New to the site, looking to purchase a late 80's grady

[barclayrl]

Hello, new to boating and have found 2 Gradys very close to me for under $5K

one is an 1989 Offshore 242G (I think) with twin 135 OMC Sea drives (Also has a super nice trailer)

other is a 1988 228 Seafarer with a 1991 200HP johnson on a bracket.

Both have about 700 hours

From all my reading I would rather have the offshore but I think the sea drives are a deal breaker. And the current owner seems to be a middle man that has never run the boat.

The other is the Seafarer, I think it would be an easier restore (compared to replacing the sea drives) and has been run up to about 700 hours on the 1991 200HP Johnson (Most trolling)

My goal is to do a light restore, replace the transom (if needed) an use the boat for near shore and occasional offshore of the Maryland (OC) and North Carolina Coast.

I am leaving to look at the seafarer in a few hours and am planning on having it surveyed at noon tomorrow. (at this point I think this boat is my best option)

I realize due to age that neither will be perfect but both are closed transoms and were trailer kept. I am most worried about stringer rot and how accurate the surveyor will be in letting me know since all I read is how hard they are to access and check...

I am at an impass and would love to hear some opinions on the likely hood of rot in the hull as well as what the surveyor may say on a boat this old. I just want the Hull to be safe because I will have my family with young children on the boat most times. How important are the wood stringers compared to the transom? I have heard with the stringers the glass over top is the only thing that's important? I don't buy this..

Thanks for looking.

 

[suzukidave]

i'd go with the hull in the best condition. the motors are a crap shoot. best condition to me would focus on stringers, floor, transom and bracket. you can fix the cosmetic stuff on weekends.

both the 200 and 135 omc motors from that era are solid and reliable and inexpensive to repair. if they have good compression and no other issues you might get years of service out of them. the twin v4 set up is also economical compared to a twin v6 setup but puts out nearly the same power and grunt.

however, the sea drive concept is obsolete and having them fitted probably reduces the overall boat value compared to a bare hull. it would be worth fixing the 200 if it went bad even up to a new powerhead and it has a modest value used, but you would likely send both seadrives to a landfill if one went bad.

 

[barclayrl]

I went over lunch to take a look and did some self tests on the hull of the seafarer with a plastic hammer.. the transom seems solid but found a stringer problem in the back hatch it appears to be really solid the entire way around but in that 6 foot rear hatch the port side has a 12 X 12 inch section that sounds hollow.. is this a deal breaker and should I not even have it surveyed? The inner hull seems oily as well.. maybe the result of an old spill?? Thoughts on next steps? I have the surveyor coming to town Friday (tomorrow) and may have him look over the 24 offshore instead.

Ryan

 

[barclayrl]

Also the hatch has some rot in it.. no overly concerned with that but the deck itself is solid.. Also the hull had water in it from the rain and snow.. is that normal as well.

 

[suzukidave]

note sure what you mean. do you mean an area of the rear fuel tank hatch sounds hollow when you tap the deck or do you mean the longtitudinal stringers inside the bilge that run continuously from the transom forward and form the walls of the centre bilge area? or do you mean the bulkheads that divide up the bilge into compartments?

if you mean deck, the central removable hatches can be recored and repaired pretty easily, but rot in the outer floor requires cutting and glasswork and is a lot more work and expense. i would pass on a boat with soft spots in the outer floor.

if you mean the stringers, you can test them by drilling into them from inside the bilge to get a wood sample and then plugging the hole with marine-tex epoxy of similar. you will see from the wood that comes out with the drill what you are dealing with.

if you have rot in the stringers it is a major job. if it does not extend forward of the aft bulkhead, it can be fixed if you replace the transom. for me it is a total dealbreaker if it extends forward of the aft bulkhead and i would generally hesitate to buy a boat with any stringer rot.

verowing on this forum has done a complete transom and partial stringer replacement on a 226 seafarer from that era so do a search if you want to see what you would be in for.

 

[barclayrl]

I pulled the rear hatch up, and knocked on the walls of the stringers that run from the front to back and about 3 ft from the transom there is a section of the stringer wall that when tapped is soft and hollow sounding. The rest of the entire compartment of the rear center bilge sound like tapping on stone.. just this small section that sounds bad. I doubt the owner will allow me to drill any holes..

The hatch itself is about shot as well, half is soft rotten wood, But I don't mind rebuilding that.

I am not sure if I should have the surveyor come out or not. But I may just take a closer look at the 24 offshore

 

[barclayrl]

We did not open the gas tank hatch, just the empty one in back. so I do not know how the stringers look up further toward the cabin.

the deck sides on port and starboard seem very strong and did not flex much, I am 270LBS.

 

[suzukidave]

I pulled the rear hatch up, and knocked on the walls of the stringers that run from the front to back and about 3 ft from the transom there is a section of the stringer wall that when tapped is soft and hollow sounding. The rest of the entire compartment of the rear center bilge sound like tapping on stone.. just this small section that sounds bad. I doubt the owner will allow me to drill any holes..

The hatch itself is about shot as well, half is soft rotten wood, But I don't mind rebuilding that.

I am not sure if I should have the surveyor come out or not. But I may just take a closer look at the 24 offshore

not necessarily a dealkiller but you ideally need more info. i'd definitely look at the offshore and i'd try to drill the soft spot before buying the boat.

stringer rot usually starts at the transom and works its way from there. if that's not your situation then you need to find a cause. are there any drain holes through the stringer near this soft spot or signs of hull damage beneath? any cracks or holes in the deck allowing water below?

you don't need perfect stringers, but extensive rot is a problem and you want to identify and stop any source. it's not unheard of for there to be voids in stringers from the factory where two stringer pieces are poorly joined together, but i would not expect that on a grady.








if you want the 228 i would make an offer contingent on drilling around that spot

 

[fishbust]

Well of course if you have a tight budget the 22 will be cheaper to repower.

If you want twins and the associated expense, upgrade that 24 to instead a sailfish. Board both and see what you think.

 

[barclayrl]

Another concern I had discovered on the 228 is the capacity limit. It says 8 passengers or 1100lbs. Seems a bit low for a boat this size any input on this?

I have 4 children from 2years to 14yrs and my wife we would total up to about 800 lbs (and the kids grow more every day) so that leaves almost no weight for gear, ice ,safety items etc.

Thoughts?

 

[fishbust]

Another concern I had discovered on the 228 is the capacity limit. It says 8 passengers or 1100lbs. Seems a bit low for a boat this size any input on this?

I have 4 children from 2years to 14yrs and my wife we would total up to about 800 lbs (and the kids grow more every day) so that leaves almost no weight for gear, ice ,safety items etc.

Thoughts?

I wouldn't put 8 people on my 28 footer.

 

[magicalbill]

I agree with fishbust. My 23' Gulfstream has a 10 person cap. and I wouldn't have any more than 6 aboard. Even at that, no one can move around and the trip isn't fun.

With the family you describe and the potential of your kids and you wanting to bring friends along, get the biggest boat you can afford. I woudn't put money & time into a fix-up and then not be satisfied because you have no room aboard.

 

[suzukidave]

the passenger rating is low for the seafarer because the boat is sold for offshore fishing miles out in the open ocean and so grady is cautious. my 19' grady tournament is rated for 9 passengers.

if you are operating in sheltered waters the seafarer will be just fine for your family. it is far more seaworthy than tournament ski boats that are normally rated for 10-12 people. here's a 20' ski nautique rated for 10.

http://www.nautique.com/models/sport-nautique-200/

if you go offshore, i would not go over 6 in any boat without a pilot house and 4 is better.

 

[gw204]

Not sure where you are...but I have an '86 Seafarer project I would consider selling (sounds like somewhat of a project is what you are looking for). Stringers are solid (tank is out so you can see ever inch of them) and transom is in the process of being filled (it was an I/O). I can send you more info if you want.

 

[barclayrl]

Not sure where you are...but I have an '86 Seafarer project I would consider selling (sounds like somewhat of a project is what you are looking for). Stringers are solid (tank is out so you can see ever inch of them) and transom is in the process of being filled (it was an I/O). I can send you more info if you want.

PM sent, I am in south central PA

 

[barclayrl]

the passenger rating is low for the seafarer because the boat is sold for offshore fishing miles out in the open ocean and so grady is cautious. my 19' grady tournament is rated for 9 passengers.

if you are operating in sheltered waters the seafarer will be just fine for your family. it is far more seaworthy than tournament ski boats that are normally rated for 10-12 people. here's a 20' ski nautique rated for 10.

http://www.nautique.com/models/sport-nautique-200/

if you go offshore, i would not go over 6 in any boat without a pilot house and 4 is better.

Thanks for all the replies.. if we go in the ocean with all of us, it will only be a mile or 2 offshore. Will the seafarer be ok for the family of six?

 

[Workdog]

Can parts even be had anymore for a seadrive? I would pass on that one.

 

[Clockwork]

the seadrives would be a deal breaker. odd balls and expensive to repair. if you can find rot, i would walk away because its the rot you cant find that will cause you problems.

i wouldnt try to shoehorn 2 adults and 4 kids in a seafarer. my dad has a 226 seafarer and its too small for that. hell, i have a sailfish 25 with a wider beam and i wont ever run more than a 4 man crew (including myself) unless its a joyride in the lake. but in the ocean, never.