Factory Tour
- Thread starter leek
- Start date
Capt Bill
GreatGrady Captain
ocnslr said:
My thoughts exactly. If they wanted to use composites, they would, and Grady customers would pay whatever they charged, just like we do now. There are other, all-composite boats out there, and that does not make them better. No complaints about about their use of wood from me, and in 18 years of Grady ownership, I'm on Grady #4.
gregsnow said:
GW charges the same as top tier boats like Intrepid, SeeVee, and Yellowfin, and none of them have wood stringers. Good enough for you or are you a GW robot too ??
Vacuum bagging and composites
I bought the 225 Tournament because I liked the ride and the bracket mounted engine provided superior cockpit room. I did not pick it because of their construction techniques, especially after seeing them in action.
A friend of mine ownes Fiberlay which is a West coast provider of composite materials; last year he did a vacuum bagging demonstration for us and it shown how addition of the process totally changed how the resin got distibuted in the glass. I think eventually GW will move to this because of the better ultilization of the resin, which is fairly pricy.
The wood was all sealed and seemed to be protected adequately where it was going to be exposed to weather. I am not sure what I do in 10 years to recoat it as it would be tough to gain access. I changed my mind about storing it outside in Seattle
My 38 was built by a custom shop in Camano Island. They use no wood in the structure of the boat and were pretty straight forward in all of their applications. It is a heavy (27,000#) well built boat that sits in the water all year. Have had no issues with coring failure (used only above the waterline) or any other aspect in 9 years of hard use. The boat still appears to be selling for what I paid for it, but their was only 25 of them made. The builder has gone to vacuum bagging on his current model, its called an Ocean Sport 30.
I bought the 225 Tournament because I liked the ride and the bracket mounted engine provided superior cockpit room. I did not pick it because of their construction techniques, especially after seeing them in action.
A friend of mine ownes Fiberlay which is a West coast provider of composite materials; last year he did a vacuum bagging demonstration for us and it shown how addition of the process totally changed how the resin got distibuted in the glass. I think eventually GW will move to this because of the better ultilization of the resin, which is fairly pricy.
The wood was all sealed and seemed to be protected adequately where it was going to be exposed to weather. I am not sure what I do in 10 years to recoat it as it would be tough to gain access. I changed my mind about storing it outside in Seattle
My 38 was built by a custom shop in Camano Island. They use no wood in the structure of the boat and were pretty straight forward in all of their applications. It is a heavy (27,000#) well built boat that sits in the water all year. Have had no issues with coring failure (used only above the waterline) or any other aspect in 9 years of hard use. The boat still appears to be selling for what I paid for it, but their was only 25 of them made. The builder has gone to vacuum bagging on his current model, its called an Ocean Sport 30.
SoutheastFl, all of the companies you mention build boats that go way faster then most Grady's, and that is their intent, that is a big reason why they do not use wood, also almost all of the boats those builders build have high powered engines which exceeds what wood can handle unless it was really beefed up and weight was added. In those applications, wood is not good because they do not wish to add weight, it has nothing to do with making money. In larger Grady model's, there is a lot less wood used, for similar reasons as those other builders. It does not make sense to incorporate it in smaller models, there is no real gain.
This will be debated until the cows come home. There is a long list of top tier boats which still use wood so that assertion proves nothing. Builders have different opinions on the best way to build a boat. Properly utilized wood is as good or better then any other material for certian areas of boat construction. There have been several articles by experts which say exactly that.
SoutheastFL said:
And what kind of boats are the ones you listed? Narrow beam center consoles (my Sailfish is 6" narrower than a 36' Yellowfin) made for the tournament type. I wouldn't want to drift on any of those boats but that's why they make different boats. Are Vikings, CC, Albemarle owners robots for owning boats that have wood in them?
SoutheastFL said:
If a robot is someone that looks at history of quality craftmanship, ride, comfort, excellent customer service, longevity and awards when making a decision to purchase a boat then call me whatever name you can drum up. Show me the same for Intrepid, SeeVee and Yellowfin and the top awards that they win year after year.
Maybe this will refresh your memory:
http://gradywhite.com/news/index.php3#59
GS
[/quote]
GW charges the same as top tier boats like Intrepid, SeeVee, and Yellowfin, and none of them have wood stringers. Good enough for you or are you a GW robot too ??[/quote]
And what kind of boats are the ones you listed? Narrow beam center consoles (my Sailfish is 6" narrower than a 36' Yellowfin) made for the tournament type. [/quote]
Intrepid's 475 Sport Yacht is 47'6" long and 13'8" wide yet you still refer to it as a "narrow beam center console" ??? They've got a 2 year wait for their boats, per the original poster GW has layed off employees and cut their hourly work week back 20 %. Now which company's boats are in the highest demand again ?
But you keep spouting the corporate line, Eddie laughs at you all the way to the bank.
GW charges the same as top tier boats like Intrepid, SeeVee, and Yellowfin, and none of them have wood stringers. Good enough for you or are you a GW robot too ??[/quote]
And what kind of boats are the ones you listed? Narrow beam center consoles (my Sailfish is 6" narrower than a 36' Yellowfin) made for the tournament type. [/quote]
Intrepid's 475 Sport Yacht is 47'6" long and 13'8" wide yet you still refer to it as a "narrow beam center console" ??? They've got a 2 year wait for their boats, per the original poster GW has layed off employees and cut their hourly work week back 20 %. Now which company's boats are in the highest demand again ?
But you keep spouting the corporate line, Eddie laughs at you all the way to the bank.
GW charges the same as top tier boats like Intrepid, SeeVee, and Yellowfin, and none of them have wood stringers. Good enough for you or are you a GW robot too ??[/quote]
And what kind of boats are the ones you listed? Narrow beam center consoles (my Sailfish is 6" narrower than a 36' Yellowfin) made for the tournament type. [/quote]
Intrepid's 475 Sport Yacht is 47'6" long and 13'8" wide yet you still refer to it as a "narrow beam center console" ??? They've got a 2 year wait for their boats, per the original poster GW has layed off employees and cut their hourly work week back 20 %. Now which company's boats are in the highest demand again ?
But you keep spouting the corporate line, Eddie laughs at you all the way to the bank.[/quote]
To say that Intrepid is a more nationally desired, bought, respected boat than Grady White is laughable. Your personal grudge against the owner is your own juvenile problem. Dont waste out time with that BS anymore. If you dont like Gradys or the way the company operates then what the HELL are you doing here??
Your nothing more than a forum troll trying piss people off. Two words: Get lost.
GS
Wow that is a ridiculous comparison... first the intrepid 46 is not a high production boat, they produce far less of them then any Grady model, so yes maybe there is a waiting list, but that is because it is bigger and takes longer to build one. Also, with the economy as it is, only the rich are buying boats for the most part, and they like their semi custom or custom boats, regardless of their quality, they don't want a boat others have. Only large boats are selling right now, almost ALL small boat builders are hurting, and even the big builders are feeling it, but not nearly as bad. Most guys who buy intrepids have larger boats and buy new boats far more often then the typical boater and the use of those boats vs a Grady is not comparable. Yes I agree Intrepid builds a great quality boat, but they are highly overpriced, if you think Grady makes a bit on boats you won't want to know how much intrepid or any other semi custom or custom builder makes. Every custom option has a HUGE markup, adding to the companies profit.
This thread is just ridiculous!!! Wood construction has been used for centuries and most high end custom sports fishing boats are cold molded with wood structural stringers. These are $4-5M boats! Marine plywood covered in epoxy is a good building material if done properly. Are there alternatives? Sure... If marine plywood is not your cup of tea, leave us alone and buy something else... Go bother the buyers of custom sportsfishing boats even though you probably cannot afford the dinghy!
here is a great intro to wood boat building...
http://www.smaalders.net/yacht_design/gobboatconst.html
http://www.smaalders.net/yacht_design/gobboatconst.html
wood vs composites
OK, sorry if I started a controversy. I have been boating for 40+ years and have crawled under a plywood boat and screwed the bottom back in due to overpowering a 17' plywood runabout. There is and has been a place for wood in boats but I am not sure about the form it takes. I find that it works much better for interior casework and joinery than it does in the presence of water in the structural part of the boat. After looking at all small runabouts the G/W was still the best for design, fit and finish. I was happy to buy the new 225 and will store it where the wood is not going to take much abuse...
OK, sorry if I started a controversy. I have been boating for 40+ years and have crawled under a plywood boat and screwed the bottom back in due to overpowering a 17' plywood runabout. There is and has been a place for wood in boats but I am not sure about the form it takes. I find that it works much better for interior casework and joinery than it does in the presence of water in the structural part of the boat. After looking at all small runabouts the G/W was still the best for design, fit and finish. I was happy to buy the new 225 and will store it where the wood is not going to take much abuse...
Whoa...that was wierd. I just tried to go to www.thehulltruth.com my browser redirected me here... :roll: :roll: :roll:
That's something, how a subject called Factory Tour gets so many hits.
Let's keep it going.
Car manufacturers figured out how to make a brand new model of a car with thousands upon thousands of parts, and not have one act up for the new owner. Impossible you say?
What's the secret? Have robots make cars and minimize human hand work. It's as simple as that. Can a robot paint more cars faster with less likelyhood of runs, finger print thru, thin paint, etc. Of course it can.
Computers are building cars with robots and other computer driven systems checking the quality of the robot's work.
How the hell can a robot hand position a wood stringer grid and tab it in ? or build a transom of laminated several layers of plywood, don't think a robot can drill the countless holes in the boat, install fixtures, caulk it, then drive the screws in and clean off excess caulk. If a robot could, there would never be soft coring / decks / transoms / stringers / bulkheads on Gradys, past, present, or future.
Modern materials and fastening methods allow more machine manufacturing to take place, faster, with high precision and consistency, and ultimately at reduced costs, or more product for the money depending on one's perspective.
The initial cost for machine automation is very high, can the small boat builder undertake - NO, how about an outfit the size and breath of Grady?
Let's keep it going.
Car manufacturers figured out how to make a brand new model of a car with thousands upon thousands of parts, and not have one act up for the new owner. Impossible you say?
What's the secret? Have robots make cars and minimize human hand work. It's as simple as that. Can a robot paint more cars faster with less likelyhood of runs, finger print thru, thin paint, etc. Of course it can.
Computers are building cars with robots and other computer driven systems checking the quality of the robot's work.
How the hell can a robot hand position a wood stringer grid and tab it in ? or build a transom of laminated several layers of plywood, don't think a robot can drill the countless holes in the boat, install fixtures, caulk it, then drive the screws in and clean off excess caulk. If a robot could, there would never be soft coring / decks / transoms / stringers / bulkheads on Gradys, past, present, or future.
Modern materials and fastening methods allow more machine manufacturing to take place, faster, with high precision and consistency, and ultimately at reduced costs, or more product for the money depending on one's perspective.
The initial cost for machine automation is very high, can the small boat builder undertake - NO, how about an outfit the size and breath of Grady?
gregsnow said:
And what kind of boats are the ones you listed? Narrow beam center consoles (my Sailfish is 6" narrower than a 36' Yellowfin) made for the tournament type. [/quote]
Intrepid's 475 Sport Yacht is 47'6" long and 13'8" wide yet you still refer to it as a "narrow beam center console" ??? They've got a 2 year wait for their boats, per the original poster GW has layed off employees and cut their hourly work week back 20 %. Now which company's boats are in the highest demand again ?
But you keep spouting the corporate line, Eddie laughs at you all the way to the bank.[/quote]
To say that Intrepid is a more nationally desired, bought, respected boat than Grady White is laughable. Your personal grudge against the owner is your own juvenile problem. Dont waste out time with that BS anymore. If you dont like Gradys or the way the company operates then what the HELL are you doing here??
Your nothing more than a forum troll trying piss people off. Two words: Get lost.
GS[/quote]
YOU got that right, Intrepid is a MUCH MUCH more highly respected manufacturer of QUALITY boats than GW. Why don't you get off your lazy behind and come on down to the Miami boat show and I'll point out the difference in quality for you. Even a blind robot like you will easily be able to see.
When you order your next new GW be sure to post your address so I can send you a "new boat" gift - a nice big bag of suckers.
I guess Grady's aren't quality boats :roll: :?: ? What basis do you have for this... and I'm not sure who is determining that an Intrepid is better quality then a Grady, they are both top notch builders who build totally different style boats who tailer to totally different boaters and their needs.....there is no way you can compare the two boat brands, there are no similarities at all in what each brand builds as far as models and usage. I've ran both brands boats and both ran excellent, and both have their own situations where one is better then the other but anyone trying to decide between buying between the two brands is just confused and has no idea what he wants because they are not the same at all.