Newb!! I need help!

GradyMaybe · Apr 13, 2021

Rookie boater here... Ready to buy something for my family. I own property on Lake of the Ozarks in MO. GW's aren't common on this lake. I've searched online and I'd like to find a GW that's water ready for under 10k. Is that doable? I've found a 1981 Overnighter that they're asking $8900 for and it comes with a trailer.

Tell me why I should make the plunge!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and learning more about GW's!

PointedRose · Apr 14, 2021

Not a bad price if everything is working. I have an ‘84 overnighter recently purchased. It’s a fun boat. If the transom has any issues with a rotten core, any cracks around the bolts where the engine connects to the hull, that could be problematic. What does the boat have for an engine?

I’d ask a few questions off the bat:
- why selling
- when was the last time it was running on the water
- when was the last time the engine was serviced by a mechanic
- how long has the current owner had the boat
- when was the fuel tank last inspected and replaced
- what issues has the prior owner encountered recently and what has been fixed
- what might still need to be fixed
- if they were to invest money in the boat, on what?

things to look out for:
- any signs of fiberglass repairs to the hull indications of prior damage
- transom ‘flex’ (should be solid as a rock)
- electrical issues (things not working)
- scuppers through-hulls functional and draining properly when in the water
- if the trailer looks like rusty crap that wouldn’t make it a mile down a road
- issues starting the engine cold

you could pay for a boat survey to assess before you make an offer. Or after putting a deposit. I’d definitely do a water trial. Older boats can come with a multitude of issues. Honestly a smaller like 16-18’ center console with a 60hp engine might be an easier/cheaper first plunge to get used to - would be fine to handle on a lake. But GWs are great boats, and stable and safe.

if you are brand new to boating, I’d suggest looking into a boater safety course - a lot of regulations to be aware of (and other dumb boaters to watch out for). Goes without saying but safety comes first in all cases, especially with your family on board.

luckydude · Apr 15, 2021

Hello, fellow n00b. "Buy your second boat first." I bought a boat without having it surveyed and lost $15K when I resold after fighting with it for 2 years. What a waste. I was so pissed off I bought a new Grady, I just wanted it to work.

For $10K you aren't going to get a lot of boat. But do you need a Grady? Not trying to talk you out of one, they are great boats, I absolutely adore my 228, but they tend live the ocean or the Great Lakes. They are big water boats, I would think they are sort of overkill for most freshwater lakes.

Good luck, don't get emotional, check the boat out carefully.

SkunkBoat · Apr 15, 2021

GradyMaybe said:
Rookie boater here... Ready to buy something for my family. I own property on Lake of the Ozarks in MO. GW's aren't common on this lake. I've searched online and I'd like to find a GW that's water ready for under 10k. Is that doable? I've found a 1981 Overnighter that they're asking $8900 for and it comes with a trailer.

Tell me why I should make the plunge!

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and learning more about GW's!

That boat is 40 years old. Maybe if it was a trailered lake boat all its life it could be worth it.
for that price it should have a motor from the 2000s or newer.. preferably a 4 stroke

be prepared to spend a couple thousand every year.

Triton2300 · Apr 15, 2021

Have a local marine surveyor check it out for you. He may find stuff that will save you a ton of money down the road. I want to guess a surveyor May charge in the neighborhood of twenty bucks a foot.

magicalbill · Apr 15, 2021

Agree with assessments above except for one.

For those of you who aren't aware or have never been there, Lake of The Ozarks is a highly populated inland lake with a large amount of boat traffic in season. The result is boat wakes coming from every direction, rebounding off seawalls and creating generally sloppy conditions on the busy sections of the lake. Some of these wakes are generated by wakeboard boats and can be surprisingly large.

A GW would be a perfect match for this type of environment; choosing a smaller "lake boat" is an option, obviously, but a Grady would give GradyMaybe a much smoother and less stressful day on the water.

You'd be surprised how rough inland lakes can be if there are 1500 boats on them zipping every which way.

One last point: if you are a rookie boater and will be boating on Lake Of The Ozarks, this is important. I'm not referring to you when I type this:

All one needs is money to get a boat. They do not need sense or experience. Unfortunately, that does not stop many potential boat buyers. Many of these well-meaning but potentially dangerous boaters frequent inland lakes like Lake Of The Ozarks, and once you get your Grady or whatever boat, a heightened sense of awareness regarding these nutcases will be a valuable tool to have in your bag.

When you see a jetski with a 15 year old cutting doughnuts and zipping by at 60+, head the other way. When you see a wakeboard boat full of people shouting above the Justin Timberlake tune blasting out of the speakers on the overhead bar, throttle down and watch them.

Good luck and hope you have a great summer!

SmokyMtnGrady · Apr 15, 2021

magicalbill said:
Agree with assessments above except for one.

For those of you who aren't aware or have never been there, Lake of The Ozarks is a highly populated inland lake with a large amount of boat traffic in season. The result is boat wakes coming from every direction, rebounding off seawalls and creating generally sloppy conditions on the busy sections of the lake. Some of these wakes are generated by wakeboard boats and can be surprisingly large.

A GW would be a perfect match for this type of environment; choosing a smaller "lake boat" is an option, obviously, but a Grady would give GradyMaybe a much smoother and less stressful day on the water.

You'd be surprised how rough inland lakes can be if there are 1500 boats on them zipping every which way.

One last point: if you are a rookie boater and will be boating on Lake Of The Ozarks, this is important. I'm not referring to you when I type this:

All one needs is money to get a boat. They do not need sense or experience. Unfortunately, that does not stop many potential boat buyers. Many of these well-meaning but potentially dangerous boaters frequent inland lakes like Lake Of The Ozarks, and once you get your Grady or whatever boat, a heightened sense of awareness regarding these nutcases will be a valuable tool to have in your bag.

When you see a jetski with a 15 year old cutting doughnuts and zipping by at 60+, head the other way. When you see a wakeboard boat full of people shouting above the Justin Timberlake tune blasting out of the speakers on the overhead bar, throttle down and watch them.

Good luck and hope you have a great summer!

Hey,I have seen the documentary on Netflix called Ozark. ;-) I know your area well based on it. lol. Can't wait for season 6.

I have a 228 . Bought it new in 2009. That boat spends most of her says on Fontana Lake in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. She has cruised the TN River and the entire navigable length of the mighty St. Johns River in Florida. We have been to lake Lure , Hartwell and Keowee as well as Santeelah near Robbinsville,also in the Smokies. Plus I can't forget Lake Chatuge on the NC GA line near Hiawassee. I have also been to the Bahamas on her a few times, the Florida Keys nearly every year and a grand trip to the Dry Tortugas. We have fished out of Charleston, St. Augustine, Ponce, Port Canaveral, Sebastian, Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and The panhandle of Florida.

I would talk you into trying to go newer and in fact if you find a 228 look at it. The 208 and 228 are true SUV of the Grady line up. We go everywhere and having a bigger boat on the lake is nice .Good luck .

Carl · Apr 16, 2021

SkunkBoat said:
That boat is 40 years old. Maybe if it was a trailered lake boat all its life it could be worth it.
for that price it should have a motor from the 2000s or newer.. preferably a 4 stroke

be prepared to spend a couple thousand every year.

You have to look far and wide I bought an 84 offshore with a 225 suzuki for 7000 5 years ago. I have put 300 hrs on it and other than maintenance I haven't had to fix anything. It was a trailered lake boat that has only seen daylight for a couple months a year. I am hoping to get another decade out of it.

Topjimmy · Apr 16, 2021

How about a 192 Tournament??? I have had my 1994 for it's whole life and %90 of it has been fresh water lakes they are great family boats for Water sports Fishing etc... and you can get a mid 90's one for that 10K range just a thought although I just built a house on some fresh water Canals here in Wa that are 7ft deep and speed limit of 5 knots so I think The Grady might be a little overkill YA Think

so I am going to downgrade Bummer the Big Yammie 150 2 Stroke does not like putting around at 5 Knots

Fishtales · Apr 16, 2021

Get a survey and ensure the core especially the transom, stringers and decking are checked.

luckydude · Apr 18, 2021

Checking back in on this thread, Magic I did not know about that lake. Seems like Grady would do well there. My bad for not googling.

GradyMaybe · Apr 18, 2021

magicalbill said:
Agree with assessments above except for one.

For those of you who aren't aware or have never been there, Lake of The Ozarks is a highly populated inland lake with a large amount of boat traffic in season. The result is boat wakes coming from every direction, rebounding off seawalls and creating generally sloppy conditions on the busy sections of the lake. Some of these wakes are generated by wakeboard boats and can be surprisingly large.

A GW would be a perfect match for this type of environment; choosing a smaller "lake boat" is an option, obviously, but a Grady would give GradyMaybe a much smoother and less stressful day on the water.

You'd be surprised how rough inland lakes can be if there are 1500 boats on them zipping every which way.

One last point: if you are a rookie boater and will be boating on Lake Of The Ozarks, this is important. I'm not referring to you when I type this:

All one needs is money to get a boat. They do not need sense or experience. Unfortunately, that does not stop many potential boat buyers. Many of these well-meaning but potentially dangerous boaters frequent inland lakes like Lake Of The Ozarks, and once you get your Grady or whatever boat, a heightened sense of awareness regarding these nutcases will be a valuable tool to have in your bag.

When you see a jetski with a 15 year old cutting doughnuts and zipping by at 60+, head the other way. When you see a wakeboard boat full of people shouting above the Justin Timberlake tune blasting out of the speakers on the overhead bar, throttle down and watch them.

Good luck and hope you have a great summer!

Thank you! Yes... Lake of the Ozarks is a beast in it's own way. Crazy stuff going on in this water. However it's AMAZING!

I've been around the lake my whole life. I've boated forever just haven't "owned" a boat. I've got some great friends who are prepared to mentor me and help me get started. I live on a less congested part of the lake and have little ones so i'm needing safety first and foremost. When i go on the main parts of the lake it will just be with friends.

Unfortunately people here know of Grady's but they're so uncommon. Hopefully i can find one!

I've had my eye on a KenCraft as well.

magicalbill · Apr 18, 2021

luckydude said:
Checking back in on this thread, Magic I did not know about that lake. Seems like Grady would do well there. My bad for not googling.

Hey Luck:

It's in the middle of the Midwest and it's expansive in size & scope, thereby making it attractive to lots of boaters that want a reasonable size body of water to run in. One other thing: it has acquired the reputation of a party spot and that in itself brings more boaters-upon-boaters in search of raft-up's, dockside bars, live bands on the Deck, you name it. There are more Cigarettes, Fountains, Formulas and Baja's at the ramp at Osage Beach than there are on Thunderboat Row in Miami.

"Hey man, if you're looking for a great time and lots of action, go to Lake Of The Ozarks." The word spreads from there.

Hope your still on the mend!

Ky Grady · Apr 19, 2021

GradyMaybe,,, I live in central Kentucky and my closest lake is Lake Cumberland in south central Kentucky. I'm the odd ball when I take my offshore boat to the lake here, but with all the boat traffic from the Ohio Navy, my boat is right at home. As Magic said, there are some folks that have boats that don't need boats. Clueless when it comes to on water etiquette. The 228 is a awesome boat that's easy to trailer and handles alot of different adventures very well. I trailer up to Lake Erie in Northern Ohio, down south to Santee in South Carolina, and further south to the gulf coast of Florida and she has handled this all in stride. Leaving in a few weeks headed to Marathon in the Keys for a week of fishing, exploring and just enjoying life with my boat.

I would agree with others to keep looking for a newer one. Mine was an '04 and I still had a list of things it needed before I felt comfortable with it. She's pretty much been completely redone and waiting on Yamaha to get some motors out on the market to complete the overhaul.
One will come along, just keep looking, but be ready to move as when a good one shows up, it doesn't last long.

GradyMaybe · Apr 19, 2021

Ky Grady said:
GradyMaybe,,, I live in central Kentucky and my closest lake is Lake Cumberland in south central Kentucky. I'm the odd ball when I take my offshore boat to the lake here, but with all the boat traffic from the Ohio Navy, my boat is right at home. As Magic said, there are some folks that have boats that don't need boats. Clueless when it comes to on water etiquette. The 228 is a awesome boat that's easy to trailer and handles alot of different adventures very well. I trailer up to Lake Erie in Northern Ohio, down south to Santee in South Carolina, and further south to the gulf coast of Florida and she has handled this all in stride. Leaving in a few weeks headed to Marathon in the Keys for a week of fishing, exploring and just enjoying life with my boat.

I would agree with others to keep looking for a newer one. Mine was an '04 and I still had a list of things it needed before I felt comfortable with it. She's pretty much been completely redone and waiting on Yamaha to get some motors out on the market to complete the overhaul.
One will come along, just keep looking, but be ready to move as when a good one shows up, it doesn't last long.

I feel like my budget, 10-15k, prevents me from finding a GW that will be water ready and safe for my family. Am I wrong?

PointedRose · Apr 19, 2021

GradyMaybe said:
I feel like my budget, 10-15k, prevents me from finding a GW that will be water ready and safe for my family. Am I wrong?

My ‘84 was $8500 with trailer that needs work. I added a kicker motor for $700. My trailer will need approx $2k to get up to par. Everything on the boat works - lights, bilge pump, etc. engine was redone new in ‘02 with 1300 hours when I got it. That’s in SF mind you, so more expensive than most the country. I looked for a boat like this for 4 years and I was the first reply and didn’t get a survey which I probably should have, but maybe seller would have gone to next buyer. My point is just there are always options, you just want to be really picky, and move quickly when you see the right one for you.

anything on a boat is fixable if you have tools, time and handiness, but with a family at home, I’d suggest getting something someone else already put the time, money and effort into.

Expand your search beyond local and you can probably get it shipped and a survey done locally. GWs are always in high demand. Expand your search to other quality brands of boats too: boston whaler, proline, wellcraft, etc. just do your research on various models you see that pop up for sale. You don’t want to get stuck with someone else’s problem boat, but there is a lot of info available online for nearly any issue you encounter with boats and much of it isn’t that complicated to figure out. Once a project is finished and it works well again, it’s a great sense of satisfaction, at least for me.

side note - you could always work with a dealer that might be able to offer financing so you get the boat you really want

GradyMaybe · Apr 19, 2021

PointedRose said:
My ‘84 was $8500 with trailer that needs work. I added a kicker motor for $700. My trailer will need approx $2k to get up to par. Everything on the boat works - lights, bilge pump, etc. engine was redone new in ‘02 with 1300 hours when I got it. That’s in SF mind you, so more expensive than most the country. I looked for a boat like this for 4 years and I was the first reply and didn’t get a survey which I probably should have, but maybe seller would have gone to next buyer. My point is just there are always options, you just want to be really picky, and move quickly when you see the right one for you.

anything on a boat is fixable if you have tools, time and handiness, but with a family at home, I’d suggest getting something someone else already put the time, money and effort into.

Expand your search beyond local and you can probably get it shipped and a survey done locally. GWs are always in high demand. Expand your search to other quality brands of boats too: boston whaler, proline, wellcraft, etc. just do your research on various models you see that pop up for sale. You don’t want to get stuck with someone else’s problem boat, but there is a lot of info available online for nearly any issue you encounter with boats and much of it isn’t that complicated to figure out. Once a project is finished and it works well again, it’s a great sense of satisfaction, at least for me.

side note - you could always work with a dealer that might be able to offer financing so you get the boat you really want

Thank you for the info. I’m also looking at KenCraft. I really think i can be patient and find a water ready boat that will suit us perfect for the season. I’m not looking to do much fishing but don’t mind the option every now and then.

I’m mainly looking something to go out on the water, have dinner, watch fireworks and possibly cove out for a little bit. The GW’s and similar boats seem to fit the bill. They’re also uncommon and will help start conversations for my business.

Ky Grady · Apr 19, 2021

GradyMaybe said:
I feel like my budget, 10-15k, prevents me from finding a GW that will be water ready and safe for my family. Am I wrong?

Not necessarily. An old one will have some issues that may need addressed. And then again, you could find one that has been loved and taken care of with few if any issues that you need to take care of. They're around, just keep on the lookout.

GradyMaybe · Apr 19, 2021

Ky Grady said:
Not necessarily. An old one will have some issues that may need addressed. And then again, you could find one that has been loved and taken care of with few if any issues that you need to take care of. They're around, just keep on the lookout.

Any hints on where to look? Certain sites or areas of the country better than others?

PointedRose · Apr 19, 2021

GradyMaybe said:
Any hints on where to look? Certain sites or areas of the country better than others?

I was surprised when someone told me Facebook marketplace was better than Craigslist or boat trader but I’ve found it can be the case

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