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
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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.
Rustygaff
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You need a certified Yamaha tech to go over the engine(s) and preferably not the dealer since they are the selling agent. If they will not allow this, after a deposit (and hopefully a sales agreement with inspection stipulations) consider walking.
JJF
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I doubt there is anything specific to a 2016 257.
I realize you are getting a survey. I think you mentioned on THT that you decided to be there for the survey. Correct?
I realize you are getting a survey. I think you mentioned on THT that you decided to be there for the survey. Correct?
Thanks for the replies guys. Yes I will be going for the survey. Does Grady still use plywood for the deck? I know they went true composite for stringers and transom. My only real concern is the boat has sat uncovered on a lift for 10 years. I presume if fittings aren’t tight or deck drains etc, then some water intrusion can start to come into play. Not sure how much of a real concern rain water is.
Also, is it easy to remove the pie plates on the floor for inspection? It looks like they are screwed in, but im wondering if the center of the pie plate unscrews or pops out? It sounds like removing the entire deck panel may be a bit laborious.
What year and model were the engines that they had exhaust corrosion at 10 years? Was this an early 2000’s ?
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To me this is a giant red flag that would lead me to distrust the dealer. I can understand - maybe - not wanting to share copies of maintenance records to every person who inquires. But you not only have made an offer but also have put down a deposit. I can't think of anything justifying not giving you all the maintenance and repair records now, so you have time to review the details, with consultants. Telling you that you can have records "when you come in to buy it" puts you at a disadvantage and makes it seem like there is something to hide, or that some records are "missing."
The model you selected is fine, but that specific boat is the question. It should be more of a buyer's market now than it has been for a while. If it were me, I would be insisting on every maintenance and repair record for the boat now, before I did anything else. Otherwise, I'd get the deposit back and keep looking.
JJF
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Yeah I’m not quite sure what to think. Service history could be great and It may have been because they were just in vacation mode and didn’t want to mess with having to send me anything before they left, I get it. Or it may be because the boat just sat unserviced due to the low hours being put on it. I specifically stated I was only interested if annual maintenance was done. I personally go by time OR hours. Since engine oil doesn’t get newer because it’s not being circulated. I’ll find out tomorrow though. Lots of boats out there for sale right now so if service records are shoddy or won’t be sent, i’ll just keep looking.
JJF
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Regarding the service records:
Questions:
Is the boat dealer owned or being brokered?
If dealer, is it a GW dealer?
If a GW dealer, ask to speak with the GM.
Questions:
Is the boat dealer owned or being brokered?
If dealer, is it a GW dealer?
If a GW dealer, ask to speak with the GM.
It’s brokered by a GW dealer. Appreciate the thought, but I’ll never take it that far. If the boat wasn’t regularly serviced and/or they just refuse to send me the info on Monday then i’ll just get my deposit back and move on. Unless they try and keep my deposit too, but I can’t imagine any respectable dealer would be that shady. Especially since I haven’t even held up the sale of the boat. I’ve been ready to get the deal finalized for weeks, and they’ve been out on vacation this whole time.
JJF
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For comparison- I purchased a 2020 236 a couple months ago from a GW dealer. I too was having to travel from out of state for the purchase. I am also very particular about maintenance and the vessel’s history so naturally, I had a list of questions that I sent to the dealer who was brokering the boat. This dealer went above and beyond to provide answers to all questions to include full service records since the boat was new….all before I made the deposit. They even had one of their guys crawl up under the boat while it was on the trailer to send me close-up pictures of some scuff marks on the underside of the hull.
If I were in your situation and the dealer is withholding information, that would be a big red flag for me. It’s a buyer’s market right now so don’t feel like you have to settle. If this isn’t the right fit then you can find another one.
If I were in your situation and the dealer is withholding information, that would be a big red flag for me. It’s a buyer’s market right now so don’t feel like you have to settle. If this isn’t the right fit then you can find another one.
The boat outboards were only serviced twice in 9 years. Once at 20 hours the first year. Then it got a 100 hour service 3 years later. Then nothing until recently 7 years later. If it was garage stored or something I might have still considered, but it wasn’t. Maybe it could have been fine, but I’m the exact opposite with my stuff. So I passed
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