Not a grady question but you guys know a bunch so

[Summertop511]

I have 1400 miles on my 228's 250hp, 99% of those with the engine trimmed all the way forward because there is where I like it. The boat works really well with it there. The difference in how the boat drives with my single engine trimmed forward vs straight up and down is just a little bit more of the bow down which is what I want. You said it will be squirrely, people said that about the swim platform as well, it's fine. I grew up in Wisconsin, if you want squirrely try driving on black ice that is covered with a layer of powder snow.

Maybe you are used to some engine that has an acute angle when trimmed all the way forward, I dunno. On my boat, with my engine, I'm not "just wrong" at all, it is trimmed maybe 5-10 degrees forward.

Go watch the video again from 1:35 to the end and come back and tell me that I'm wrong. I don't see how you can watch that and understand what he is saying and not get it.

All that said, I don't want to argue the point any more, I feel like I'm being a douche. I love this forum and don't want to be "that guy", this forum has been nice and helpful to me for years so I'll just let this go.

I know exactly what you mean.

Motor trim should set bow height!

Unless stern is overweighted like he said. Inherited problem of brackets.

 

[Paul_A]

Thanks for this, all the nay sayers were getting me down. All I want is a fast warm comfy ride home and I think the Cat might provide that. Getting on one this weekend, I'll report back.

And to all the people saying you need to drive a Marlin and a World Cat in the slop, do you have any idea how hard it is to line that up? I'm not an idiot, of course that is what I want to do. People have jobs, they are busy. Weather gets calm every time I want to do a test drive. I'd love to live in world where I could go out in the chop for test drives at the drop of the hat but even with me paying for everything, it's hard to get on a boat.

I believe the naysayers haven't spent enough time on a cat with someone experienced at the helm.

War stories are always that, stories, but I'll tell you one anyways. 105 miles out in the gulf of Mexico. Trip was planned well in advance and 2 of the four guys had flown in so we were going. Plan was two nights targeting bottom fish and trolling.

Front was forecast to arrive evening of the third day. It showed up 12 hours early.

It was a slog, no denying it. But, we had a 30'+ inboard off our starboard beam for well over two hours. It was throwing mountains of water every time it landed. We were working but the whole time it seemed like our ride was less drama. And we stayed even with them even though that boat likely weighed twice as much.

Hopefully you get to experience a cat ride in your typical sea conditions. And as far as speed. No b.s. I ran my 27 in decent 2's with an occasional 3 foot gom wind chop at 37 miles per hour turning 4400 rpm's, twin 200 yamaha's. All the time. 4k gave 33-34 mph. And 1.6-1.8 gph depending upon load.

I would still own it but since they cut the bag limits all to hell fishing way offshore ain't worth it to me anymore.

 

[Ryhlick]

Lucky,
You should look at a Ocean Sport Roamer 30, if you want a boat that can haul a$$ in most condition and be super economical. I fished 41 days last year out of Garibaldi OR. or Illwaco Wa. One port you have to cross the Columbia bar and the other you cross the Tillamook bar. I have fish on a 26 cat and it was a nice ride for most part. I am either on my 228 or the Ocean Sport 30 and you will be hard pressed to find a ride nicer than than. Wide open it will hit 46mph (not important) and most of the time you are cruising 29-31 and very comfortable. The Ocean Sport gobbles up snotty Pacific Northwest Condition, might be worth a look. Good Luck.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Go watch the video again from 1:35 to the end and come back and tell me that I'm wrong. I don't see how you can watch that and understand what he is saying and not get it.

hehehe .....I watched it 5 times...you're wrong

I understand exactly what he is saying. I do that. I NEVER use trim tabs. But once you are out of the hole you should be trimming out or you will plow. Maybe thats why you don't like how your boat rides?

Watch this and tell me I'm wrong.
Same guy...
BoatUS- How to trim a boat

 

[Jrspawn]

If you watch that whole video he is absolutely saying use your engines to control how the boat rides in the water. Watch it again from 1:35 to the end, if you don't get that he is saying trim the boat with the engine, I don't know what to say.

And I've followed his advice and it works great. I've actually played around with running the engine trimmed the way you want, yeah, I get .1mpg better fuel economy. But then you need the tabs to do what the engine was doing and there goes my .1mpg.

I mostly use tabs to correct list. In really lumpy conditions on my 228, engine trimmed in is not enough, then I add some tabs.

I'd challenge you to get on my boat and do a better job. If you could, I'd learn something and I'm all for that. I'd be shocked if you made a 5% difference to how the boat rides. I'm an engineer, I love thinking about stuff and tinkering with it to make it better. I've done that with my boat, there could be room for improvement but not a lot. I'd absolutely love it if you got on my boat and schooled me. That would save me a pile of money.

This comment explains a lot. Don’t take it the wrong way, but I believe you are literally over thinking the whole thing. For months you’ve posted about new used, marlin, express, other makes, cats, etc…. Stop listening to others input to base a decision, everyone will have different input. Get your butt on to the models your considering and sea trial them!!! If your really going to spend 300k plus on a boat, you NEED to do that. And yes it may take time to line that up, but again it’s a big purchase to some. You seem to have a flip sided comment or opinion to anything anyone has offered that actually has experience with the models in question and conditions lending you some input, I’m really not sure what your looking for and I don’t know that you will ever find it. And for that reason… again, get out there and do some sea trials!!! I’m sure any dealer that has a true potential buyer on these boats will work with you.

 

[Flot]

I have a Grady 330 and a buddy has a WC 320 EC. I don't have any particular brand affinity, although I'm very happy with my GW. They are both great boats.

The boats are fairly similar. While we haven't spent a LOT of time on each other's boats, we both look at the other one and can point out things we like better or worse.

His WC probably bests me by 10-15% on cruise/top speed and fuel economy. I would be surprised if his ride wasn't also marginally better.

On the flip side, we both do a lot of work on our boats and he is genuinely envious of the accessibility on the grady. To wit, he had to do a generator repair and he basically had to disassemble his generator inside a 12x20 hatch before he could access critical components. I could pull mine in an hour with an engine hoist on the deck. I believe fuel tanks would be the same, I could easily replace without damage, I believe for him it would be cutting up the deck.

I have more space in the cabin and I think far more storage space, although I think the WC is a practical layout. For a two person trip (not four) I could pack my midcabin with gear and never feel cramped.

As a diver I'm envious of his center swim platform.

The older GW 330s have lots of worries about wet transom and sides. I don't believe WC has these concerns.

Everything is a trade off, but in the size class with a cabin, I'd be shopping these two hulls against each other.

 

[Holokai]

If your Pacific conditions are anything like ours then no to the cat in rough water unless you like being on the wheel the whole time or if it’s one of those 35’+ beasts. The World Cats/Glacier Bays I’ve seen here have a high freeboard and tend to snap roll and run away downsea when it’s rough; it’s to the point that I avoid being near them when trolling in rough water. There’s a reason they’re not common and why the preferred cat designs here (locally made) are lower/wider though still in the minority of hulls. That said most of the cat owners here are casual users and don’t fish hard either so the demographic speaks for itself.

Sounds like you need as big a hull as you can afford if you want comfort at speed in rough water. By that I mean 35’+, too heavy to reasonably trailer, with 3+ outboards/big diesels, and more fuel use in a single trip than your 228 uses half the season.

Maybe try one of those suspension pedestals or a really good helm pad first?

 

[Halfhitch]

I owned a World Cat 24 DC for 3 years and the ride at speed was amazing. I used it in the Gulf of Mexico, so we didn't have the down-hill rush off the big swells like you do in the Pacific. On the days when the GOM chop, which is mostly around 3 second intervals, and was of a size the hull could handle, (2-3 ft) then life was good. When the water got big enough to where you had to come off plane, then the hull slap would start, and it wasn't good. On days when we purposefully went out to troll, we would give it up once the afternoon winds got going due to the incessant banging when trolling into the chop. We would have to troll downwind only if we wanted to continue.

One of my fishing buddies has a 31ft Luhrs and we sometimes take his boat out, especially if it includes overnight. I'm sure that the 33ft Grady would be similar in dealing with choppy seas. It may be a little lighter but the extra couple of feet is a help. My thought on this rough ride/soft ride discussion is, and I don't mean this in a mean manner, but if the comfort level of a boat like the 33ft Grady is not acceptable to your required level of comfort, then I would say that saltwater boating is not for you.

I used to work with a young fella that loved to ride bulls and was trying to get to the point he could do it professionally. He absolutely loved it. I went to watch him a couple of times and just standing by the gate while he was getting rigged up scared the shit outta me. Slammin' and banging and snot flying! There is other things in life that I call fun. To each his own.

 

[luckydude]

I rode on the 32 foot World Cat today and that is my next boat. I apologize to all of you Grady buds for bringing a non Grady boat into the forum. I love you guys, this forum is the best, so much help, so much welcoming people, you guys are the best. If Grady made a decent cat, even if it cost 50% more than the same thing from some rando boat company, I'd buy the Grady.

I am keeping my 228, we'll see how that goes, the World Cat captain told me that he doesn't like getting on mono hulls after having a cat and I can see that. I'll keep it for a year, see if I trailer it to further spots, if I do, I'm a Grady guy forever, if I don't, I'm still a Grady guy.

In my short history of fishing on the ocean, this forum has been the best. Way better than big forums or my local small forum. I'll hang around if you will have me.

 

[Ryhlick]

Lucky,
Super stoked for you, I’m so glad you found your boat.

 

[Paul_A]

I knew you would like it. Hopefully it was rough out so you could really feel the hull working, particularly at speed. Post pictures when you take delivery.

 

[trapper]

luckdude stay with us!!! you are a valuable member of this forum. Changing yachts doe not mean you have to change those who become pals over time.

 

[luckydude]

luckdude stay with us!!! you are a valuable member of this forum. Changing yachts doe not mean you have to change those who become pals over time.

There is no way I'm going away if you guys will have me. I've learned so much here and you guys have been great. All of you should be proud of what you have done, you made this forum. That's you. This place is not toxic like other forums, you have a good thing going, keep that going. I don't know how to get you guys to realize that you have made this forum something special. But you have. Other forums are not nice.

I'll be here as long as I can. I love the Grady build quality. Like I said, I wish I could have bought a cat from Grady.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I'm sure you already know this but Grady White did make a catamaran yet stopped producing it after I believe the 2000 season, and it was only available in a 26' length. Still not a bad looking boat though and when you can find them on the east coast, they're still quite affordable, even after a re-power.

GRADY-WHITE - boats - by owner - marine sale

Boat GRADY-WHITE F2600 FT 1999 con 2 Yamaha for stroke 200 hp del 2002, listo para disfrutar del mar con la familia y muy cómodo para pescar , los motores tienen 610 horas, el Boat está...

miami.craigslist.org

 

[luckydude]

I'm sure you already know this but Grady White did make a catamaran yet stopped producing it after I believe the 2000 season, and it was only available in a 26' length. Still not a bad looking boat though and when you can find them on the east coast, they're still quite affordable, even after a re-power.

GRADY-WHITE - boats - by owner - marine sale

Boat GRADY-WHITE F2600 FT 1999 con 2 Yamaha for stroke 200 hp del 2002, listo para disfrutar del mar con la familia y muy cómodo para pescar , los motores tienen 610 horas, el Boat está...

miami.craigslist.org

So I never want to say anything bad about Grady but those cats they made have a horrible reputation, they apparently didn't work well, Grady didn't get how to make a cat. My local dealer was all in on them, got one, thought they would sell like crazy, people rode it and hated it.

I'm still learning but it seems like there is a learning curve on running cats and there is a learning curve on building them.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

So I never want to say anything bad about Grady but those cats they made have a horrible reputation, they apparently didn't work well, Grady didn't get how to make a cat. My local dealer was all in on them, got one, thought they would sell like crazy, people rode it and hated it.

I'm still learning but it seems like there is a learning curve on running cats and there is a learning curve on building them.

It's interesting because before posting that link I actually looked up the Grady White F-26 Tigercat on Google to see what others were saying about them as I'd only seen them before online and didn't know very much about them. Most of the posts are people asking for reviews or advice/opinions on them and most seem to take place on the website The Hull Truth. THT is a bit different than on here where it tends to be a bit more aggressive, at least from what I've seen, and where people on there tend to all "be experts on everything." On there, as well as other websites, it definitely seems like what you said about there being a bit of a learning curve to operating a CAT, just like about anything else that's new to you. That being said, it also seemed like the general consensus was that there was a lot of dislike or hate for CAT's but those were oftentimes or mostly all from those that had actually never owned or been on one before. Like much of the internet, especially online forums, a lot of it is speculation, hearsay and rumors as opposed to actual facts or opinions of people who've actually owned a CAT before.

It's interesting because the other thing that I noticed was that the opinions changed significantly from people that actually owned CAT's and/or had operated them before, of which they pretty much all seemed to love them. I saw an ongoing trend that people complained some about operating CAT's in following seas, in the calm water as well as being bow heavy. Most mentioned that after re-powering with heavier 4 stroke outboards that it significantly helped with the bow being too heavy. That as well as adding 4 bladed different pitched props helped out tremendously. I think we can all agree that no boat is perfect and there are always going to be trade-off's, that being said... most CAT owners seemed loved their boats and wouldn't go back to a single hull boat because of how they handle in the rough or extreme conditions. Fortunately around here the conditions aren't really ever that bad, and even if they were, I probably wouldn't be out there fishing anyway. Which makes the decision of whether I should own a CAT or not much easier than elsewhere throughout the country. I've personally never been on one before as they're quite rare in the Seattle area but I can see why they have their place elsewhere.

 

[Angler Management]

Nothing beats my 30 Grady in the Pacific Ocean. Some match it, but nothing beats it.

 

[doug228]

Newer cats have come along way. Asymmetric hull designs help with some of the handling quirks. The fuel savings are substantial and are one of the reasons we will be seeing more of them.

Aspen has cats made in Pacific Northwest that have different size hulls, they actually sell a boat with two different size outboards, one side has a 200, other side 115. They target more of a cruising crowd.

There's some incredible aluminum cats being built in the PNW as well. Old school thinking has a lot of people afraid of cats.

 

[billyttpd]

From what I've read on here the F-26 (walkaround) had mixed reviews but the less common X-26 (center console) from Grady has a stellar reputation. Grady didn't sell enough units and got out of the catamaran game. I also read on here that Grady sold the catamaran hull molds to another company. I think it was either Glacier Bay or World Cat.

 

[billyttpd]

Found two X-26 Cats on Facebook Marketplace if anyone is looking. One in MA the other in MD.