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Please don’t borrow money to buy a 20-year-old boat.

I asked my local dealer about reporting my 2011 275 with twin 250s… they strongly recommended 200s and in fact wouldn’t quote me on twin 250s at all. I emailed Grady-White to ask why they stopped offering twin 250s and they said “With the additional weight it brings the bow up and making the...

After doing some research on this, I think there is a straightforward solution by installing a Mabru SC12DC 12v air conditioner and lithium battery pack (https://mabrustore.com/products/mps-12dc-btu-12v-with-pump-heating-and-cooling) into the area under the helm. But it's $6K plus installation...

Has anyone added helm air conditioning to their dual console? We have a Freedom 275 and find it hard to enjoy the boat in the middle of summer since moving from California to Maryland. With a heat-sensitive wife and new one year baby in the family, the answer is not "suck it up and drink a...

I still have nightmares about trying to install trim tabs on my last boat without countersinking the holes. Good to know that Tri-State (also my dealer) is able to do this. I might give them a call.

Yes, I’m in Maryland so I pull the boat out of the water around Thanksgiving and store it on the trailer until Easter.

My 275 didn’t come optioned with the factory bow cover and tonneau cover, so it doesn’t have the snaps around the gunnels for the OEM covers. I would like to start covering the boat now that I’m wet slipping it. Should I have AJ make me a set of OEM covers and get a fiberglass shop to install...

@Jorday did you ever do this?

I wish I could... I've talked to a lot of marine upholstery pros and they all say it's impossible to repair. Maybe I should go get some super glue... every professional trade thinks they're a rocket scientist these days.

The main motivation is that the seams are coming apart on the seats on our current boat. Then it becomes a slippery slope of upgrades… if you’re going to spend $9k to recover the seats you might as well spend $15k to make them not look like La-Z-Boys, and if you’re going to spend $15k you might...

I got quotes from more than half a dozen marine upholstery shops. The choice came down to $9K to have them re-covered or $15K to have them modified to look similar to the seat design on new GWs (square shoulders, diamond pattern quilted stitching, etc.). If I spend the money, I'll get them updated.

We would tow the boat from Annapolis, MD, to Beaufort, SC, and back. There don't appear to be any clearance issues trailering a 307 (assuming it's 12' 10" tall with a radome). Just a higher risk of developing arthritis from 10-12 hours of white-knuckle driving.

Good advice that works for everyone, Ekea. You may have a career in politics :). Joking aside, you do give me a good set of questions to think through what matters to me: I have some money but not unlimited funds. I have to balance my spending between my boating habit, my car-racing habit, and...

I have a 2011 Freedom 275 + Yamaha 350 which has been a good boat for us for the last three years but it's in need of some updates. Before I spend more money on it, I wanted to hear the opinions of other owners on whether it would be better to trade up to something newer or larger. If we keep...

The Freedom 275 was available at the Annapolis Boat Show recently for $230K, the 307 for $360K, and the 375 for $999K ( o_O ). These prices were all about 15% off MSRP. Boat show prices have some factory subsidy but I think you can reasonably aim for 10% off and refuse to pay any more than 5% off.

Price?

Mike is still in business. He's not the kind of guy to sit on an Internet forum all day. He's also not likely to sort through the shed for you. Go to Middle River and look through the pile if you want a deal.

Carolyn sent me one too! She's the best. I didn't end up using it. I had my transom glassed over so it's fixed forever. Unfortunately for the OP I threw part away before I moved to Annapolis a few months ago.

I've had a good experience with GW customer service for my 2011 275. Sorry you have had a poor one. Keep in mind our boats are old. If you want champagne service, buy a new boat with a warranty.

@Ekea where? I see your location is Mid Atlantic. I’ll tow my boat 200 miles to save $2k+. I’ve gotten 5 quotes: $8k (new quote this morning), $10k, $10k, $15k, $21k. Custom seats are just an undefined “a lot more.”