Advice on 1992 GW Seaferer 22

[4Rider]

I am new to the forum. Being looking for a Grady boat to replace my 17 footer cc for some saltwater fishing in near coastal MA and NH. Not offshore. Looking at 1992 GW Seaferer 22 with Armstrong foot bracket, enclosed transom reps were in 2014 with 2013 Evenrude with 550 hours from the computer read. Electronics include 7” garmin gps/fishfinder/radar combo and cv radio. Boat sat for the last 2 years not used. Trim tabs did not work when I looked it and the fuel tank looks original to the boat and fuel gage is not working. Did not smell any gas fumes from any of the hatches. Dual axle trailer has newer tires but couple of the wheels have been curbe hit so it is not road worthy. Asking price is $15k. Boat is manufactured in January 1992, same year when Grady changed the hull to CV2. Was not looking for GW with Evenrude engine, but this is in my price range. Going on sea trial this weekend. Loved the deck space. Hull looks in good shape, no spider crack, transom and bracket as well. Any opinions on this vintage seaferer? Much appreciated your help.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

I'd make sure it's the SeaV2 hull as like you said... 1992 was the year they swapped over from the SeaV1 to the SeaV2 hull. Being that it's a January 1992 model year, I'd definitely double check that first. The other thing you'll want to check is the floorboards, the stern and the rest of the boat to see if there are any soft spots, obvious water intrusion and so forth. It wasn't until I believe 1997 when Grady White switched over to a product called Greenwood XL which is supposed to be much better at resisting rot. Prior to that, they just used standard marine grade plywood, which is supposedly inferior compared to the Greenwood XL. Definitely wouldn't want to spend the $15k asking price and then have to spend another $5k-$10k on replacing the transom. I would also make sure you check safety items before moving away from the dock, make sure that all of the lights, horn, bilges and so forth work before leaving and going on the sea trial run as you don't want to get stranded out on the boat miles away and need to get towed back in. I'm a bit biased but I'll give my completely honest opinion... I personally would, and did look at something a bit newer. I've got a 2004 Grady White 228 Seafarer that came with a 2004 Yamaha F225 with around 1k hours on it at the time of purchase as well as a 2009 aluminum I-beam trailer.

I purchased my boat in Maryland in October of 2021 and live in Seattle, but I paid $26.5k for it. The boat needed nothing, and everything on the boat as well as the trailer worked before I purchased it. The fact that the boat you're looking at is now 33 years old and has been sitting for a couple of years with a few issues, sounds maybe like it wasn't really taken care of all that well? I'd also be hesitant on getting a boat that has an older Evinrude 2 stroke outboard on it as some of those ETEC motors were prone to having some serious problems and Evinrude is no longer in business. Depending on the actual condition of the boat, I'd hate to see you spend $15k on the purchase price and then sink another $5k-$10k elsewhere into the boat/motor/trailer just to make it safe and reliable. I think the better option might be to increase your budget, spend some additional money up front on a boat that is newer and needs nothing done to it. As stated above, I bought my boat/setup for $26.5k and think you should be able to find something similar for in that $25k-$30k range. As always, I'd highly recommend paying for an independent marine surveyor to come out and look at the boat with you and see what they have to say. As mentioned above, I'd hate to see you spend $15k up front and then have to spend thousands more on repairs and other things shortly thereafter. As stated, this is just my opinion, though I have had my boat for coming up on 4 years now without any issues, knock on wood. Good luck with whatever you decide on doing.

 

[4Rider]

Thank you Mustang65fbk. This is very interesting point of view I have not thought about as I was so concentrated on this particular boat. Although is produced in Jan 1992, I am pretty confident it is SeaV2 hull as shown in the image. The boat has soft spots over hatch access in the aft and in access panel in the middle over the gas tank. It will need to recore to fix. Plan was to offer 8-9K and work to bring the boat and trailer to turn key. Your comment on when Grady switched from Marine wood to Greenwood XL. All in all the more I think about your approach, the less desire I have to continue perusing this 1992 Seafarer. I know I can get it cheap, but than is not the point. I have looked at newer Seafarer boats on Boat Trader and 2005 are listed for $40K and there is one 1999 listed for $27K. I guess finding a good one at the right price will take time and patience. Besides BT and CL, is there a better place online to look for used boats?

 

[4Rider]

I'd make sure it's the SeaV2 hull as like you said... 1992 was the year they swapped over from the SeaV1 to the SeaV2 hull. Being that it's a January 1992 model year, I'd definitely double check that first. The other thing you'll want to check is the floorboards, the stern and the rest of the boat to see if there are any soft spots, obvious water intrusion and so forth. It wasn't until I believe 1997 when Grady White switched over to a product called Greenwood XL which is supposed to be much better at resisting rot. Prior to that, they just used standard marine grade plywood, which is supposedly inferior compared to the Greenwood XL. Definitely wouldn't want to spend the $15k asking price and then have to spend another $5k-$10k on replacing the transom. I would also make sure you check safety items before moving away from the dock, make sure that all of the lights, horn, bilges and so forth work before leaving and going on the sea trial run as you don't want to get stranded out on the boat miles away and need to get towed back in. I'm a bit biased but I'll give my completely honest opinion... I personally would, and did look at something a bit newer. I've got a 2004 Grady White 228 Seafarer that came with a 2004 Yamaha F225 with around 1k hours on it at the time of purchase as well as a 2009 aluminum I-beam trailer.

I purchased my boat in Maryland in October of 2021 and live in Seattle, but I paid $26.5k for it. The boat needed nothing, and everything on the boat as well as the trailer worked before I purchased it. The fact that the boat you're looking at is now 33 years old and has been sitting for a couple of years with a few issues, sounds maybe like it wasn't really taken care of all that well? I'd also be hesitant on getting a boat that has an older Evinrude 2 stroke outboard on it as some of those ETEC motors were prone to having some serious problems and Evinrude is no longer in business. Depending on the actual condition of the boat, I'd hate to see you spend $15k on the purchase price and then sink another $5k-$10k elsewhere into the boat/motor/trailer just to make it safe and reliable. I think the better option might be to increase your budget, spend some additional money up front on a boat that is newer and needs nothing done to it. As stated above, I bought my boat/setup for $26.5k and think you should be able to find something similar for in that $25k-$30k range. As always, I'd highly recommend paying for an independent marine surveyor to come out and look at the boat with you and see what they have to say. As mentioned above, I'd hate to see you spend $15k up front and then have to spend thousands more on repairs and other things shortly thereafter. As stated, this is just my opinion, though I have had my boat for coming up on 4 years now without any issues, knock on wood. Good luck with whatever you decide on doing.

Thanks for your input, Mustang65fbk. Your perspective is quite intriguing, and it's something I hadn't considered before. What is a good place to look for boats, beyond BT and CL?