express? Probably more CC/DC considering the population of the SE (US).

 

[Gone Coastal]

Well correct me if I’m wrong but I don’t see how that flip down door on the port side of the new 281 would work when tied to a dock, the dock would have to be very low for that door not to hit. Look at my signature picture for example of my 228 tied to the dock. I realize they are different hulls but does the 281 have that much more freeboard? Or is it just a swim platform?

I know this is an old thread, but the door on the 281 isn’t designed for boarding from a dock. It’s for use getting in and out on the water. There’s also a retractable pole style ladder in the transom

I’m still getting used to the scuppers on this hybrid bay boat, water will come in when drifting in saucy waters. With the door down, water will come in as well with any kind of wave action. Right now the water is too cold for us to really use the door though! I’ve thought about looking into finding flaps for the scupper exits, but that could slow water drainage. There isn’t as much slope available from the deck to the water line as with the canyons. I have the twin 300s and 3 trolling motor batteries in the stern, so all of that is added rear weight

 

[Karen Ann IV]

Don't know who their target market is, for a 28 foot CC, with only 4 gunnel rod holders, but 8 cup holders. Only 4 in the rocket launcher, and the 4 behind the helm seat are just in the way of anyone trying to fish in the tiny cockpit.

I am adding 2 rod holders on my 306 canyon. You never have too many rod holders. Their market is mostly family boating, not fisherman.

 

[Fixit]

28 ft CC with a 16 degree dead rise and a port side party door? I got a little excited to hear of a new 28ft Grady but I think they missed the mark. so not an offshore boat, is it supposed to be a sandbar cruiser?