Design Flaws with 2010 Grady Tournament 275

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sealoft

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Hi have a 2010 275 Tournament. I bought it to replace a 1989 20' Overnighter which we purchased new. The 275 has a single 4-stroke 350HP Yamaha and is a soft top model. It is my hope that Grady will read these observations and other blogs to address these design flaws to vastly improve their overall product. Grady makes great boats but sometimes because they do not use them like their customers they miss the little but very important things.

Here are my general impressions and observations for those considering the purchase of this model.

1. When the canvas is up the miship cleat to attach lines and or a fender is not easily accessible. The solution is to relocate the cleat aft to allow better access.

2. Same problem as in #1 with accessing the fuel filler located on the port side of the boat. It is hard to access due to its center location while fueling when the port side of the boat is opposite of the fueling dock. If you have your canvas up it is very difficult to access the fuel filler. On the old Grady the filler port was located at the very stern which made it easy to access regardless of the boats position at the fuel dock.

3. It is virtually impossible and very dangerous to walk along the side of the boat due to a lack of hand holds and deck area. If you are on a mooring as I am often, I cannot walk the line up to the mooring pendant. I have to actually stay in the inflatable and go up to the bow and attach the inflatable line onto the mooring pendant attached to bow cleat and then walk the boat back to the stern to climb aboard. I think this is a major flaw in the design and Grady needs to address this. They could widen the deck and strategically place hand holds so you can walk safely from stern to bow or bow to stern. Or even better yet make it a walk around which Grady was once famous for.

4. Other posts have already mentioned this so I will brief. Trim tabs only to be used for leveling the tilt of the boat from side to side. Use the engine tilt to level the boat out from bow to stern. A good method for achieving maximum performance is to adjust tilt up or down and watch your speed over ground (SOG) readout from your GPS unit (if you have one) to maximize hull speed. Of course sea conditions will also dictate the ultimate desired planing angle needed to assure a comfortable and safe ride.

5. Now I save the best for last: I chose the seating option with the port electric extendable lounge seating. It’s a very nice and comfortable seat but you cannot adjust the forward facing seat (part of the unit up and down). Now for a man of average height this may not be a problem but for a woman of average height you have a view of the bathroom enclosure! I have asked Grady to address this and they said they would send pedestal chairs. I said I like what I have and would like the forward facing seat to have an up and down adjustment for both pleasure and safety reasons. This is a major design flaw that they must fix. The helm chair also needs to have the ability to be adjusted up and down.

Conclusion: The boat is a real machine and cruises easily in the high 30's. With some of the design modifications I have mentioned here this boat would be a real winner.
 
I don't own one but #3 wouldn't be a problem if you had the hard top.
The bars for the hard top make great hand holds to get around to the front
of my 265.
 
Don't understand No. 3

The boat is a bowrider, the idea is to walk the centerline bow to stern.

My first boat was a 17 ft bowrider, no difference, why would I walk outside?

When the center window was closed and the canvas across the bottom and bimini up on top, it became a runabout, just have to open the canvas and go under window.
And that was 17 footer.

If you wanted a walkaround, it wouldn't be a bowrider.

As far as seat goes, you can have it modified to raise it higher, just go to local boat re-builder/restorer. No reason to look at console. Goes for all types of chairs, pedestals too.

You have three primary boat style options: center console, cabin (either drop deck walkaround or raised deck), or bowrider.
 
Sealoft,
I have a Tournament 225 and all the things you mention are the same for me except that my pedestal helm seat does have a height adjustment. If you have the electric helm seat with the wet bar a vertical adjustment would seem to be impossible.
All your concerns are not design flaws, they are just characteristics of dual console boats with canvas enclosures and certain seating options. Perhaps you would be more happy with a walkaround or express model with different seating options. Every style has its positives and negatives and the things you want redesigned are just a natural part of a dual console bow rider. They are not design flaws, just the nature of the beast. You have a wonderful boat. Give yourself a chance to adapt to its characteristics and accept it for what it is, which is a dual console bowrider. Enjoy!
 
We have a 2009 275 Tournament

And I have to say we love it. We walk through the center console to get to the front (ours is a hard top)

Perhaps the one thing that I do agree with is the issue with the trim - this is something to be aware of but no necessarily a design flaw.

At least you have the LED spreader lights :)

We have twin 150s and I do like that setup
 
I usually don't make remarks like this, but did you look at this boat before you purchased it?

Did anyone but you try out the seating and the seat heights?

Did you fail to notice that GW has the fuel fills on the sides of the boat since sometime late in the last century?

If you wanted a walk-around, why didn't you purchase one? Instead of bemoaning the fact that your dual-console boat isn't a WA?

These aren't design FLAWS, but design CHOICES made by GW. You have the option to look at the boat prior to purchase, envision how you will use it, and then decide NOT to purchase it if you don't like certain design elements.

Sorry, but I can not provide any sympathy here, and I won't congratulate you on your new Grady, as you obviously made a bad purchase.

Brian

P.S. For a first post, it looks remarkably like a troll.
 
I do not understand your issues.

The mid cleats are where they need to be in order to properly secure the boat on a slip. Moving them back would not be viable in my opinion.

Why do you care about the gas fill being behind the side curtain, are you fueling from inside the cockpit? If so you might want to pull into the gas dock on the port side and fuel from the dock or unsnap the curtain if you feel compelled to drag the fuel hose across the boat.

This boat is a dual console not a walk around. It is not intended for you to walk around the boat on the gunwale rails. Unless you live in Alaska you might want to consider dropping the canvas and fold up the bimini. You might like it. My boat is north of Boston and my canvas comes off in May and does not go back on until October if at all. If I am Tuna fishing the bimini stays on the dock to provide the ability to walk a fish from bow to stern without any obstacles.

As for the seat height my wife mentioned that last weekend. GW might want to raise the seat about 2-3 inches, but height adjustment on this unit would be over kill and way too complicated to do.

As for trim, this boat is very sensitive to trim levels and a very little bit goes a long way. I have no issues with the way the boat trims out.

I agree with other posts that your issues are not design flaws they are things that you do not like about the boat. A design flaw with this boat is the fact that as delivered you cannot raise the engine out of the water enough for the lower water intake to clear the water. Or the location of the lanyard under the centerline of the steering wheel where it wraps around the wheel if you wear it anywhere but around you ankle.

Sounds to me like you may have picked the wrong horse to ride.
 
All he has to do is take back the boat to the dealer and they will work out a deal for another rmodel to replace it, what's the big deal?
People do this everyday with cars. That's why you will see used cars at the dealer with 600 miles on them.

It's like a trial marriage, it didn't work out, move on to the next one.
I bet the Admiral is the biggest source of constant grief each trip, considering the view she has from the port side. I know it would do the same to me (and worse).
 
Sealoft - I'm sorry to disagree with you on all points, but I too own a 2010 Tournament 275 and couldn't be happier with the boat. I don't see any of these issues as "design flaws" but rather as "design choices". No factory built - stock boat is going to be a perfect fit for every boater. If you really want everything 100% to your liking, you probably should have a boat custom built for you (or buy a semi-custom and have it finished to your exact specs).

(1) I agree with other posters that the mid cleats are exactly where they should be. I know that if you have the canvas up it's difficult to get to the mid-cleats but it's a compromise between proper cleat placement and effective canvas installation. You may be able to have a canvas shop modify your canvas to make things a bit easier for you. You also mentioned that you are at a mooring so I'm assuming that the canvas issue is only a problem when you are docking.

(2) With a 200 gallon fuel capacity and a range of 400 miles per tank (assuming you get the same 2 mpg that I get), you shouldn't be having a huge problem with having to unsnap the canvas that often to fill up. I for one am very happy with having a 200 gallon tank (although not that happy when I pay for the gas) given the incredible range on this boat. I have twin 150's so your fuel economy should be even better than mine. Again, where they chose to locate the fuel fill is a compromise but in my opinion, workable none-the-less.

(3) The nice thing about a dual console is the ability to walk up the center line of the boat. I've looked at walk arounds and while they add the versatility of a cabin, they certainly are not as easy to walk up to the bow as either a dual console or a center console. I also keep my boat on a mooring and have a pick-up-stick on my mooring. When pulling the boat up to the mooring I nose up to the pick-up-stick and walk up to the bow and grab the pick-up-stick and pop the mooring line on the cleat. 75% of the time I am boating by myself (which is why I love the dual console design) and the nice thing about the T275 is that it's such a heavy boat that it will sit there at the mooring without being blown off (even when not tied up to the mooring). If you did have to grab the mooring line from mid-ship and then walk it up, the only thing you'd have to pass it around is your bimini top (assuming that your canvas is not up). I don't use my canvas that often so we may be different that way. If you are not using a pick-up-stick, I'd definitely suggest trying one. I've been at my mooring for three years (with another dual console before my Grady) and have never had a problem getting to the bow from the helm in time to pick up the mooring using the pick-up-stick and then putting the mooring line on the bow cleat. I have a dual bridle on my mooring and clip my dinghy to the other line of the bridle (and then release it when I have one line on one bow cleat and walk the dinghy back to the stern while putting the boat away for the day).

(4) I think that the trim tabs work incredibly well on this boat. I've had a number of people on the boat and as with any "small" boat, they are never equally balanced bow to stern, port to starboard. On my previous boat (a 2006 Striper 21' Dual Console) I had a real challenge to trim the boat side to side and bow to stern. The T275 does exactly what it is supposed to do in being able to trim it in all directions. The fact that it is sensitive to the trim tabs just goes to show that Grady properly engineered the size and location of the tabs.

(5) Your complaints about the seating could have just as easily been that it was too high (instead of too low). I'm sure you could have had different types of seating that might have been more to your liking but again this is a stock factory-built boat with seating options that are meant to appeal to most boaters (not all boaters). The port sleeper seat is really great in its ability to expand and retract via electric actuator. Making it go up and down as well would have added significant cost, weight and complexity. There is a foot rest for shorter guests in the forward facing section of the port seat (a nice touch for those who can't reach the deck while seated). The fact that they face the door for the head is just a fact of life. As one poster stated, you could have the entire seat assembly lifted up but to be honest, it's probably not worth it just to get a better view (your guests could always just sit in the bow or the stern if the view is critically important to them). With regard to the helm seat, I agree that it would be nice if it went up and down as well as back and forth, but again that's a compromise that Grady made in order to fit what is essentially a double wide helm seat and integrate it with the wet bar. If you eliminated the wet bar you could have had a post mounted helm seat that would go up and down as well as front to back.

I had looked at the T275 when it first came out and just bought mine at the end of last year for delivery this past Spring. I knew exactly what I was getting and have been pleased beyond expectation with how well Grady engineers and builds their boats. Yes - there are some compromises that I would eliminate if I was custom building a boat and had unlimited financial resources. For a stock, factory-built boat I think that Grady knocked it out of the park on the T275. Yes - I am a raving fan (and my wife refers to my boat as "my mistress").

Sorry for the long post.

Enjoy your boat and have a great summer!
 
sealoft said:
Hi have a 2010 275 Tournament. I bought it to replace a 1989 20' Overnighter which we purchased new.

Grady makes great boats but sometimes because they do not use them like their customers they miss the little but very important things.

3. It is virtually impossible and very dangerous to walk along the side of the boat due to a lack of hand holds and deck area.

I think this is a major flaw in the design and Grady needs to address this.

They could widen the deck and strategically place hand holds so you can walk safely from stern to bow or bow to stern. Or even better yet make it a walk around which Grady was once famous for.

Conclusion: With some of the design modifications I have mentioned here this boat would be a real winner.
Click to expand...

Sealoft- I respect you for buying a Grady White, however its blatantly obvious that you did not research the boat (or the manufacturer) prior to making your purchase.

You buy a split-console, bow-rider style boat and then you say Grady should "make it a walk around which Grady was once famous for".

Did Grady stop making walk-arounds in the past week or something? :?: What did I miss over the long holiday weekend?!?!?

Sorry but you are replacing a walk-around with a non-walk-around, and then you complain that its not a walk-around. Holy smokes thats bass ackwards. Please trade in your boat for a Bayliner. I hear they still make walk-arounds....
 
He may have bought it off the internet, people buy new cars that way now too, sight unseen.

I thought it was Grady policy not to close a deal unless customer is taken for a sea trail, for new or previously owned (?)

Times have changed.
 
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