Fighting chair in the cockpit of a 33 grady Express

Sundancejoel

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I'd like to hear from any owners of the 33 Grady Express that have installed a fighting chair in the cockpit. I'm worried that there may not be enough room to work around the cockpit during a good tuna bite. If I'm on an overnight chunking trip and we've got a steady pick of tuna I don't know if the chair would impede progress.

Please help me out!

Joel
 

gradyfish22

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A rocket launcher may be your best bet. It will give you leverage and another place to store and troll rods from, as well as a place to fight a fish from if you do need the added leverage. There are some comfortable rocket launchers out there, but you will not be able to use your body weight or legs like you would with a chair. You can also get a launcher with a bait tray or storage behind it as well to maximize your space. A chair may be tight, it would likely need to have a small and short footrest to be able to be turned and allow space to swing the chair, you may also want to opt for no back so you take up a little less space. There are some high end expensive chairs that have footrests that swing out of the way or can be adjusted to take up less space. I think your first issue is talking to Grady to see where they would recommend a backing plate going in the deck, unless you already have one. Once you can decide where the chair or launcher would be mounted, then you can start to look and find a chair small enough for your cockpit. You could also use the chairs dimensions to maybe mock up space in the cockpit so you can see what it would look like and judge if it is too much space for you and your crew.
 

Sundancejoel

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Hi Gradyfish

Hey Tom:

Just to set the scenario, my last two boats, a 28' Blackfin and a 32'Topaz both had chairs. Granted, they were rarely used but because I've had three back operations it gives me comfort to know that it's there if I need it. I wear a back brace, then put on a kidney harness and a gimgle belt and I can fight, and land just about any fish. Except on one occasion I was into a large swordfish and after and hour and a half of going back and forth with the sword, he sounded and hugged the bottom. I couldn't budge him and had to pass the rod to one of my friends who evenually landed the 227 lb sword. I don't intend to ever pass the rod again.

I was trying to reach any owners of the 33 Express who have actually installed a medium sized chair that they have been able to work around comfortably. If I acquired a chair, I would keep the footrest in the cabin until needed.

BTW, the 33 Grady has a built-in backing plate installed at the factory, under the decking.

I'm going to be launching about April 15th. How about you?

Joel
 

gradyfish22

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Right now it looks like April 25 or 26 unless I can get the boat ready quicker. My marina does not officially open until Mat 1, but they usually allow us in that last weekend in April and sometimes that week before for the guys who have been there for years, that way they can launch boats and spread them out instead of all in a 2-3day span since we all want to get in. I was one of the last out, so that way I could be one of the first in.

I totally understand your situation with the chair after the back surgeries. I know Murray Brothers makes a chair that is a few inches smaller then some others to fit into smaller cockpits. I have seen chairs that had the footrest slide out of the way instead of being removed but I do not recall the brand, there are many great chair companies out there. Murray Brothers is usually very helpful with info and fitting a chair, if you give them dimensions and tell them what your predictament is they may be able to come up with a solution for you. Also, having a backless chair may take up less space as well, I've seen guys use just bucket seats instead, not sure with your back if that is an option. Good luck!!

Tom