WTB Seafarer 228, 2000-20016

[KEZ]

OK everyone, I am putting my toe in the water here. I have loved GW boats ever since fishing a friends boat on the Chesapeake. I currently have a Sunbird Neptune 202 cuddy with a 150 Johnson, lightly used on Sacramento Delta. Thinking about upgrading to a larger boat for fishing on the Pacific (out of San Luis Obispo). Would like to purchase a clean hull in the 2000-2005 year class, but concerned about the dry exhaust corrosion issue on the Yamahas and how you can do an inspection easily to verify the boat you are buying does not have it. I can drive anywhere to pick up a boat - bought the Sunbird in my birth state of Louisiana and towed it back with my old but trusty F250.

So - is anyone thinking of selling their 228? Know of a good one for sale on the usual sites? I am seeing a few, but some seem overpriced, others bring up a lot of questions.

For instance - this one in Stuart FL seems like a great price

Welcome to Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales - Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales

Let Manatee Pocket Yacht Sales get you the best possible price for your boat. We are a Stuart, Florida yacht brokerage team serving the Treasure Coast and all of Florida.

www.manateepocketyachtsales.com

So why hasn't it sold? Looks like it is slipped in water (no lift) and no indication of condition of bottom paint. Looks like used for family fun rather than fishing - rod holders and riser for the bait tank have been removed. And you gotta wonder why they listed it as a 226 when it is clearly a 228. Looks like they did not even bother to clean it up for the pictures so you wonder about the rest of the maintenance. I don't mind cleaning though - if the price is right and everything else checks out. No trailer, but this seems like a pretty good price, so why has it been on the market so long, what am I missing? Maybe a hurricane boat (sank at dock or water damage - how can you tell on these Gulf coast boats?)

Another example

Grady-White Seafarer 228 boats for sale - Boat Trader

Find Grady-White Seafarer 228 boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate Grady-White boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader!

www.boattrader.com

This boat definitely would be a stretch for me and then getting it home from MI in the winter would be a toss up. Looks like a very clean boat but in addition to the cost, would need to add a bimini at a minimum. And one picture shows a wicked looking crack in the hull just below the rub strip at the bow, starboard side.

This one in Richmond looks pretty clean - have not called yet to see hours on engine but concerned since the did not list that.

Grady-White Seafarer 228 boats for sale - Boat Trader

Find Grady-White Seafarer 228 boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate Grady-White boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader!

www.boattrader.com

Also looks like it might need an electronics upgrade but at right price, you could afford to do that.

So - this forum has a BOATLOAD (pun intended) of great advice from all the members, and I am looking forward to any assistance and recommendations you all can provide. Sorry for so many questions but I am learning as fast as I can.

Cheers!
Kent

 

[leeccoll]

Hey Kent,

Just sold mine last month on Boat Trader. The last one listed that has a hardtop has an old motor. The first one you listed has 750 hours on the 2011 engine, and listed as a family fun boat. IMHO that’s a lot of hours on a described family fun lol. There are a lot of nuances in these boats for sale. No easy way around it but suggest you start kicking some tires in person to get a sense of what you want, and for what price.

My biggest tip is get a boat that way in dry storage or on a lift, and no bottom paint is nice, even if you plan on bottom paint.

Wishing you luck in your search!

Lee

 

[Mustang65fbk]

This is going to be a long winded response but I agree with Leeccoll on figuring out what exactly you want, how much your budget is and how much of that you want to spend. I just spent the last year going through the same search for the same boat that you're now starting and will offer some advice/tips from what I learned throughout the process. The typical boat selling websites like Boat Trader, Boats.com, Yacht World and so on are a good place to start. I also would type in "Grady White 228 Seafarer for sale" on Google and it would pull up some listings that way that weren't listed on those main sites. That, and do a search for a site called BoatZez or whatever other Craigslist search website you use that shows you search results for the entire country. Unless you want to spend the time going through each individual state and searching that way. The BoatZez site usually would pop up on the first page of Google if I typed in "Grady White 228 Seafarer for sale".

My boat is a 2004 Grady White 228 Seafarer that came with the hardtop as well as a 2009 aluminum I-beam trailer and motor, of which I bought the entire package for $26.5k. The boat had the original Yamaha 225 hp 4 stroke motor replaced at around 500 hours because of the dry exhaust corrosion issue. The seller had traded it in to a dealer called Tri State Marine in Maryland, on a new boat because of the engine issues and the dealer put a replacement motor on it, which is also a 2004 Yamaha 225 hp 4 stroke motor with less than 1k hours on it. I didn't have the time to have a marine surveyor come out to inspect the boat as Tri State only does business in person, and not over the phone. So I flew out to look at the boat, put an offer down, did a sea trial run, rented a U-Haul truck and trailered her back 3009 miles to Seattle. I think a big part of why the boat was still for sale was because they had the wrong boat for the main picture in all of their ads and think a lot of people probably glanced over or skipped it because of that. I'll attach the link to the thread I started several weeks ago about the journey that I had back home at the bottom.

To answer your questions above, I always recommend a marine surveyor to look over any boat purchase that I do. Most of the time, you'll be able to tell pretty quickly if there is an issue with the dry exhaust corrosion problem. The seller might be abrasive about it or not answer questions related to the motor or simply say I don't know. You'll oftentimes have overheating alarms as well just when idling or getting up to speed. It's very easy to tell by dropping the lower unit on the motor and to look up and see if there is any issue and I guess it oftentimes starts around the 500-600 hour mark on the motor. If the seller won't let you drop the lower unit, do it themselves or let you take it to a shop and have a mechanic do it... that's a pretty big red flag.

In terms of the boats you've listed... the first has been listed for sale for quite sometime and has also come down in price quite a bit. I think when it was first listed, it was in the high $30k's if not the low $40k's. The boat isn't really anything special in my opinion and the only thing it really has going for it is the motor being newer and a 250 as opposed to a 225. That being said, it doesn't have the hardtop or a trailer, it just has basic electronics as well as everything else. I think it's still for sale because the asking price is still too high for what you're getting. If it was a hardtop and came with a trailer then I'd say you're looking at a fair deal. The second boat has been listed for weeks now as well and I'm not sure what they're smoking but there's no way that's a $50k boat, or even close to it in my opinion, especially for where they're located at. It's been slowly coming down in price since it was listed but even still, without the hardtop and just having basic electronics as well as not a lot of other options... I think it's a $30k boat or less. I'm sure a quick phone call could get you some more information on it but I'm not sure why they don't tell you the hours on the motor, year of the trailer and so on.

The last boat is a 2001 and comes with a 2 stroke motor, as I believe that's kind of the year where they started making the switch from 2 stroke to 4 stroke motors. I think the price is again much too high as it's been for sale from quite sometime as well. I like that it has the hardtop and a trailer as well as no bottom paint but the motor is a 2 stroke, it's overpriced in my opinion and has the cheaper looking seats with no cushions on the gunwales like the others have. I'd wait another couple weeks and think in doing so you'll see prices drop even more than they already have. To add a hardtop to the boats that don't have one you'd probably be looking at over $5k to do so. The one boat that doesn't have a trailer would probably be another $5k for a brand new trailer, less if you bought used obviously. Imo, none of these boats are really worth pursuing because of the price. There was a 2002 GW 228 Seafarer in NC I believe for $27.5k that didn't have a trailer but it had the hardtop as well as a 4 stroke motor. That would've been the one to get imo but it had a pending offer on it as well as it looks like the for sale ad has been deleted. Which I'm assuming means it must've sold.

Lastly, have your finances ready to go and be willing to jump at a moments notice as these boats can sell within hours or days. And if you're going to finance or go through a credit union, the boat could be gone in the time it takes to get qualified. I always like having a surveyor look over the motor or taking it to a local shop/mechanic to have them look it over. I'll attach a couple of links to surveyor websites. If you're looking at towing the boat back on your own, definitely do it in the southern part of the country with warmer weather and no snow or ice. If you have the boat shipped out here, there's a company called UShip.com that you can look at for quotes. Any other questions, let us know. Good luck with your search.

Finally a Grady White owner and finally got her back home safely...

For those of you that "know" me, I've been looking for a GW 228 Seafarer now for just over the past year. I live in the Seattle area and have a beach cabin on Whidbey Island here in the Puget Sound. For about 4 years, I'd owned a 21' Arima, that I also ironically bought in Maryland, and that...

www.greatgrady.com

Price drop on a 2002 GW 228 Seafarer for sale - $27,500

I've seen this 2002 GW 228 Seafarer on BoatTrader.com for awhile now and it looks like they just dropped it down $6,400 today to a new asking price of $27,500. Looks to be a decent boat with no bottom paint, it has the highest amount of hp available for the year with a 250hp Yamaha 4 stroke and...

www.greatgrady.com

Home - The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors

Welcome to The Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors® Find a Marine Surveyor Locate By: U.S. States | Canadian Provinces | Other Countries Types of Surveys Types of Surveys Tug & Barge Cargo Commercial Workboat Yachts & Small Craft Engine Fishing Vessel Hull & Machinery Tug & Barge Cargo...

www.marinesurvey.org

NAMSGlobal | An International Association of Marine Surveyors | The National Association of Marine Surveyors, Inc. | Find A Marine Surveyor Near Me | Training | Education | Certification | Referral | NAMS | NAMS-CMS

NAMSGlobal members are marine surveyors who inspect, and provide a broad variety of consulting services for the maritime industry. Our members are certified based on their knowledge and experience, with designations for: Yachts and Small Craft, Cargo, and Hull and Machinery (including Fishing Vessel

www.namsglobal.org

 

[Mustang65fbk]

This one has been listed for several weeks now on BT and doesn't mention if it has a trailer or not. I'm assuming with it being kept on a lift that it probably doesn't have one. Anyway, I like this option better than the ones you listed as it's somewhat newer, has the hardtop and has a 4 stroke motor. I like to do business much more with a dealer than a private party as you'd hope they at least have some regard for their reputation. If the motor on this boat checked out, I'd see if they'd take $30k for it and then find a used/new trailer. Maybe with them being a dealer they even have a trailer they could sell you with it? Sure it needs some TLC with the motor cowling needing to be repainted and so on but it looks to be a decent boat with hopefully only cosmetic fixes.

Grady-White 228 Seafarer boats for sale - Boat Trader

Find Grady-White 228 Seafarer boats for sale near you, including boat prices, photos, and more. Locate Grady-White boat dealers and find your boat at Boat Trader!

www.boattrader.com

 

[KEZ]

Thanks Lee and Mustang! Yes, my preference is for no bottom paint as I will store in my shop and trailer it to the ramp. Have the money in the back so no issues with financing. Good points on the boats currently listed - had been thinking the same things, nice to have your expert opinions as confirmation. I had been looking at that Beaufort, NC boat and saw your note that it came down in price to $27.5, called and emailed Sat morning and got note back it was under contract. Did like the fact it had a newer motor and the other items that were needed seemed like things I could do OK - but I had a red flag as to why the broker did not do those "simple" repairs before advertising the boat. The Wilmington boat looks well equipped but no details on the motor or trailer and it looked like there was discoloration of the hull gelcoat below the waterline, marine growth on the skeg and rust stains coming off at least one bolt on the bracket swim platform that made me wonder if this boat has sat in the water for long periods.

Will keep looking and since I am now retired, I can jump on a plane. I like the idea of renting a truck to do a one way tow - but the price of rental vehicles these days is crazy!

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Thanks Lee and Mustang! Yes, my preference is for no bottom paint as I will store in my shop and trailer it to the ramp. Have the money in the back so no issues with financing. Good points on the boats currently listed - had been thinking the same things, nice to have your expert opinions as confirmation. I had been looking at that Beaufort, NC boat and saw your note that it came down in price to $27.5, called and emailed Sat morning and got note back it was under contract. Did like the fact it had a newer motor and the other items that were needed seemed like things I could do OK - but I had a red flag as to why the broker did not do those "simple" repairs before advertising the boat. The Wilmington boat looks well equipped but no details on the motor or trailer and it looked like there was discoloration of the hull gelcoat below the waterline, marine growth on the skeg and rust stains coming off at least one bolt on the bracket swim platform that made me wonder if this boat has sat in the water for long periods.

Will keep looking and since I am now retired, I can jump on a plane. I like the idea of renting a truck to do a one way tow - but the price of rental vehicles these days is crazy!

Unless you can find a one way pickup truck rental, I probably wouldn't do the trek on your own... unless you're feeling adventurous. I'm 35 years old and this is the third time I've done a cross country road trip for a boat and think it'll definitely be the last one I do, at least anytime soon. The first one I drove out from Seattle, bought the boat and drove it back with my parents pickup truck. That was over 6k miles, took 7 days to do the roundtrip journey and spent roughly $1,600-1,800 to do so. The second, I flew out to Maryland, rented a pickup truck from Enterprise and then drove it back. It took about 3.5 days to drive back and figure we spent closer to $2,000-2,200 or maybe even slightly more doing it that way.

This latest trip I tried calling around to Enterprise and none of the local locations in Maryland would do a one way pickup truck rental to Seattle and my only option was to rent a U-Haul truck. The truck rental itself was around $2,500 just for the rental and mileage, not including fuel/lodging/food. All said and done, I think I probably did it for less than $4k and would've likely gone with a shipping company instead but they were a minimum of 2-3 weeks out before they could even get to my boat. And then it would've been another week on top of that before they got it from Maryland to Seattle. I figured 3-4 weeks was longer than I wanted to wait and all of the shipping companies were between roughly $4k-7k to bring it out here themselves. I also wasn't sure how they handled the shipping portion of it... do they use your trailer and tow it behind their pickup truck, do they put the whole thing on a flatbed, what happens if there's an issue or accident? Had they said they could do it for $4k having it shipped on a flatbed and they could get to it in a week or so, I probably would've gone that route instead.

I can kind of see the dealership not wanting to get too deep into doing repairs on someone else's boat that they're trying to sell. It might be a small fix or maybe it's a much bigger problem and opens up a can of worms for themselves and want the liability to be left to the seller? That and most marine/outboard repair shops seem to always be at least a couple weeks out for any "new work." Fortunately for me, Tri State I guess has a rule where in order to sell a boat through them, the seller has to make sure everything is in working order. And I double checked to make sure that they were being honest. All of the lights, switches, bilges, pumps, trim tabs and so on worked perfectly. Good luck with your search, keep us up to date with what you find.

 

[KEZ]

Unless you can find a one way pickup truck rental, I probably wouldn't do the trek on your own... unless you're feeling adventurous. I'm 35 years old and this is the third time I've done a cross country road trip for a boat and think it'll definitely be the last one I do, at least anytime soon. The first one I drove out from Seattle, bought the boat and drove it back with my parents pickup truck. That was over 6k miles, took 7 days to do the roundtrip journey and spent roughly $1,600-1,800 to do so. The second, I flew out to Maryland, rented a pickup truck from Enterprise and then drove it back. It took about 3.5 days to drive back and figure we spent closer to $2,000-2,200 or maybe even slightly more doing it that way.

This latest trip I tried calling around to Enterprise and none of the local locations in Maryland would do a one way pickup truck rental to Seattle and my only option was to rent a U-Haul truck. The truck rental itself was around $2,500 just for the rental and mileage, not including fuel/lodging/food. All said and done, I think I probably did it for less than $4k and would've likely gone with a shipping company instead but they were a minimum of 2-3 weeks out before they could even get to my boat. And then it would've been another week on top of that before they got it from Maryland to Seattle. I figured 3-4 weeks was longer than I wanted to wait and all of the shipping companies were between roughly $4k-7k to bring it out here themselves. I also wasn't sure how they handled the shipping portion of it... do they use your trailer and tow it behind their pickup truck, do they put the whole thing on a flatbed, what happens if there's an issue or accident? Had they said they could do it for $4k having it shipped on a flatbed and they could get to it in a week or so, I probably would've gone that route instead.

I can kind of see the dealership not wanting to get too deep into doing repairs on someone else's boat that they're trying to sell. It might be a small fix or maybe it's a much bigger problem and opens up a can of worms for themselves and want the liability to be left to the seller? That and most marine/outboard repair shops seem to always be at least a couple weeks out for any "new work." Fortunately for me, Tri State I guess has a rule where in order to sell a boat through them, the seller has to make sure everything is in working order. And I double checked to make sure that they were being honest. All of the lights, switches, bilges, pumps, trim tabs and so on worked perfectly. Good luck with your search, keep us up to date with what you find.

Yeah, I thought you may not save a lot by bringing it back yourself. but I really like driving long distances and have done that 2-3 times for a boat, car and tractor parts. Thanks again for all the tips - keep them coming!

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Yeah, I thought you may not save a lot by bringing it back yourself. but I really like driving long distances and have done that 2-3 times for a boat, car and tractor parts. Thanks again for all the tips - keep them coming!

I don't mind the driving long distances part... my biggest issues were that it's the nicest boat I've ever owned and the worry of someone sideswiping you, hitting you, having your boat messed around with overnight at a hotel and so on. Between that and it getting darker out around 5 pm now, it's not anywhere near like being able to drive in the summer and having it just starting to get dark at 10 pm. I don't know about you but driving a car in the dark in an unfamiliar area is one thing. Towing a boat at night in the dark after already driving 8-10 hours with the wind, rain and other elements in an unfamiliar area is quite another. The first two days were fun, the second 2.5 I was just ready to be done with the whole thing. Montana, I think, is the worst part of the trip as it's almost 600 miles wide and doing that in a single day is pretty exhausting. That, in combination with the weather and wildlife will make you even more exhausted. The first time I did the trek was during late June - early July and would start driving around 6 or so in the morning and drive until 10 or 11 at night. Driving 16+ hours a day at 70mph gets you moving along quite nicely, especially since it's all day driving and you feel like you're making some progress. There were two or three different days where I'd put in 1000+ miles a day, one of which was just under 1200 miles for the day. When I did it this time around it was pretty much dark by 7:30 - 8 and most days you would get maybe 12 hours of driving in, and that wasn't even all during daylight hours. And I don't know about you, but when it starts getting darker out earlier and you've been driving for quite some time, it makes me even more tired than it would be driving in the daylight while being tired.

 

[KEZ]

I don't mind the driving long distances part... my biggest issues were that it's the nicest boat I've ever owned and the worry of someone sideswiping you, hitting you, having your boat messed around with overnight at a hotel and so on. Between that and it getting darker out around 5 pm now, it's not anywhere near like being able to drive in the summer and having it just starting to get dark at 10 pm. I don't know about you but driving a car in the dark in an unfamiliar area is one thing. Towing a boat at night in the dark after already driving 8-10 hours with the wind, rain and other elements in an unfamiliar area is quite another. The first two days were fun, the second 2.5 I was just ready to be done with the whole thing. Montana, I think, is the worst part of the trip as it's almost 600 miles wide and doing that in a single day is pretty exhausting. That, in combination with the weather and wildlife will make you even more exhausted. The first time I did the trek was during late June - early July and would start driving around 6 or so in the morning and drive until 10 or 11 at night. Driving 16+ hours a day at 70mph gets you moving along quite nicely, especially since it's all day driving and you feel like you're making some progress. There were two or three different days where I'd put in 1000+ miles a day, one of which was just under 1200 miles for the day. When I did it this time around it was pretty much dark by 7:30 - 8 and most days you would get maybe 12 hours of driving in, and that wasn't even all during daylight hours. And I don't know about you, but when it starts getting darker out earlier and you've been driving for quite some time, it makes me even more tired than it would be driving in the daylight while being tired.

I am lucky to have people to visit most of the way and should be able to park in safe neighborhoods at night, but you are correct, accidents, theft and damage happen - but I figure it may happen with the shipper too, and insurance will cover the losses. Yep I don't like towing at night and would just stop early and take more days if needed to get across. No rush, I am retired! Would come across the southern route (I-10) to try and avoid the bad winter weather - I know that freeway well and have stops I can make all along the way, including places to access tools if needed. My biggest concern is a breakdown of some sort. I towed a 32' RV trailer home from Houston last fall, hit a freak snow storm in El Paso (harrowing) and made it home safely only to have the wheel bearings go out on one axle 20 miles later while towing it to DMV for title and plates. Stories to tell the grandkids, right?

 

[KEZ]

PS - looks like the Mystic CT 228 is under contract with a sea trial scheduled. Heading out tomorrow in the Neptune to do a little rock fishing and crabbing, supposed to be 80 degrees here.

 

[KEZ]

BTW - if any readers are dragging their new boat through San Luis Obispo, CA and need a safe place to park their boat and a place to catch a few Zs, we can offer both - would love to see your new/used Grady and meet new friends. Just drop me a note and we'll leave the light on for you!

 

[Mustang65fbk]

PS - looks like the Mystic CT 228 is under contract with a sea trial scheduled. Heading out tomorrow in the Neptune to do a little rock fishing and crabbing, supposed to be 80 degrees here.

Oh man, I feel much better about the one I purchased then, especially for the price. The one in CT doesn't have a hardtop or a trailer, just has basic electronics with no radar, no kicker or hardly any other options for being $40k.

 

[KEZ]

Oh man, I feel much better about the one I purchased then, especially for the price. The one in CT doesn't have a hardtop or a trailer, just has basic electronics with no radar, no kicker or hardly any other options for being $40k.

My thoughts exactly - plus there was a lot of buildup in the pics on the lower unit - no idea what the hull looked like.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

My thoughts exactly - plus there was a lot of buildup in the pics on the lower unit - no idea what the hull looked like.

I'd have to assume, and maybe incorrectly, that with not having a trailer and having spent the "last ten years in fresh water of Connecticut River" that it likely doesn't look very good at all haha

 

[Summertop511]

226 all the way for me. Crazy I was out during a small craft advisory and my cut out didn’t sink lol. No bracket maintenance/sealing or different paint for it. Easily on plane through big rollers. Scuppers sit above water line. Low speed around docks turns on its own axis.
Best part. Other day got line wrapped around prop. Tilted up and from in boat got it off while miles offshore. Not hanging off a bracket.

 

[KEZ]

226 all the way for me. Crazy I was out during a small craft advisory and my cut out didn’t sink lol. No bracket maintenance/sealing or different paint for it. Easily on plane through big rollers. Scuppers sit above water line. Low speed around docks turns on its own axis.
Best part. Other day got line wrapped around prop. Tilted up and from in boat got it off while miles offshore. Not hanging off a bracket.

Those are all great points and I have looked at the 226s and would probably be equally happy with one. It appears the 228 has a bit more deck space which is what I was hoping to achieve. I have been happy with the performance of the Sunbird Neptune but the deck can get crowded with 3-4 people on board. Did get out today for some rock fishing - gorgeous 80 degree Nov day on the central coast of CA.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Those are all great points and I have looked at the 226s and would probably be equally happy with one. It appears the 228 has a bit more deck space which is what I was hoping to achieve. I have been happy with the performance of the Sunbird Neptune but the deck can get crowded with 3-4 people on board. Did get out today for some rock fishing - gorgeous 80 degree Nov day on the central coast of CA.

Not a bad looking boat and looks similar to a Striper in my opinion. I agree on the 228 vs the 226… if you can find the 228 then that’s what I would, and did, go with. I like the idea of the enclosed transom with the transom bracket for more fishing space, safety and making it a bigger boat with the extended bracket on it. I think if you have kids it’ll be better peace of mind if they’re on the boat, I know I will when my 6 year old niece is out with us. And I leave my boat on a mooring buoy throughout the summer… I’ll feel much more comfortable with it on the buoy as opposed to a 226 with an open transom.

 

[KEZ]

Not a bad looking boat and looks similar to a Striper in my opinion. I agree on the 228 vs the 226… if you can find the 228 then that’s what I would, and did, go with. I like the idea of the enclosed transom with the transom bracket for more fishing space, safety and making it a bigger boat with the extended bracket on it. I think if you have kids it’ll be better peace of mind if they’re on the boat, I know I will when my 6 year old niece is out with us. And I leave my boat on a mooring buoy throughout the summer… I’ll feel much more comfortable with it on the buoy as opposed to a 226 with an open transom.

Thanks - it has been a GREAT boat - and yes, looks kinda like a 3/4 version of a Striper. But unlike the Stripers the hull is laid up with fiberglass mats (no chopper gun) - it has held up very well. And regarding the open transom, I was on a friends 19' Grady open bow just outside the Golden Gate. We were drift fishing and a rogue wave put about three inches of water on the deck - drained off just fine, but I have never forgotten that initial surprise! Have often wondered if enclosed transom would provide better protection against transom rot, too - but that is affected by so many other things, too.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Thanks - it has been a GREAT boat - and yes, looks kinda like a 3/4 version of a Striper. But unlike the Stripers the hull is laid up with fiberglass mats (no chopper gun) - it has held up very well. And regarding the open transom, I was on a friends 19' Grady open bow just outside the Golden Gate. We were drift fishing and a rogue wave put about three inches of water on the deck - drained off just fine, but I have never forgotten that initial surprise! Have often wondered if enclosed transom would provide better protection against transom rot, too - but that is affected by so many other things, too.

I know that with my uncle's boat, it had the motor well built into the transom and sat slightly lower than the gunwales. One time it was out on the buoy during a storm and the bow line got tangled up which placed the arse end of the boat directly towards the wind and waves and ended up putting about 6-7" of standing water in the boat. In his boat, the bilge pumps were hooked up to the battery cut-off switch so they didn't turn on because the switch was in the off position. Luckily the neighbor noticed it, told us about it and I went out there with a 5 gallon bucket and started bailing it out for the next hour or so. But even when I got out there, there were still waves slapping against the stern of the boat and spraying water all inside of it. So... that's a big reason why I went with the 228 as opposed to the 226 and why I always have bilge pumps with the sensor or lever on them and hooked up directly to the battery so if enough water gets in then they'll turn on. I'd much rather potentially have a dead battery than a boat filled to the brim with water and worry about it sinking.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Not sure if you or anyone else is seriously considering a 226, but here are a couple for sale. The one in NC has been listed for I believe at least a month, if not more. Unsure about how long the one in Virginia has been listed for.

Grady-White 226 Seafarer boats for sale - boats.com

View a wide selection of Grady-White 226 Seafarer boats for sale in your area, explore detailed information & find your next boat on boats.com. #everythingboats

www.boats.com

Grady-White Seafarer 226 boats for sale - boats.com

View a wide selection of Grady-White Seafarer 226 boats for sale in your area, explore detailed information & find your next boat on boats.com. #everythingboats

www.boats.com