The molded windshield of the Pursuit just looks great. GW making strides in this area as well. That being said the Pursuit is just nicer.
Tilted helm and ability to get behind the wheel and at wiring. Wiring layout is superior from a layout and staking perspective. Grady wiring has always been sketchy, getting better where you can see - not so much if you look hard.
I believe Pursuit uses 100% tinned wire. Not sure about GW, but I think not. Just a better wire selection for the environment and much better reliability over the years for intermittents and corrosion resistance.
The things that I think are equal.
Cabins are a equal in my book. I like the layout of the GW. Vbirth area goes to GW, aft and ease of access to Pursuit. Head and galley are a toss up but I think the admiral will like the Pursuit.
Power. Both use Yamaha.
Use case. Almost identical. If you want that type of boat, both should do the trick.
The things I believe are better on the Grady.
- Customer service is second to none. Hands down. Grady works with their owners to get things right. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. GW exhibits extreme ownership in this area,
- Proven design. Grady can be slow to change but I believe that is because they are balancing risk conservatively. Any change will be proven before being introduced. I don't want a boat builder or any builder of an expensive item taking chances. I like that.
- Solid materials. Glecoat, glass, SS, Aluminum, railings, hardtop pieces really are as good as you can get on a production boat.
- Transom door. Big win to Grady on this one. The Pursuit is just lacking.
- Aft seat design. The Pursuit has metal pieces on the sides and top exposed. Every time I get on the boat I just think of an unstable situation (wave or quick maneuver and a kids face hitting the metal). Maybe just me but I've had 4 kids grow up on 2 Gradys and I like their attention to detail, padding, toe rails, high gunnel, plain object free cockpits and generally attention to safety in the cockpit.
- Gunnel height and padding. As I recall, Grady is better. I don't like a low gunnel on a boat. My preference, maybe not others. I don't want kids, women or rookies going overboard.
- Bow railing. Pursuit is good, Grady is a bit better. Again, I like the safety aspect. I know some people don't like rail look, but I'll take it all day due to the safety margin. I also like that Grady pieces sections. If you do bang or break it, you can fix it. Ever have to have a welded bow rail replaced - worse shipped? Not cheap.
- Overboard drain. The Pursuit requires a macerator for the fish boxes. I like the GW design better.
One thing I dislike on both is the difficulty to get to the bow quickly. You can come through a hatch or go around on the outside of the beam. It is a tradeoff for a larger cabin. I like the feature of a walk to get up there but you do loose cabin space. Could there ever be a 1/2 walk - probably just another compromise that I'll complain about later.