So I am looking to buy my first Grady. I have owned many boats in the past twenty or so yrs but never a grady. Tomorrow I am going to look at a 2006 330 with twin 2011 300 four stroke yamahas. I understand that all the soft goods need to be replaced on this boat, but is there anything I need to pay particular attention to on this model yr or with the engines?
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What to look for?
- Thread starter billfish73
- Start date
billfish73 said:So I am looking to buy my first Grady. I have owned many boats in the past twenty or so yrs but never a grady. Tomorrow I am going to look at a 2006 330 with twin 2011 300 four stroke yamahas. I understand that all the soft goods need to be replaced on this boat, but is there anything I need to pay particular attention to on this model yr or with the engines?
I would think that if you owned various boats for 20 years, you would have a pretty good idea of what to look for.
If your concern are 'soft goods' then I suggest if you are serious about this vessel , you hire a qualified surveyor. Your soft goods would be the least of possible issues. That said, I have no reason to believe that the upolstery on a 2006 that was reasonable maintained is is dire shape. Note that many surveyors do not do detailed engine evaluations. You will need a good mechanic to do that.
As I have always said and continue to state, the general condition of a boat ( how it looks and how it has been maintained) can be a good indication of how the mechanicals were taken care of. Anyone who values their vessel, especially one of that class, should have a log of maintenance records or service bills. That kind of information can be extremely helpful in determinine if the previous owner took care of the vessel.
Good luck
wspitler
GreatGrady Captain
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Engines shouldn't be any issue since they are still under warranty. Ask for the YES warranty in the deal if it isn't on them already. Look in the aft bilge for hose clamp and sea cock condition. My 2007 had aluminum adel clamps that were very corroded that held fuel etc. lines on the bulkheads. Sea cocks were very stiff and needed lube. There were leaks around the holding tank and I had to replace the duckbill valves. Pressurize fresh water and see how long it takes for pressure to bleed off. Mine had a leak at the bait station which dripped into the aft cabin, required new water hose. Now I can pressurize the system and it stays that way indefinitely. Also replaced transom shower hose that was corroded. Check steering cylinders for leakage. Easy to repack but about $100 each. Check windlass as mine had water inside and had to be rebuilt. Check water separator filters (diesel and gas) to determine condition of fuel/tanks, mine had water in aux tank that took a while to work out. Look at hours on the generator and see if impeller, valves adjustment, belt have been maintained as required. Check to insure generator can run AC, refrig, water heater, etc. Load it up. The 330 is a great boat. Good Luck!
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So I went for a sea trial on the a 2006 330 for 2011 f300 today and it sucked. The bottom had just been powerwashed and the boat had 50 gallons of fuel and no water in it. WOT was 5700 rpm at 30.3 -30.5 knots. what gives? anyone have any experience with this kind of sub par engine performance? Also the cabin had major water leak problems. We ran the boat in some sort chop in the sound and when we returned I ran my hand up behind the rub rail (hull deck joint) and the water was still running in. Cabin was full of mold and the boat was very poorly taken care off. On the whole very disappointed especially after driving 14 hours in total to go look at her.
grady33
GreatGrady Captain
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I moved up from a 272 sailfish (purchased new in 2000) to a 2006 330 Express July 2012. My old boat had 225 2 strokes and hauled as_. New boat has 250 4 strokes and yes we gave up speed for creature comforts. The 330 express is a heavy boat and build for offshore. We went 70+ miles offshore last week in a headsea the entire way and trolled all day and cruised back at 30 (pushing it to make a bridge opening). Maybe 180 miles round trip and it cost roughly $700 to fill tank back up (with no ethanol fuel of course). You can go center consol and gain speed but you will be more exposed to weather. Didn't see where you're located, but I'm in Maryland and I love my 330. Getting to know her throughout and doing little things here and there. We actually replaced all the wire and fuel clips last weekend with stainless steel ones. Grady's customer support is really good. In fact, the president of Grady actually took time yesterday to call me and respond to some questions I emailed to their support team.
Not good advice. If there were a problem and the manufacturer determined that the motors were either not maintained as required or subjected to abuse, they probably wouldn't honor the warrantee. Baed on the reported condition of the boat itself, I would doubt that great care was used on the motors.wspitler said:Engines shouldn't be any issue since they are still under warranty. Ask for the YES warranty in the deal if it isn't on them already. Look in the aft bilge for hose clamp and sea cock condition. My 2007 had aluminum adel clamps that were very corroded that held fuel etc. lines on the bulkheads. Sea cocks were very stiff and needed lube. There were leaks around the holding tank and I had to replace the duckbill valves. Pressurize fresh water and see how long it takes for pressure to bleed off. Mine had a leak at the bait station which dripped into the aft cabin, required new water hose. Now I can pressurize the system and it stays that way indefinitely. Also replaced transom shower hose that was corroded. Check steering cylinders for leakage. Easy to repack but about $100 each. Check windlass as mine had water inside and had to be rebuilt. Check water separator filters (diesel and gas) to determine condition of fuel/tanks, mine had water in aux tank that took a while to work out. Look at hours on the generator and see if impeller, valves adjustment, belt have been maintained as required. Check to insure generator can run AC, refrig, water heater, etc. Load it up. The 330 is a great boat. Good Luck!
based on your sea trial experience billfish my advice is to find another boat...its a shame that someone spent Express 330money and it seems they stopped spending after that...a 2006 shouldnt be in the dire condition your describing...but I guess neglect will do that...alotta boats in the market right now...if that boat you looked at was the top of your budget maybe look smaller and better maintained.