In my opinion, it seems odd that someone would have a boat, or really any other toy for that matter, for less than one season, to then have a moment of mental clarity, realize they weren't using it enough and decide to sell it. I mean... I guess it's always possible that they did, and need the money or whatnot, but yeah. Pictures are hard to tell or judge by, but in the pictures the boat appears to present pretty well, it looks like it's been maintained and the helm/deck area look quite clean. I bought my boat, a 2004 Grady White 228 Seafarer shown in my signature, back in October of 2021 in Maryland for $26.5k. I thought it was a fantastic deal, and still do, as most boats of my vintage are typically in the mid to high $30k+ price range on the east coast, and out here in the Seattle area they sell for $55k-$65k+. The boat you're looking at being essentially half of what I paid, even though it's 10 years older, seems like a better than average price, especially with a "newer" repower and a brand new trailer? Between the seller saying they've owned it for less than a year, the price and what comes with the boat, it seems like it's odd the boat hasn't already sold, or like there's a reason why it hasn't. Some very common issues with the boat/outboard would be that the early to mid 2000's Yamaha four strokes have something called a dry exhaust corrosion issue. If you haven't heard of it before, do a quick Google search and read up on it. It's quite common in these older four stroke motors, but can be a costly fix depending on the severity of the issue. Anywhere from around $1k for the kit and then doing the work yourself, to $2k+ to have the issue fixed for you from a dealer, on up to $5k+ for a new powerhead, or possibly even having to replace the entire outboard, again depending on the severity of the issue. Sometimes it's just needing the kit or replacement parts, sometimes a new powerhead, sometimes it needs an entire new outboard depending on if you catch it early enough.
I'm not saying this boat 100% has that problem, but for someone owning it for less than a year, then selling it off for what is imo a better than average price, I wouldn't count it out either and would definitely make sure this isn't an issue. The other major issue that the boat could have, is that Grady White's, as well as other boats with wood in their transoms, can have transom issues. Typically they're found on boats like the 208 Adventure that have a bang cap/plate on them, and don't have the fully enclosed transom/transom bracket like the 228 Seafarer has, but it is still possible. The boat you're looking at is a 1994, of which it'll have standard marine grade plywood in it, which in I believe it was 1997 where they switched over to a product called Greenwood XL, which is supposedly better at resisting rot/corrosion. Though obviously boats with the Greenwood XL can still have transom issues to where water seeps in from areas like the bang cap/plate, fittings, thru-hulls and so forth. A transom replacement is no small project, of which it can take weeks/a month, or even longer for a shop to fix it for you. And can cost anywhere from $8k-$10k+, depending on the severity of the project and which shop does the work. Long story short, I always recommend someone having an accredited marine surveyor inspect the boat before they purchase it, so that you can determine if these two major issues are found on the boat, or if there are any others. Smaller things like switches, lights, bilge pumps and other things that aren't working are "usually" much easier/quicker fixes that if you have any mechanical knowledge you could likely do yourself just fine. It took me just over a year to find my boat, I looked at several, put offers down on a couple, had a surveyor look at one that I ended up not buying, before finally finding my boat at a Grady White dealership. Be patient, buy the right boat for you and don't buy one out of impulse or that hasn't been inspected, so you aren't surprised with issues after purchasing it. Good luck with your search and let me know if you have any other questions!
