Newbie with new (to me) Grady.

[Richard1572]

Hello all,

I purchased a 1996 272 Sailfish with 2004 Honda 225s yesterday. When I take delivery in a couple of weeks I'm sure I'll have jillions of questions.

One thing both I and the mechanic I used to check out the boat noticed right away is that the engines get very wet during the transition period from displacement to on plane. I'm sure this is due to the extra wight of the 4 strokes as compared with the original Yam OX66s.

Is there anything I can do other than regular maintenance to reduce corrosion effects and keeping the planes down to reduce bow rise that helps address this issue?

I look forward to my new toy and using this board to talk about it. Hopefully more so bragging about my great Bahamas trips and fish stories than to address issues as I'm sure there will be absolutely none with my boat, yea right.

Thanks

 

[wahoo33417]

Congratulations on the Sailfish! That is a very nice boat. I'm sure others will chime in about their experiences in the same situation - and that will be very valuable - but don't hesitate to call the factory as well.

Rob

 

[BobP]

You came to the right site! Welcome. Another Enthusiast !

Those 4 strokes are much heavier than the original 2s.

Be sure to maintain the engine cowl cover, seals, and latches. I would expect Honda does a very good job, so does Yamaha vs. my old Johnnies, the cowl seals were mostly for visual effect. Check the undercowl area periodically for water penetration.

You have two fuel tanks totaling about 200 gals. I don't know what your needs are but mine never require any where near filling. If that is your case, bias your fuel load (and weight) mostly to the forward main tank, and keep the aux tank min loaded. Rotate fuel stock.

I never need to maintain 200 gals, using fule management gauge,I set the limit to 125, then refuel when 75 gals down. This also helps with keeping the fuel fresher.

IMHO, Grady created the revolution in twin power off shore capable outboards with the Sailfish and it's derivatives, what a boat !

Speaking about bragging, mine is not for sale!

Have fun.

 

[Capt Bill]

Richard, congrats on your new (nice choice) boat. You may be able to use your tabs and engine trim, to get on plane faster and with minimal spray. You also might check to see if the engines are mounted correctly for the boat (e,g, should they be moved up one hole). If you do a search of the site, you should find some threads about that. Brian, gw204, knows all about it, and improved his own boat's performance when he found that the engines were installed too low, by the original installing dealer.

In any case, make sure the engine covers keep the spray out, and enjoy your boat.