Why a Grady?

[Jargon]

Hello All, total newb Jargon here!

I’ve learned an awful lot about my motorcycles on an owner’s forum, then finally began to contribute there as well. Looking to do the same here.

Looking to retire to our bayside home on the OBX in a couple years, and guess what I need? A boat! I’ve been scouring Craigslist, getting ideas on styles, pricing, et, al, and finally decided on a Grady with a modest cabin, head, as well as fishing deck. The layout of the Gulfstream is what attracted me to the brand, as it is a little bit of everything that I believe I want in a boat...a little fishing, a little cruising, private under deck facilities for the wife boss, it seems to have everything!

After more research, I’ve narrowed it down to a 23-28 footer, which encompasses several Grady models.

What I’m looking to achieve:

1) cruising Albemarle Sound, I need to deal with 6” water depths outside the channels
2) the sound is quite large, so I need to be able to get home if the weather kicks up
3) room for up to 6, possibly 8, for slow sunset cruises
4) the ability to go out to the Gulfstream 2-3x per year, which means,
A) cruising range
B) ability to handle open waters in a bad scenario
5) under deck facilities for the ladies

I think the 23-28’ Hull will accommodate most of those needs.
I also want 4-stroke outboards, single, or a pair, don’t know which, so I can tilt the motors in the shallows.

In time, I can probably figure most of this out, but what I really would like to know, is why a Grady? They ‘appear’ to have created this style of boat with the modest cabins, but it also appears that many others have copied the design, and they are quite a bit cheaper...Albemarle, Mako, Robalo, and a couple others I can’t remeber the names of.

So, why a Grady? I assume it’s a quality thing, and assume that’s why prices are heftier, but I don’t mind paying up. I do NOT want to buy new...I just want one boat to do most everything for me, and I want to baby it, and make it last a long time.

Tell me why you love yours, and give me model suggestions in my size range. I’ve looked for similar threads, but didn’t find any. If you know of one, please add a link!

Thanks much and I look forward to giving back to the community once I have my sea legs.

Thanks guys!

 

[UCPA111]

There are a lot of great boats out there. I found my Grady and restored it. I see you mention 6" of water....I am really not sure you're going to find anything drafting that little that will move forward and be the size you want.
I love that GW's have a nice flare to the hull. My small 22 foot seafarer is stout and can handle the snotty Lake Erie waves that have really short periods between waves. Not that I want to go looking for 4-6' waves...but I know I can make it home if I get caught. A larger GW would be even better, but then I'd lose the efficiency and ease of transport (I trailer) that I also enjoy.

I think on the 25' plus side you'd find a good balance of cabin and deck space. The cabin on my boat is small...good for storage and for small kids.

I'd encourage getting a model with hard top vs bimini.

 

[magicalbill]

Hey Jargon:

Why?

Good customer service. They genuinely care about their customers. I write occasional articles for their Anchorline Newsletter so I have communicated with many in the Front Office. I have bought 3 Gradys from them, visited the Plant and can tell you they are good people.

Grady is a popular brand and there are many dealerships all over the East Coast & Fla. That translates into ease of service and good accessibility

They have their problems, like any boat, but are built well and are a great compromise between a smooth ride and stability. They are NOT a Contender, Yellowfin or Regulator with a deep V, but they won't make you seasick in a beam sea, either. Every boat is a trade-off, and I think Grady has more positives than negatives.

Others on here are more knowledgeable than myself on this subject, but have any used Grady surveyed and tested for moisture in the transoms and wood rot. This is a problem with some Gradys in earlier years.

RE: Model:

For what you outline above, I think the Gulfstream is too small. 6-8 people will be a tight fit, the cabin is workable, but kinda small, and anything over a 2ft sea and 10kt winds, will give you a rough ride. You can lower the tabs and plow thru it, but it's not pleasant. I owned a Gulfstream for 11 years and it's a marvelous 23 footer. I just think it's not ideal for your purposes.

My choices are below:

1.) A 258 Journey with twin 150's. Great combo and a better ride than the Gulfstream because of the narrower beam-to-length ratio. Cabin is small, however, and you'll still be cramped with 6+ passengers. Something to consider at the right price, I would think.

2.) Since your going used, a Sailfish would be ideal. Either the 270 or the later model 282. Many have the Ox66 Yamahas pushing them. I'm told they really gulp fuel, but well-cared ones will last a lifetime. I'm sure there are lots of choices equipped with 4-strokes as well.

3.) The 30 ft Marlin is marvelous. It is on the hi-end of your size range, but will do everything you want to do and it'll get into the shallows, engines tilted. Plus, it overnights really well and there's plenty of room for everyone. We currently own one and it's really cool.

Good luck with your process!

 

[seasick]

What Grady will operate in 6 inches of water??? The smaller hulls draft about 14 inches .

 

[SkunkBoat]

Since you have a "bayside home" you won't be trailering and you won't be paying for a slip. That means you can go BIG! YEAH!!!
If you really imagine many beautiful sunset cruises with 6-8 persons on board...I can taste the margheritas right now...
you need at minimum a 25' but the 27 Sailfish or a 265 or 305 express or a 30 Marlin would all really fit the bill.

At that size you are talking twins. If you want to keep the cost lower, go with a 25 with a big single 4 stroke.

You are not getting into 6" in anything but a flat bottom skiff...you might need one of those too!!!

 

[Legend]

in addition to what was mentioned above, Grady's also have an amazing resale value and if taken care they can look perfect after 20+ years.

 

[Jargon]

What Grady will operate in 6 inches of water??? The smaller hulls draft about 14 inches .

The 6” of water is outside the boating channels, so you just can’t freely go shore to shore on that sound. I think it averages 5-6’ but I’m not certain of that.

 

[Jargon]

If you want to keep the cost lower, go with a 25 with a big single 4 stroke.

Thanks Skunk! It did not get past me that I would be saving on trailering and mooring! And you named more models of Grady than I knew before, thanks for that.

Could you be more specific with your rec that I quoted above? Model number, I’m assuming a Yamaha.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Thanks Skunk! It did not get past me that I would be saving on trailering and mooring! And you named more models of Grady than I knew before, thanks for that.

Could you be more specific with your rec that I quoted above? Model number, I’m assuming a Yamaha.

You could find 258 Journey with an F225 or F250 It won't be a speed demon but the operating cost will be much nicer than twins.
Its a trade off but if you spend most of your time in the sound, a breakdown is just an anchor in shallow water and a call to BoatUS

Just be aware there is a huge difference in size between a 258 and a 265
Try going on Boattrader.com, search for grady-white, 21 to 30 ft. you'll get a sense of the possibilities.
Look at the "Beam" measurements. 8.5 ft is commonly called "trailerable". Some models have 9.5 ft beams which make them much larger boats for a given length. It is possible to trailer them with a superduty pickup truck & trailer and a permit.

Models with cuddies/cabins would be Gulfstream, Voyager, Journey, Dolphin, Islander, Sailfish, Marlin, and the various Express sizes.

 

[Fishtales]

Why Grady?
- Customer service. The factory and dealer will be there if you have any issue. They will work with you to correct and will not stop until you are happy.
- Yamaha outboards. All brands have their issues. GW has been putting Yamahas on their transoms for a while now. Their dealers know how to fix them.
- Relatively simple systems. You can fix most issues yourself if handy.
- Solid hull design. They don't blister or have gelcoat issues. Quality hardware and proven designs. They don't go changing things on a whim. It has to make sense and be proven before they cut a change in. Solid and troublefree hardtop frames and hardtop as long as you seal any holes properly.
- Pretty decent line up. If you can't find your walk, cc, dc or express boat in the line, your not looking hard enough.
- Reputation and resale. Both pretty solid.
- Clean factory (I've done 3 tours) and stable workforce. They pride themselves on their factory environment.

 

[Jargon]

I took the next step, because you can only read so much, and went to the Grady dealer near my wife’s family’s beach house in Skunk’s neck of the woods, and looked at some boats in person. I wanted to get a reference point for the size differences and layouts. The salesman John was terrific and I liked how they’re a family run business in its second generation.

https://www.comstockyachtsales.com/search/inventory/availability/In Stock/usage/Used/sort/boatlength-high/brand/Grady-White

My impressions on the boats I boarded, two which are in this link:

I wanted to like the Gulfstream. Up top, everything was fine, but I found the cabin to be so tight that I think it would just become a junk drawer, so that model is out.

2005 330 Express was gorgeous. Well maintained, low hours, one owner trade bought from the marina. Really liked EVERYTHING about it and would’ve moved on it if I were ready, until...

I saw the 2016 Freedom 255. As I said, I wanted to get reference points on the sizes and layouts. The size difference from the 330 Express was noticeable, but not significantly so that it would prevent me from buying the smaller Freedom. The top deck of the DC Freedom is very workable if I’ve got my wife and another female sipping cocktails up front in the sun, while myself and another male is helping a few children throw lines in the water out in the bay. Everyone would be happy methinks.

Going into the open waters through a ‘more than occasionally’ treacherous Oregon Inlet, I’d rather have a 30’er with dual outboards, as opposed to a 23’er. With the 3-4 guys I know I’d fish with down there, I don’t think I’d ever have nerve to overnight in open waters, just loooonger daytrips.

Saw a Marlin, but could not board it.

So that leaves the dilemma. Do I want boat real estate up top, with seating for 10, or do I want a cabin that might get used a few times a year overnighting in the bay?

I’m strongly leaning towards practicality and thinking Freedom if I’m spending real jing. If I run into an awesome deal that I couldn’t pass up, I would do an Express. The Express that I saw and spent 20 minutes on was gorgeous, but I’m the kind of fool who would show up at Comstock in the first week of January and start hard negotiations.

Just thinking out loud here, don’t know if I’m making any sense at all though.

 

[Fishtales]

each model has their pros and cons. rather than getting seduced by boats, figure out how you are going to use the boat and what percentage of your time will be doing different things. all the boats do just about everything, but obviously if you are heavy fishing, cruising, staying on it, entertaining etc there are models that better fit each use case.

 

[Jargon]

each model has their pros and cons. rather than getting seduced by boats, figure out how you are going to use the boat and what percentage of your time will be doing different things. all the boats do just about everything, but obviously if you are heavy fishing, cruising, staying on it, entertaining etc there are models that better fit each use case.

Which is exactly what I’m attempting to do. Thanks for your reply. : )

 

[Jargon]

If buying a particular model just based on value, and compromising my exacting needs, this looks to be an awesome boat, freshwater used, bulletproof motors, terrific boat model design. I should just be impulsive and go look at it with cash in hand.

https://www.powerboatlistings.com/photographs/56701

 

[SkunkBoat]

As said a few times, the boat has to fit You...and your wife...I guess....
Your comment about the 23 cabin just big enough to collect junk was very incisive.

You are going to dock in your backyard so you don't need protected cabin storage so a bow rider...I mean..Dual Console... will fit your use. Its a party barge for sunny days sipping daiquiris.
If you get the hardtop and spray curtains it will double as a fishing machine. The edge is only 40 miles from Oregon Inlet so day tripping is they way to go. Not like here where the edge is 90miles.
A single 300hp will save you a lot of drinking money.

 

[Fishtales]

The 23 cabin is small compared to the larger models expresses and walks but larger than you'd find on some DCs and CCs. It offers a place for the admiral to use a toilet if needed, some decent storage and a place to change or duck into if needed. It's a pretty versatile small boat if you ask me.

 

[magicalbill]

The 23 cabin is small compared to the larger models expresses and walks but larger than you'd find on some DCs and CCs. It offers a place for the admiral to use a toilet if needed, some decent storage and a place to change or duck into if needed. It's a pretty versatile small boat if you ask me.

It's a matter of perspective. We had a 232 Gulfstream for 11 years. We overnighted aboard most of the time except in the summer months down here when it was just too hot to sleep aboard without A/C. (The 232 doesn't have shore power.) The cabin was small, but fine for us. There were times in the late 2000's I slept aboard for weeks at a time. Like Fish says, it's a really cool 23 footer.

Now we have the Marlin 300 and for us it seems like the JW Marriott in comparison. We'll be spending weeks aboard that boat in the future.

More perspective; I've been aboard the 305 and the 330 Express and while I think they are neat boats, we didn't want one. The Marlin cabin is ideal for us, and I hate going to the bow on the Express. That alone was a deal breaker for me. I much prefer the walkaround; I feel waaay safer, especially while going forward underway. I understand the center helm is popular with some, but I didn't like it. I am a fan of the side helm on the Marlin.

So..You'll get all sides on here, all legitimate opinions. As I said in my opening reply to your "Why A Grady" question, whichever one you land aboard, chances are you'll be happy with it as long as you match the model to your needs.

 

[Jargon]

I like and appreciate all the worthy opinions. More please.

 

[Fishtales]

If it is space you want and you can afford it - get the biggest you can swing.

 

[Woofman]

Hi Jargon. I am new to Grady White boats but have been boating most of my life, both motor and sail. We mostly cruise the bays around long island and I do fish a lot but I do not have much interest in offshore fishing. My last boat was a cuddy and I vowed to never own another cuddy or walk around unless it was over 25 feet. Just seems a waste of space for our needs. For cruising deck space it king, same for fishing. We do not sleep on a boat. We currently have the small tournament 192 and it has way more usable space than the larger cuddy we had. No head but we dont really need one. Otherwise one of the larger DCs would work.

As far as "why grady". I must say the customer service, even on a used boat it fantastic, best I've ever experienced. Even the local dealer that I did not purchase from is topnotch. The boat is a repowered older model 192 and has held up excellent, we are the 2nd owners. I am a buy it once buy I right kind of person so the extra expense is worth it to me.

By the way we purchased from Comstock. Absolutely zero complaints and we did not spend even close to the kind of money customers spend on larger Grady's, though they seemed to treat us as if we were. Great bunch of guys over there, always willing to answer questions and deal with me even post sale and even though I dont live close enough to use them for service.