Thinking of buying a Grady

[Maine]

Hi everyone, my wife and I are looking for another boat, the requirements are: a real head, and a cuddy large enough to sleep both of us and our infant child (growing rapidly).

We like the Sailfish 25, it seems to be perfect. My only concern is that we dont want to spend more then $20,000 so we are stuck in the 80's. My other concern is the fuel use of these older 2 strokes.

I found a 1985 22 seafarer with an I/O as well as an older sailfish with twin 150 yamahas on it.

I think the seafarer is too small and really dont care for I/O's but have never owned one either.

Heres my real question, what should I check out on these Grady hulls? I will be totally honest and say that I have always been told that Grady is just a name and their build quality is the same as any other mid tier boat. I dont know if thats true or not.

What makes these boats worth more money then say a comparable Proline boat?

Not trying to start a war, I am genuinely curious. I REALLY like the layout of the Sailfish. Thanks guys.

-John

 

[Capt Bill]

John, first of all; "WELCOME to the forum".

I would agree; a Sailfish sounds like a perfect fit for your needs. I have owned both a 93 Sailfish (I had her for nearly 12 years before Brian bought her), and I currently have an '02 model.

With the 80's-something hulls, you will have some concerns. For one, they didn't have the better riding SeaV2 hull, which the (not sure about '92) '93 and later models do. Unless a boat of that vintage has been particularly well-cared for, you may be buying a boat with a wet or rotted transom and stringers, and one with tank replacements needed. You will also need to address all thru-hull fittings, as the one's at the water line were plastic, and likely failing. All hoses, including fuel lines, will need replacing, and you should go over the electrical system, particularly fuse blocks, as they may be corroded.

If you were able to find a decent pair of used 175 or 200 engines, you couldn't do better than buying Brian's (gw204 here on the forum), '93 Sailfish. She has no engines on her (he pull them and sold them about a month ago). So you will need to find engines. It is nearly the equivalent of buying a brand-new, 1993 Sailfish, and in many ways, even better than that. Thru-hulls were all relaced with bronze; all hoses replaced, transom, stringers and tanks are clean and dry, and she is a beautiful, clean boat, inside and out.

If that sounds like it might work for you, I'd encourage you to check it out. If you find an older Sailfish, or any boat for that matter, have her surveyed, and know what you are really buying. Good luck.

 

[Maine]

I did look at gw204's sailfish, she is a beauty, but too much money for me without power. I know it will be tough to find much with my budget in the grady line.

 

[fishingstories]

i got a grady because i can resell the thing and get all m money back. ofcourse my gw is old and i had to spend alot of hours on her. but well worth the self satisfaction. good luck on your journey

 

[Grog]

Grady makes a decent boat, they have some problem areas but all boats do. Look through the forums and you'll see some problems. On older boats, the transom may be questionable, the fuel tanks may be shot, the hoses and through-hull fittings may be shot, the wiring may need work, and the hatch panels may need to be recored. If you're handy you can do most of it yourself. A Sailfish isn't going to cut through the water at 60 MPH but it isn't designed for that either, it's a fishing boat you can enjoy with a family. I have a '91 Sailfish and I don't have any experience riding a SeaV2 version but from what I've heard, there isn't much difference. As far as engines, a well tuned carbed 2 stroke isn't far behind an injected version as far as mileage (trolling speeds seem to favor the injected versions more so). Since everybody wants 4 stroke varieties, the 2 strokes can be had much cheaper. It's definitely a buyers market so use it to your advantage. Wave 20K under the nose of someone asking a decent amount higher and see what happens (winter storage isn't that far away) and just about everybody thinks their boat is worth more than it actually is. Also, get a survey!


As far a budget, if 20K all you have to spend, shoot for something around 15K. A lot of little things will add up in a hurry (electronics, safety gear, ...).

Good luck

 

[Drifter80]

It’s a great market to beat up the seller, keep looking until you find what you want. I also was looking for something for around 20K. I found an 86 228 Seafarer and, like Capt Bill said, it had a severely weakened transom and stringer issues. I ended up finding a 1995 226 Seafarer for just a hair over my 20K budget.
I love my boat but I agree the cabin could be a bit small for two adults and a child. Of course if you don't do too many over night trips it might not be too bad. Keep looking and consider some out of state boats. I drove across the state to pick mine up.

 

[whitey]

Hi everyone, my wife and I are looking for another boat, the requirements are: a real head, and a cuddy large enough to sleep both of us and our infant child (growing rapidly).

We like the Sailfish 25, it seems to be perfect. My only concern is that we dont want to spend more then $20,000 so we are stuck in the 80's. My other concern is the fuel use of these older 2 strokes.

I found a 1985 22 seafarer with an I/O as well as an older sailfish with twin 150 yamahas on it.

I think the seafarer is too small and really dont care for I/O's but have never owned one either.

Heres my real question, what should I check out on these Grady hulls? I will be totally honest and say that I have always been told that Grady is just a name and their build quality is the same as any other mid tier boat. I dont know if thats true or not.

What makes these boats worth more money then say a comparable Proline boat?

Not trying to start a war, I am genuinely curious. I REALLY like the layout of the Sailfish. Thanks guys.

-John

not to self promote here
i have a 1990 trophy pro,i have twin yamaha engines,200hp each.the boat is in excellent condition,transom has been replaced,the fuel tanks were replaced.the boat is absolutley 100% turn key.it's in the water behind my house in avalon.if you're interested,"pm" me and i'll give you my number.i recently purchased another boat,and i'm a little anxious to sell this one.

 

[gradyfish22]

I have a 1989 22' Seafarer for sale, asking $16,999. It has a 2000 Yamaha HPDI engine. The boat has always been updated and is in excellent shape. It is turn key. It has the cancas top w/ 4 sided enclosure, GPS, FF, VHF, newer teak molding. Boat is located in Pt Pleseant, NJ and is for sale through Brightwater Yacht Sales, but I can provide additional info as well. OB models offer much more usable space then I/O models.

 

[Maine]

Thanks guys. I looked at 2 other Gradys tonight both from the mid 80s and for the money they want (15K ish) they are out of their minds. Old and outdated, and who knows when it last hit the water (from the cuddy smell its been awhile).

The seafarer cuddy is a deal breaker, way way too small.

Whitey, any photos?

 

[gw204]

Be careful of the 80s and early 90s Yamahas. They had regular steel shift shafts that are know to rust away over time. Replacement requires removal of the powerheads, which can be terribly difficult and very costly. Many engines that need this repair are deemed a lost cause...

If I were looking for an '80s Sailfish, I would be concentrating on ones that had Mercs, OMCs or '92 or later Yamahas.

 

[Maine]

Thanks for the reply, I had a 1991 Yamaha 150 on my Proline that was flawless. I knew of the shift shaft issues, and mine were getting there, but otherwise it was bullet proof. I found a 1989 Sailfish with twin 150 yams on it for $17K obo and may check it out tomorrow. Thanks for the heads up though.

 

[whitey]

i've got plenty of pictures of the boat-drop me a line with your email.the boat's still in the water,behind my house.there are no problems wth the boat,it runs excellent,and it looks just as good.the boat has also had a pretty extensive electrical upgrade-i have a 4 battery system installed,in cluding a second aft bilge pump and a high bilge water alarm.the original grady drive was repalced with a fiberglass floatation bracket-the boat sits very high out of the water-the scuppers are approx 2" above the water line with both tanks full.i'm going to list it with a broker this coming week.

 

[TBone]

check this 1994 Sailfish on Ebay, if your handy.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/8216...016QQitemZ260278251457QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW