Salty dogs and why I love this forum

[luckydude]

Rich? I’ll bet the majority of Grady owners out there have used boats that were bought for a fraction of its original cost.

I tried going the elbow grease route on my previous boat. Wasted 2 years working on that junker. Woke up one day and realized I had put my 30 years in, I had the money, asked around and Grady White ticked all my boxes. Yeah, it was spendy but I had the money and a progressive disease that makes it really hard for me to stand for any period. And it gets worse each year so time was more valuable to me than money. There is no way I'd spend that kind of money if I was healthy. I'm quite handy, full mechanic, metal, wood working shop, so elbow grease would have been the route if my situation were different. The path I took is definitely not for everybody.

Love that you got that great boat so cheap. I also love that mine just works, it is super satisfying to just get in it and run it. Probably more satisfying when you run yours, but I'm happy. I love my 228.

 

[luckydude]

You being a crab greenhorn goes out and drops a pot 100ft from someone elses with 300ft of rope out. After dropping you notice the pot is 100ft from you but instead of pulling your pot and moving it you took the lazy route and just left your pot there overnight. Your excuse for not pulling the pot and moving it was you wimped out and didn't have your puller (your words not mine), piss poor excuse because I hand pulled for many years. Sorry, being new is not an excuse for negligence that could harm others property or cost other's money.

As Greygoose said on Coastside...you need to get your big boy pants on...your an adult and pretty sure you can take some criticism. Being new at something you shouldn't push back on that criticism, just saying.

Welp that's a pretty lopsided retelling. You forgot about the part where I got on coastside and said I did it. If the pots got tangled and he lost his pot, I'd buy him a new setup. My bad, my cost. (They didn't get tangled, they were farther apart than I thought, so Rob is making a tempest in a teapot).

It's great that you can hand pull your pots, bravo to you. You apparently missed the multiple times I've told people that I have a progressive disease in my feet, I can't stand for more than a couple of hours a day without extreme pain. If I pulled that pot up by hand, I probably would have passed out from the pain, not a great answer when dropping pots solo.

And Greygoose was beating me up for asking for advice. As I said to him, he'd be the sort that would beat me up for not asking for advice if I didn't. So he really was just trolling. Multiple people contacted me off list to say I was asking the right questions, some people are just salty.

Maybe it's just me, Rob, but man did your message come off as mean spirited and out of place for this forum. For a guy who beat me up for not reading your writeup, you clearly didn't read what I said. Pot meet kettle.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Yes they are! Pull like a beast when they have some size to them.
View attachment 17440

Dammmmmn !

 

[SmokyMtnGrady]

Just call me Thurston Howell, the 3rd. I like being rich ,filthy rich. I also like being beautiful too. Beautiful and rich are the only way to live my friend.
When you go to THT all and I mean all Grady owners are considered googans with sand bar queen boats. lol.

I think Grady's gave a cult like following by people who like a solid quality boat. Most here seek them out used and are dedicated owners who again appreciate a quality build. It's not about being rich in money but to be rich in kindness,help and appreciating taking care of a great boat. it's a passion man . we like sharing our passion.

I do have some advice though. Seek out some fishing buddies or hire a guide and ask the guide to help you equip your boat with the right tackle and then get the guide to go out on your boat. a professional guide won't make fun of you and will teach you all sorts of things. I learned how to fish through the Daytona Beach Grady White Club. That's another great option if not your first choice. Find a nearby Grady club and folks will help you a lot. it's the googan sandbar queen way. lol

 

[leeccoll]

Smoky,

Don't hate me because I am beautiful too

Great advise!

 

[TUNAHUNTER197]

Welp that's a pretty lopsided retelling. You forgot about the part where I got on coastside and said I did it. If the pots got tangled and he lost his pot, I'd buy him a new setup. My bad, my cost. (They didn't get tangled, they were farther apart than I thought, so Rob is making a tempest in a teapot).

It's great that you can hand pull your pots, bravo to you. You apparently missed the multiple times I've told people that I have a progressive disease in my feet, I can't stand for more than a couple of hours a day without extreme pain. If I pulled that pot up by hand, I probably would have passed out from the pain, not a great answer when dropping pots solo.

And Greygoose was beating me up for asking for advice. As I said to him, he'd be the sort that would beat me up for not asking for advice if I didn't. So he really was just trolling. Multiple people contacted me off list to say I was asking the right questions, some people are just salty.

Maybe it's just me, Rob, but man did your message come off as mean spirited and out of place for this forum. For a guy who beat me up for not reading your writeup, you clearly didn't read what I said. Pot meet kettle.

Glad your not in pain and no need for the back and forth on this topic since it sounds like you have all the answers. I'm really hoping the lesson learned here is if your dropping pots bring along your puller if you don't have the ability to pull by hand.

 

[Uncle Joe]

I can launch alone, I can dock alone, I can take you out and put you on fish and I'll get you home.

If you can do all that you are way ahead of the game....I would go with you anytime!

Best of luck with your Grady.

 

[luckydude]

I think Grady's gave a cult like following by people who like a solid quality boat. Most here seek them out used and are dedicated owners who again appreciate a quality build. It's not about being rich in money but to be rich in kindness,help and appreciating taking care of a great boat. it's a passion man . we like sharing our passion.

I do have some advice though. Seek out some fishing buddies or hire a guide and ask the guide to help you equip your boat with the right tackle and then get the guide to go out on your boat.

The boat is fairly sorted tackle wise, I've been fishing on the ocean for 3 years. Scotty downriggers, Scotty electric puller, Garmin screens and radar, AIS transponder. A bunch of bait caster and spinning setups. 2 drift socks. 5 boxes of jigs, crippled anchovy rigs, flashers, etc. Everything I need for halibut, salmon, lings, rockies. Not yet set up for albacore, that comes next.

And on the guides, before my feet went to shit, I was huge into fly fishing. Self taught and when I finally got with guides, done that twice, they laughed at how I did it and stopped laughing when I put the fly exactly where they wanted. They laughed because the 1950's era book that I learned to cast from taught you how to single haul on the back cast and punch the rod forward to load on the front cast. Looks goofy as heck but it works. One of the guides took me aside and said I was the best caster he had ever seen that wasn't a guide. I think he was stretching it but I can cast about 90 feet of 5 weight and still do a decent presentation. So goofy but effective.

I'm likely to lean on friends I'm making over on coastside. Just do a 2 boat launch, especially for tuna. For other stuff, I'm already bringing home the fish. You can see some here: http://mcvoy.com/lm/boat

 

[luckydude]

I can launch alone, I can dock alone, I can take you out and put you on fish and I'll get you home.

If you can do all that you are way ahead of the game....I would go with you anytime!

Best of luck with your Grady.

I didn't say I could do all that drama free. Docking is the hardest, I've still got a lot to learn. I watched a commercial boat do a 180 and drift perfectly up to the fueling dock. My kid and watched it with our jaws hanging open, it was that good. Single inboard so it wasn't some fancy joystick, it was pure skill. I'm a long way from that but I can get the job done. I'm not above asking people on the dock to grab a line. My lines are too short to lasso the cleats, I need longer ones.

 

[Lt.Mike]

I didn't say I could do all that drama free. Docking is the hardest, I've still got a lot to learn. I watched a commercial boat do a 180 and drift perfectly up to the fueling dock. My kid and watched it with our jaws hanging open, it was that good. Single inboard so it wasn't some fancy joystick, it was pure skill. I'm a long way from that but I can get the job done. I'm not above asking people on the dock to grab a line. My lines are too short to lasso the cleats, I need longer ones.

Docking is always going to throw something new at you. Wind, tide, boat wakes, if I had any constructive advice on that it’d be “go slow.” No Capt. Ron
Noticed in your fish pics that you actually wear your life vests, that’s to your credit. I know it’s a very good practice but about the only time I do and make everyone else on board suit up is when we are running an inlet. It’s fun running a 20’ boat in 10’ rollers.
Skunk boat is familiar with it too.
BTW if we were on the same coast I’d be picking your brain for fishing tips. You’ve got some really nice catches there.

 

[luckydude]

Docking is always going to throw something new at you. Wind, tide, boat wakes, if I had any constructive advice on that it’d be “go slow.”
Noticed in your fish pics that you actually wear your life vests, that’s to your credit.
BTW if we were on the same coast I’d be picking your brain for fishing tips. You’ve got some really nice catches there.

Thanks for the kind words. I don't think we take pictures when we get skunked (it has happened once on the Grady and at least 3 times on my buddies boat when we were chasing salmon. Those days are depressing but you gotta take your licks).

Life vests 100% of the time, those new (to me) ones that are so light, you just don't have an excuse to not wear one. I would like to find a source for some bright yellow ones with straps so I can latch a radio and PLB on there. Let me know if you know of such a beast.

"Go slow" is how I roll around the dock. I'm aware of the technique of cranking the engine towards the dock and reverse it, I'm just not that great at it. Maybe one day I'll find an empty dock and just practice, that's probably what I need. And longer dock lines because a lot of the time you can lose all the drama by just tossing that over the cleat and pulling the boat in.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Not sure but I think the vests you have are bright yellow when inflated, of course there’s another option...
Sterns, Mustang, Landfall, etc...
They make coats that are life jackets for the commercial sector so you know they’re good. I figure with all those pics of you guys bundled up


As for docking I always use regular bumpers hanging from the mid cleat and stern cleat and a big orange Polly ball hanging a few feet back from the bow in the flare as often the stern line to the dock isn’t tied tight and the bow swings towards the dock the ball prevents a scrape.
But there’s always this...


Seriously companies like Sterns and particularly Mustang“will” have a jacket with all those working straps and provisions for strobe lights etc... built in.

 

[Hookup1]

The Hull Truth is OK but it attracts too many people with nothing to do, no expert knowledge and a lot of poor advice. Generally I don't find it useful and never contribute even though I am a Admiral member. The internet is a place where you can go to get whatever opinion you want supported. You need to filter it all. I often wonder how many people are killed by following YouTube videos.

The Great Grady site is far better. It seems that people in the GW community stick together and support each other. I try to help where I have experience and bow out where I don't. I try to help everyone especially new owner to the brotherhood.

As a good friend of mine always reminds me: All boats are sinking...the only difference is how fast!

 

[luckydude]

The Hull Truth is OK but it attracts too many people with nothing to do, no expert knowledge and a lot of poor advice. Generally I don't find it useful and never contribute even though I am a Admiral member. The internet is a place where you can go to get whatever opinion you want supported. You need to filter it all. I often wonder how many people are killed by following YouTube videos.

The Great Grady site is far better. It seems that people in the GW community stick together and support each other. I try to help where I have experience and bow out where I don't. I try to help everyone especially new owner to the brotherhood.

As a good friend of mine always reminds me: All boats are sinking...the only difference is how fast!

I think you can get some info from THT, there are smart people there. Some of them pointed me at my 228.

I completely agree that this place is better. I'm grateful as you know what that I get to hang here and learn. This place is the perfect intersection of big enough and still nice. Lets keep it that way.

 

[Blaugrana]

Going slow is key but also gives you the false sense that you will have no issue docking because of your speed.

My biggest challenge is with the enclosures on. Late in the year, I adjusted my approach that allowed me to better understand the conditions.

Basically, I would put the boat into neutral as I was getting ready to approach the dock. I would give it a few seconds to “reset” my boat and kill any of the momentum/ current I created. I would then take note of the impact the wind and current had before continuing to the dock.

Before doing this I noticed that as I would turn into the dock, I would really drift in a direction that was counter to what I expected the wind and current to do.

Once I killed whatever momentum I had, I noticed I could point the bow at an angle at the end of my turn and then swing the wheel and give a little reverse to allow the stern to pivot to the dock.

The bracket makes docking a lot more interesting...

 

[Hookup1]

My 268 Islander will spin on the engines in a 5 know crosswind. Big house and enclosure catches the wind. Going too slow makes matters worse. Backing in half way in the slip the wind will slam the bow into a piling or end of the dock. Sternway helps but too much speed in close quarters is not good.

I got lots of ribbing about my bow thruster install. Given how I use my boat its the best thing I did.

 

[magicalbill]

The Hull Truth is OK but it attracts too many people with nothing to do, no expert knowledge and a lot of poor advice. Generally I don't find it useful and never contribute even though I am a Admiral member. The internet is a place where you can go to get whatever opinion you want supported. You need to filter it all. I often wonder how many people are killed by following YouTube videos.

The Great Grady site is far better. It seems that people in the GW community stick together and support each other. I try to help where I have experience and bow out where I don't. I try to help everyone especially new owner to the brotherhood.

As a good friend of mine always reminds me: All boats are sinking...the only difference is how fast!

Hookup1's response here should be required reading...Could not have said it better.

 

[magicalbill]

RE: Docking:

Unfortunately, even if you have a system that works for you, your boat, and your docks, it's too hard to describe with the printed word. There are just too many variables each time you attempt it to rely on reading it or watching a clip of someone docking in dead-calm conditions that have nothing to do with your World.

I tried it awhile back for Russ, wrote something just shy of a novel, and realized afterwords that it would've been no help to him. You just have to grasp the basics, then go out and dock the boat fifty times. At some point, it becomes intuitive and you no longer second-guess your next move. You just do it.

This is a weird analogy, but it does dovetail. It's like learning to play drums to a click track, or metronome. Anyone can do it, you just have to put in the time until the click becomes your friend and not your enemy. Same with docking. Take a full day, pack a lunch and just dock the boat over and over and all of a sudden, it gets easier.

 

[Blaugrana]

RE: Docking:

Unfortunately, even if you have a system that works for you, your boat, and your docks, it's too hard to describe with the printed word. There are just too many variables each time you attempt it to rely on reading it or watching a clip of someone docking in dead-calm conditions that have nothing to do with your World.

I tried it awhile back for Russ, wrote something just shy of a novel, and realized afterwords that it would've been no help to him. You just have to grasp the basics, then go out and dock the boat fifty times. At some point, it becomes intuitive and you no longer second-guess your next move. You just do it.

This is a weird analogy, but it does dovetail. It's like learning to play drums to a click track, or metronome. Anyone can do it, you just have to put in the time until the click becomes your friend and not your enemy. Same with docking. Take a full day, pack a lunch and just dock the boat over and over and all of a sudden, it gets easier.

I agree but the tidbits everyone gives here can be seen as the cliff notes or shortcut of trying to figuring it all out. Some of the advice I received I probably would not have come up with but I tried all of the advice and applied them to a particular degree to figure it all out.

Don’t shy away from giving advice but don’t get frustrated if the advice given doesn’t help when you apply it

 

[Lt.Mike]

My 268 Islander will spin on the engines in a 5 know crosswind. Big house and enclosure catches the wind. Going too slow makes matters worse. Backing in half way in the slip the wind will slam the bow into a piling or end of the dock. Sternway helps but too much speed in close quarters is not good.

I got lots of ribbing about my bow thruster install. Given how I use my boat its the best thing I did.

My Grady is only 20’, you know how many times I wished I had a bow thruster ?