If I may chime in. Yes, I have been a member of this site for a couple years now, and no, I'm not a Grady owner. Actually, Aquasport. But I am a production engineer for Proline, thus, in some ways, I work for a competitor. In the offshore fish boat market, we're all competitors, regardless of "tier".
I am also a member on THT, have been for several years, and I know exactly what all here are talking about, that perceived notion that Grady's are so great, therefore their wood shouldn't rot, therefore why pay the money for the Grady that will rot just like a Palm Beach? So Grady gets bashed. I guess they all expect the wood to rot in a Palm Beach, so that's alright...
So what it comes down to is an ego issue, plain and simple. Owners of boats that don't cost as much are jealous of owners of boats that cost more. It's just the nature of the human beast. And because of that jealousy, when something "bad" is brought up about a Grady, or a Whaler, or any other higher dollar builder, the pack jumps on it like flies on shit. That's just the way it is, because it helps offset their envy. Kind of like a release mechanism...
At Proline, we use no wood, only in the cabinetry in the bigger expresses. Does that make it a better boat than any other? No, it simply means that it has no wood. If you have a wood-free boat that has a bad hull form, who the hell would want to buy it, wood-free or not? Many things in the boat world are relative, and people should try and recognize that.
I started in the OEM boat business at Wellcraft in '94. Became the head electrician on 3 different lines. Left to go to Stamas Yacht (it takes a whole forest to build a Stamas!) in '00, did ALL the wiring in the express boats, took a job as a production engineer in '06. I'm here on this site hopefully to help anybody who has electrical problems, both AC and DC. That's why I'm here. BTW, if anybody want's to check out my site, you can go to
The Proline Guy....
Rather than get pissed at the bashers, take solace in the fact that you own one of the most desirable boats out there. You have nothing to prove. So quit thinking that you have to...
Bob C