new to boating-

[quantase]

Hello all and Happy New Year!
I am looking to purchase my first boat, and I'm interested in the GW 235 freedom. I would like to purchase one that is about 1-2 years old. I want to get you guys thoughts. I want a boat for recreational sports (skiing), salt and freshwater fishing, and just cruising. Do you think a twin engine or single OB engine is better for a novice and room to grow into it? I will be attempting to do all maintenance and winterizing myself. Any thoughts about this model and twin vs single engines for a novice boater? In addition, I plan to build a garage, so I would want enough door height to get it in. Is 4'' (compensating for trailer height) over the Bridge Clearance (GW 235 with hardtop is 8') a good estimate? So a 12' tall door is safe? Thanks for the feedback, and I am sure I will have additional questions.

 

[PointedRose]

I think typical setup for a 235 is a single 300hp. Twins wouldn’t be necessary unless you were planning to go offshore. As a novice there is definitely some maintenance you can do yourself, but you may want to have a professional involved for more complex maintenance items, even for winterizing annually. It’s just an expensive toy to risk missing something an expert would know to look for. Personally I would not worry about building a garage until you have a boat secured. If you get a hardtop or not might influence your height needs.

 

[JJF]

Hi,

welcome

I am pretty sure a GW 235 is only available with a single engine.

I think it would be perfect for your intended uses. However, for the water skiing, be aware that the 235 is going to throw a good size wake.

Regarding the garage door opening: "The federal government recommends that bridges on public roads have a clearance of at least 14 feet. This ensures that trucks shorter than the maximum truck height — 13 feet, 6 inches in most states — can pass underneath them safely." You should call a GW dealer and ask them about the on trailer height.

In my opinion, I don't think it is a good idea for you to do the engine maintenance and winterization yourself until you have gained some experience.

Good luck!

 

[DennisG01]

Get a 14' door - it is never a bad idea to go bigger than you anticipate. You may have electronics on top... you might get a bigger boat someday. The difference in cost now is negligible -- the cost to retrofit a larger door in the future is not.

 

[Fishermanbb]

You want the biggest door you can put in. How it sits on the trailer, electronics, etc will all add height. Radar, a spotlight, FLIR, etc. My 306 on a hydraulic trailer was 14’. Go bigger. Very little reason not to.

 

[quantase]

Thanks all for the advice. Yes, the 14' door is a good idea when thinking for the future if I get a bigger boat. I will probably try to find a boat mechanic/professional to do the first few years of complex maintenance and work alongside of that person to learn more until I feel comfortable doing it myself.

 

[magicalbill]

As usual, good advice given by our members on here.

Since you are new to the Sport; I would strongly recommend hiring a professional Captain to go out with you on your first day aboard. What he will charge, I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that he can show you countless tricks and nuances involved with the following:

1.) Basic Operation- engine trim, tab education, DOCKING!!
2.) Electronics; Chartplotters, course plotting, all the options associated with the new electronics.
3.) Trailer loading/launching since you'll be garaging it.
4.) Rules Of The Road; reading and understanding the meaning of Nav Aids, navigating the ICW, channels, etc.

You will spend significant cash on a 1-2 year old Grady, especially in this Covid-driven whacked-out Marketplace. A knowledgeable Captain will take you to 3rd base right away.

I had a Pro Captain spend the day with me on my Marlin. It was invaluable to me as far as making my boating experience stress-free.

Congrats!

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I've always preferred a single main motor because the purchase price of the boat itself is generally quite a bit less, as is the yearly maintenance costs and so forth. On top of that, a single motor typically will get better fuel economy than twins and you likely wouldn't be able to get on a plane with only a single motor, if you had twins. A lot of guys like them for offshore fishing in case one motor craps out then you can get back in on a motor that isn't your kicker motor and can ask drive the boat from the helm. For the kind of fishing that I do and the location I live, I run a single main motor and don't even bother with running a kicker motor as I have towing on my insurance policy. I know that not everyone does, that being said, it cost next to nothing to add it to my policy. I also fish in an area called the Puget Sound that's pretty much all protected waters and not out on the open ocean. So, even if you did have your motor die on you, you would just have to wait for vessel assist to come out and get you. Or... several of my neighbors at our beach cabin also have boats that would likely come out and give me a tow back in. If I didn't have that kind of service in my area, then I'd likely have a single main motor and then a kicker motor as backup in the case of an emergency. So you don't have to buy a second main motor, have less weight, generally better fuel economy and less money spent on maintaining two main motors.

In regards to the height of the 235 Freedom, it says on the Grady White website that the bridge clearance is right at 8' tall. I know it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison but my 2004 GW 228 Seafarer has a bridge clearance of 8'8" and I have it in my next door neighbors shop/garage, with a 12' tall garage door. There's probably 5"-6" of room to spare and you definitely wouldn't be able to fit my boat in there if I got radar for it or anything that increased the height by those couple of inches. So yes, it probably be best if you bought a 14' tall garage door, unless you never planned on buying a bigger boat or adding radar or anything else to the 235 Freedom that you're looking at. My boat sits right around 11'6" when on an aluminum I-beam bunk style trailer. Not sure if a roller trailer would make any difference in terms of the height or not, but it can definitely be done, especially if you don't play on adding anything like radar or outriggers to the roof of your boat.

 

[TommyGirl225]

If you can’t find the right 235 for you the 225 that was discontinued a few years ago could be a great option. I saw a few with hard tops as well. Slightly smaller but still 10 passenger capacity if 2014 or newer. Wake isn’t so huge for skiing. The best part we love on our 2015 is the full length swim platform and extra storage instead of a doorway to the platform.

Tommy Girl after day of swimming

• TommyGirl225
• Dec 28, 2021

Tommy Girl on trailer

• TommyGirl225
• Dec 28, 2021

 

[seasick]

I've always preferred a single main motor because the purchase price of the boat itself is generally quite a bit less, as is the yearly maintenance costs and so forth. On top of that, a single motor typically will get better fuel economy than twins and you likely wouldn't be able to get on a plane with only a single motor, if you had twins. A lot of guys like them for offshore fishing in case one motor craps out then you can get back in on a motor that isn't your kicker motor and can ask drive the boat from the helm. For the kind of fishing that I do and the location I live, I run a single main motor and don't even bother with running a kicker motor as I have towing on my insurance policy. I know that not everyone does, that being said, it cost next to nothing to add it to my policy. I also fish in an area called the Puget Sound that's pretty much all protected waters and not out on the open ocean. So, even if you did have your motor die on you, you would just have to wait for vessel assist to come out and get you. Or... several of my neighbors at our beach cabin also have boats that would likely come out and give me a tow back in. If I didn't have that kind of service in my area, then I'd likely have a single main motor and then a kicker motor as backup in the case of an emergency. So you don't have to buy a second main motor, have less weight, generally better fuel economy and less money spent on maintaining two main motors.

In regards to the height of the 235 Freedom, it says on the Grady White website that the bridge clearance is right at 8' tall. I know it's a bit of an apples to oranges comparison but my 2004 GW 228 Seafarer has a bridge clearance of 8'8" and I have it in my next door neighbors shop/garage, with a 12' tall garage door. There's probably 5"-6" of room to spare and you definitely wouldn't be able to fit my boat in there if I got radar for it or anything that increased the height by those couple of inches. So yes, it probably be best if you bought a 14' tall garage door, unless you never planned on buying a bigger boat or adding radar or anything else to the 235 Freedom that you're looking at. My boat sits right around 11'6" when on an aluminum I-beam bunk style trailer. Not sure if a roller trailer would make any difference in terms of the height or not, but it can definitely be done, especially if you don't play on adding anything like radar or outriggers to the roof of your boat.

The bridge clearance is the height of the boat in the water . To that you need to know how high the water line will sit above ground when trailered. That is tricky to estimate accurately since that height depends on the type and setup of the specific trailer.

 

[DennisG01]

To bridge clearance, you can add the draft of the boat and then "roughly" speaking, about 18" to 24" for how high the boat sits on the trailer (essentially, keel to ground). It's not perfect, but it gets you into the range. But, back to the main point about the door... put in a big enough door and these calculations don't even matter!

 

[MA208]

235 is great, but the market is hot. If you find one used then jump on it. Like Sean said above look for 225s as well.

 

[seasick]

Yup, the bigger the better. If you cut it too close, you may find out that the Grady spec didn't include some things like hard top mounted VHF antenna bracket

 

[Mustang65fbk]

The bridge clearance is the height of the boat in the water . To that you need to know how high the water line will sit above ground when trailered. That is tricky to estimate accurately since that height depends on the type and setup of the specific trailer.

I understand what the bridge clearance is. I was just throwing some rough numbers out there for purposes of comparison of the boat the OP wants to buy compared to what I have. I'm sure all trailers are slightly different in terms of height and so forth, mine is an aluminum I-beam trailer that puts the tallest point of my boat at around 11'6". Which, if the bridge clearance on the 235 Freedom is about 8" less than mine, and depending on the trailer, he'll probably have an extra 6"-8" of room to spare. Or at least I can't imagine that his boat would be the same, or even taller than mine and not fit in a 12' garage. Also, that's assuming that the OP got a 235 Freedom with a hardtop on it because if he didn't, a non-hardtop model would be about 2.5' less in terms of height and that would have no problem whatsoever fitting in a 12' garage. That being said, if he did want a hardtop and there was any question on whether he wanted a radar, outriggers or anything else mounted on top, then I'd go with a taller door. Just depends on what he wants and what his intended use of the boat will be.

 

[Punchline Cap]

I think more information is needed before anyone can really make a recommendation. How much do you want to spend? Where will you be boating? What are your priorities in order, pleasure boating, skiing or fishing? In order to get twin engines on a fairly new Grady you must move up into a 25’ boat. Will you be going any distance offshore, like for instance 30 to 40 miles? If not or rarely I would stick to the single 300 Yamaha. I have a Fisherman 236 and it runs great with that engine. Are you going to trailer it 100% of the time or get a slip. The height on a trailer even with radar and the radio antenna down should not be over 13’6” which is the legal height for a none permitted trailer. The biggest surprise to me when I was a novice boat owner was the ADDED costs as opposed just to the boat itself. With my boatyard pulling the boat in the fall, the winterization, shrink wrapping, storage, spring service and unwrapping, putting the boat back in the water, slip fees and insurance it is over $8000.00 a year. This is before fuel costs and anything that might break. I love my boat, taking it out for rides, fishing, sitting on it drinking beer and even cleaning it but it really is a big hole in the water you throw money into. If you do take the dive, PLEASE hire a Captain for a few hours to give you some tips on boat handling, docking and getting it on and off the trailer. Good luck.

 

[magicalbill]

water you throw money into. If you do take the dive, PLEASE hire a Captain for a few hours to give you some tips on boat handling, docking and getting it on and off the trailer. Good luck.

I devoted a whole post to this subject. It is a real key to an enjoyable early boating experience.

 

[glacierbaze]

12 feet will probably be okay for that boat, but you will measure before you buy, or build, won't you? Everything goes up with door height, wall height, roof height, co$t$, etc. And costs accelerate once you get above 9 feet. Also, if in a subdivision, your HOA may have restrictions.

How Tall Is a Boat on a Trailer (with 23 examples)

Looking to fit your boat on a trailer inside your garage? Pass under a low bridge? Get some real world advice about how to deal with your boat height on trailer

howmonk.com

 

[magicalbill]

One more thought on this subject:

Dennis is right. get a 14' ft door. I did on my barn and whatever goes down the highway without a special permit will go under my door. No-brainer, I think.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

12 feet will probably be okay for that boat, but you will measure before you buy, or build, won't you? Everything goes up with door height, wall height, roof height, co$t$, etc. And costs accelerate once you get above 9 feet. Also, if in a subdivision, your HOA may have restrictions.

How Tall Is a Boat on a Trailer (with 23 examples)

Looking to fit your boat on a trailer inside your garage? Pass under a low bridge? Get some real world advice about how to deal with your boat height on trailer

howmonk.com

I completely agree with you in terms of the pricing going up as soon as you add taller garage doors, ceilings and so on. I looked at part of the article you posted right up until the part where the author says... "But, I’ve scoured some forums and made a list of different boat heights on trailers based on what some boat owners shared, and here they are:" and then stopped. Guys on forums are notorious for "over-exaggerating" or "under-exaggerating". I remember being a part of the Vintage-Mustang.com website/forum and guys would talk out of their arse as often as the day is long. You'd have guys talking about having 500hp out of their street legal mustang that still got over 20mpg on the freeway, or more. You'd have people talking about different weights, power ratings, specs on motors, track times like the 1/4 mile and so forth. The same goes with the Arima owners forum that I was on just before this, as well as just about any other forum, and although I don't think I've really experienced it as of yet... I'm sure it even happens on here from time to time. Unfortunately you're always going to have those that want to make themselves, their boat, car or whatever sound better, faster, bigger, more fuel efficient or whatever than what it really is. And because of the simple fact that it's the internet, I'll typically take things as 50/50 until I can prove what others have said for myself. Other sites it's more like taking what the person says with a grain of salt. This site however, has been mostly all fantastic people that are for the most part all very glad to share their experiences and so forth. From the time I joined yet wasn't a GW owner, to buying my boat in Maryland and a member on here helping me look at it to driving it back across the country... most everyone on here has been great. And for that, I'm very much appreciative. Unfortunately, not all websites/forums are created equal.

Other sites, like the Vintage Mustang forum with a bunch of "gear heads" and people who think they know everything, I'll typically take what most of them say with a grain of salt. For example... about 10 years ago I remember when I was putting a 351w motor into my 1965 mustang fastback and had answers all over the board as to "if it would fit?" Some guys said "oh yeah it'll fit no problem and I've done the swap xx amount of times without any issues." With others it was "you have remove, or severely alter the shock towers in order to get the motor to fit." Lastly, and most accurate to my actual findings was... "you need a special motor mount and motor mount bracket as well as a special header to make it fit." That along with needing to swap out some of the accessories like the pulley's, getting a bigger clutch, flywheel and distributor were things I actually had to do to make everything work. To make a long story even longer... forums I think are a great place to get people's opinions and the "gist" of the information, or an idea of what you want and how you're going to do it. As with everything else in life, I wouldn't depend on someone you've never met before to be "telling it to you straight" and blindly believe what they tell you. Verify with a dealer or do measurements for yourself before making any big time decisions. Lastly, it's interesting because on the website you linked it says... "A boat on a trailer is 2 to 2.5 feet taller than the “bridge clearance” listed on your manufacturer’s specs." Which for my particular application, on the GW brochure section of the website it says a 2004 GW 228 Seafarer with a hardtop has a bridge clearance of 8'4", which for me it's actually just over 3' taller than that at around 11'6". Obviously the "2 to 2.5 feet" I'm sure if just a rule of thumb or whatnot, but I always like to "measure twice and cut once" or in this situation "measure twice and buy once."

 

[DennisG01]

Mustang, in case it helps for next time...



That said, I don't disagree one bit with your sentiment. Self proclaimed "experts" on subjects, even though the only experience they may have is reading someone else's response on a forum... which may or may not be accurate to start with. Then you get the whole "whisper down the alley" effect happening. Come to think of it, can I borrow your box?