considering purchase of a 252G

[steved]

Hello all. I'm new to your site and really enjoy it. On a recent trip to Beaufort NC my lovely wife mentioned that maybe we should get a boat!!! Well after I came to after passing out, I proceeded to try and figure out what kind of boat she had in mind. I narrowed it down to a Grady 252G.

I have been looking and found a few that are in our $$$ range. Each has its own merits as to newer power and /or updates and options.

The boats are '90 and '92 models. The question I have is the SV2 hull. Does it make that much of an improvement over the earlier hulls. the boat will be used mostly as a "beach house" on weekends. And fishing and trips around NC.

These are the boats: http://www.anglersedgemarine.com/search ... rady-White

http://www.anglersedgemarine.com/search ... rady-White

http://www.radioislandmarina.com/item.a ... E-97293006

http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1992/Gr ... ted-States

I'm sure I'll have more ?'s.

I used to own a BW outrage when I lived on Cape Cod so boating is not new to me.

Thanks

 

[gw204]

Can't comment on the ride of a SeaV2 vs. non-SeaV2, but I can tell you to look at the '93 model year as well. Those have the newer (and better) Gil brackets.

 

[Grog]

I have a '91 and never been on a SV2 version so I can't say for sure what difference there is. I've been out in some pretty snotty stuff and she handled it fine. Half of those boats have an inflated asking price. With the way the market is I'd pass on the two with the old engines, with the market the way it is your $ goes a long way.

For fishing the 252 is great, GW nailed it with the room, layout, and 200 gallons of fuel. If you're looking to spend weekends on it with your wife, it may be a little small. The aft berth is good for a kid or storing your weekend supplies keeping them out of the way, in the V berth you're going to be "cozy". That's a call only your and the admiral can make.

If you want a regular weekend boat, you can find a Marlin in the same range as the boats you listed. It will coat more to operate and store but also gives a fair amount more room and capabilities.

 

[amr72]

The only one of those I would consider is the one with the hpdis. In my opinion spending thousands of dollars on the old technology 2 strokes is a bad idea. I know people will disagree with me but 1990 something ox66s really have little to no value. If I was buying one of those boats I would basically consider them as hull only and want a deep discount so I could repower. The fuel effeciency, the smoke, the unrefined nature of those older motors are night and day compared to the direct inject 2 strokes or 4 strokes. So I do think the 1992 with the hpdis looks pretty good...from a distance. The reality is that there could be many things that need to be addressed.

Take my 1993, 255 for example. I love the boat and think it has a great layout and with the newer motors is a real joy to own. But...I will be replacing the fuel tanks this offseason and if those tanks on the 1992 are original they will need to be replaced as well. My hatch over the fuel tank needs to be recored and I will do that pretty soon as well. I added a new Garmin sounder/GPS/XM system to go along with the older radar that still works. I also added a new VHF and antenna. I put in a new battery management system from BEP that automatically separates and combines my start and house batteries. I have replaced two of the waterline plastic thruhulls with bronze and will replace the rest as I can.

The bottom line is that there is a lot to do to keep these boats going especially when they are pushing 20 years old. If I were to sell mine I would want to get 29k. So I think the 31k price for that 1992 isn't bad but you could easily be looking at 5 to 10k in addition to make her right.

PM me if you have any more questions...

Anthony