Hey guys, new to the forum. I’ll be inspecting a 2016 257 with twins. I Hired a surveyor, but anything specific to look out for either on land or during sea trial? I don’t know much about Gradys so i’m here learning what I can. I’m a very hands on type. I’ve read transom bang caps on these have been problematic in the past allowing water intrusion into transom. Have you guys seen any common issues with transoms or gas tanks, thru hulls etc on a 10 year old Grady? Boat was kept outside uncovered on a lift for all 10 years. Thanks.
257 fisherman
- Thread starter AJG257
- Start date
you didn't make it clear if the boat was left on a lift uncovered and not used as opposed to used and kept on a lift. I'll assume it was used. 10 years of non use would be a problem
Uncovered boats will suffer from UV as well as just plain aging of the finishes and upholstery. That said, if it were not used and uncovered, it would fair better than unused and covered over multiple summers.
Boats in sunnier area like Florida will suffer the most.
As to what to look for, your surveyor should know and explain to you. Any logs or service records from the owner would be helpful. Routine maintenance is important.
An engine survey may be a good idea. That is not usually included in a marine survey and would be a logical next step after a successful hull survey. Ask questions. A seller does not have to tell you about issues if not asked. Legally, if asked they can not lie. Is the boat for sale by owner or through a broker?
Note that some issues are 'relatively' low cost to repair but some things can be very expensive. Canvas and eisenglass are costly to replace. Verify what canvas is included in the sale; Old beat up covers are better than non covers at all since they can be used as patterns to fabricate new canvas Electronics go obsolete quickly these days. Depending on your boating needs, upgrades may need to be figured into the pricing.
Minor stress cracks aren't usually big issues but cracks can be. Soft decks are almost always expensive to repair.
Good luck with your survey
Uncovered boats will suffer from UV as well as just plain aging of the finishes and upholstery. That said, if it were not used and uncovered, it would fair better than unused and covered over multiple summers.
Boats in sunnier area like Florida will suffer the most.
As to what to look for, your surveyor should know and explain to you. Any logs or service records from the owner would be helpful. Routine maintenance is important.
An engine survey may be a good idea. That is not usually included in a marine survey and would be a logical next step after a successful hull survey. Ask questions. A seller does not have to tell you about issues if not asked. Legally, if asked they can not lie. Is the boat for sale by owner or through a broker?
Note that some issues are 'relatively' low cost to repair but some things can be very expensive. Canvas and eisenglass are costly to replace. Verify what canvas is included in the sale; Old beat up covers are better than non covers at all since they can be used as patterns to fabricate new canvas Electronics go obsolete quickly these days. Depending on your boating needs, upgrades may need to be figured into the pricing.
Minor stress cracks aren't usually big issues but cracks can be. Soft decks are almost always expensive to repair.
Good luck with your survey
Boat was very lightly used (low hours) and dealer maintained. It's being sold through the dealer. Due to the low hours (I'm concerned the boat has been sitting), as part of the agreement I asked the dealer to send all service records. I just wanted to see annual maintenance was still done. Now that I put down the deposit he said he will share the records when I come in to buy it, and will not send me any records. The boat is not local to me so I really wanted to have these records in advance to review before I drive 10 hours round trip and show up with payment. He also said now that "maintenance doesn't matter," and the compression test they did speaks more than any maintenance. So, I'm starting to get some red flags and hoping it's just miscommunication and they follow through with what we agreed on in regards to sending the records. They are off for the holiday so it will be another week until we can speak again.
Basically though it sounds like there is nothing specific to this year or model to look out for? Just the regular boat stuff
Will you be there for the survey?
Note that used boar prices have fallen a bit this year as opposed to the insane increases during Covid. Bargaining is again possible especially if you find issues during the survey and/or sea trial. I do not agree with the dealers saying that a compression test speaks more than maintenance. Corrosion, cooling blockage from salt buildup, water in oil, etc won't show up in a compression test. Remember the dealer's goal is to sell the boat, make his profit and free up space.
You said the motor hours were low, how low were they? Have scheduled maintenance been done and also important is what maintenance is coming due.
The dealer should be able to tell you the hours. If a dealer wouldn't share that data with me, I would be inclined to walk away and in your case, walk away before you make that 10 hour trip.
No I won’t be there for the survey unfortunately. Do you think I should be? Due to the longer distance I was going to have the boat surveyed in my absence, and if everything checked out I will go up to see it myself and at that point likely purchase. Yeah, I do think I have a decent price on it. Boat sales seem to be slowed way down as you’ve noted. It’s hard to know what comparable boats have sold for though all I can really ever see is asking prices.
In terms of what maintenance was done I do not know. Before I put down my deposit the dealer said he would send that to me. And now as I mentioned, he said he will not send it to me and he will share it with me when I get there to purchase. I’m truly thinking of walking away and demanding my deposit back if he refuses to send me the information. I’m a big maintenance junkie and I would not have put an offer in on the boat if he told me upfront that he would not send the information to me until the day of purchase. It seems like a red flag to me. Most importantly, I don’t understand how anybody could say that maintenance doesn’t matter. The engines have <300 hours.
Who selected the surveyor?
If it was the dealer, beware. If the dealer gave you a list of surveyors, that is a bit better. You just have to call and ask some questions to get a feeling if the person is a good fit. Typically, you would ask if they have surveyed the model before and if so, what is on the surveyors list of items to check up on. Of course you are past those steps.
You can learn a lot being at the survey but 10 hours of driving is a deterrent.
A surveyor will generally not tell you to not buy a boat but may use body language to warn you that there are some serious issues.
Assuming the surveyor will be doing moisture readings and hull tapping, note that if the boat has been out of the water for months, moisture issues are harder to identify since wet hulls can 'dry' out.
Remember that the surveyor probably won't look at the motors in detail, nor will he or she dump hour reports or codes if any. The dealer may do that but you really need to be there to verify what was done.
I am not sure but there may be a 300 hr maintenance service that is more extensive than the usual 100 service. If so ask the dealer if they will do it as part of the deal. Get everything agreed to in writing .
Finally, if you go, bring a friend who has some boating knowledge and who isn't emotionally attached to the boat
If it was the dealer, beware. If the dealer gave you a list of surveyors, that is a bit better. You just have to call and ask some questions to get a feeling if the person is a good fit. Typically, you would ask if they have surveyed the model before and if so, what is on the surveyors list of items to check up on. Of course you are past those steps.
You can learn a lot being at the survey but 10 hours of driving is a deterrent.
A surveyor will generally not tell you to not buy a boat but may use body language to warn you that there are some serious issues.
Assuming the surveyor will be doing moisture readings and hull tapping, note that if the boat has been out of the water for months, moisture issues are harder to identify since wet hulls can 'dry' out.
Remember that the surveyor probably won't look at the motors in detail, nor will he or she dump hour reports or codes if any. The dealer may do that but you really need to be there to verify what was done.
I am not sure but there may be a 300 hr maintenance service that is more extensive than the usual 100 service. If so ask the dealer if they will do it as part of the deal. Get everything agreed to in writing .
Finally, if you go, bring a friend who has some boating knowledge and who isn't emotionally attached to the boat
Lots of good advice given. I would have someone who has familiarity/expertise with yamaha engines look at the engines. If you were to have problems, most likely the issue with be related to the engines. Like others have said, you learn alot at the survey and can use your common sense if you think he is doing a good job. I personally like a boat that has been serviced by a reputable shop. When I bought a ten year old Grady, I had a surveyor and a certified yamaha tech look at it. I wanted to check the exhausts and it needed to be replaced. this became a negotiated item. Good luck! 257 is a great model.