Finally able to Grady shop!

[Lt.Mike]

Hello all, this would be my first post on the forum. :noob
I'm 53 and have been boating most of my life. Back in '91 I picked up an "88 19' Bayliner Capri bowriderwith a 125 Force motor. My daughter was born in '92 and a good part of her growing up included great memory filled trips on that boat. In the past few years the boat showed its age with a soft deck, ok really soft deck and was on the trailer for about two years while I procrastinated about what to do with it. I picked up a 15' tin boat with a 25 mariner to keep us on the water until I made up my mind.
Well along came Sandy which dropped a 120' tulip tree squarely across the boat.
Ok, with my decision now made to part with the Bayliner we made good use of the tin boat. That boat hardly used any gas and would run 25mph with two people but it rode really rough. It was also cramped. My wife, daughter and I all missed the Bayliner. The Bayliner while it served us well and was quick hitting 45mph wasn't a real fishing boat. I have always quietly yearned for a Grady.
This fall having gotten caught up on a lot of bills, my wife's Jeep was paid off, and considering the pounding we took this summer with the tin boat I sat back and realized holy c**p, I can finally do it, I'm going Grady shopping! raise
Mind you while I make a good living, I'm not rich. So I set my sights on an older 20-22' walkaround. Center consuls are nice but these days I need that portapot.
I also figured my wife would appreciate the cabin to get out of the sun to take a nap. Looking around I saw that '86 and earlier walkarounds had an anchor locker that was over the cuddy hanging into and taking up cabin space. I didn't care for that so '87 was as early as I'd go. I also knew that in '92 the hulls were improved. That's nice but my benchmark was the Bayliner and with that said, any Grady would have a better ride. :wink: Wasn't sure about a power choice though.
There are more than a few Grady's here in New Jersey for sale. The tough part is weeding out the Sandy victims. The older Gradys in my price range, max at about $12,000, can be really rough. Yes I know its reality check time. Saw a mint 22' '87 Seafarer with a '90 225 Yamaha. $11,500. The owner ran it off the muffs but was reluctant to put it in the water. I offered to pick up the ramp fee and throw him money for gas. He said to do that I had to pay him $300. :huh
Ok...on to the next guy.
That fellow had an '88 20' overnighter with an '04 175 Johnson. He was asking $9,100. This guy was decent. He made an hours drive to meet me at the dock to show me the boat. It was a solid boat with a hardtop and had a new trailer. All the electronics and addons were roached though. The hull though he said had been painted this season had seaweed heavy at the water line. The test ride had the boat wallowing taking a long time to get on plane and when it did the best it could muster was 32mph. Thought the 175 would do better. Could growth on the hull hurt it that bad?
One thing was confirmed though, there was a light chop on the bay and damn that boat rode good! Like silk! The bayliner wasn't anywhere close.
I had a few calls out and looked at other Gradys that were really rough.
Yesterday I had a call returned from a gentleman that had an '87 overnighter with an ok trailer and an '03 Suzuki 225. There was also no paint on the hull. Speaking with him he said everything right and after work I went to have a look. The boat was never left in the water. The first owner trailered it and he racked it at a marina. The Suzuki has 380hrs, is injected and you could eat off of it. There is hydraulic steering and the electronics are Horizon and Faruno (newer and mint). The rest of the boat just needed simple restoration. Bimini top was decent too. He assured me that the motor ran perfect and he agreed to do a water test next weekend saying it runs really strong. He added if it doesn't it's on him he'd make it right.
He also added that his GPS has recorded the boat reaching 48mph. :shock: Damn!
Ok then...time to talk money. He was asking $7,000 and we shook hands with both of us happy at $6,700. I put a deposit in his hands and short of a catastrophe that boat will be mine. :mrgreen:
I can't wipe the grim off my face, it's finally going to happen. It might be old, but I'm going to have my Grady!
Wish me luck! Mike.

 

[The_Chain]

Get a survey...for that age and the cost of what a surveyor costs it's a no brainer. If you've done your research that period there are known issues with the transom across all models. Also he/she will be able to inspect things other then just cosmetics which you can identify. It also wouldn't be bad to have a zuke tech go through the engine. I did this with my 92 explorer and it settles some of the nerves about bad transoms and other gremlins that are hiding. Good luck, post pictures and welcome to the forum. A good grady will bring you back safely every time and you will love it.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Transom is solid and dry no worries there. Been working on engines all my life so I'm comfortable with mechanical judgement calls.
We took the '87 204c Overnighter out on the Delaware for a water test today.
The Suzuki 225 runs well and unlike the '88 Overnighter I water tested with the Johnson 175 this boat jumped right up on plane but there still was a problem.
At 28mph and at around 2500rpm the motors grip on the water let go with it seeming to cavitate really bad as the motor revved up like its in neutral.
Drop back to idle and it was pushing ok till the rpms reached that magic mark and it'd happen again.
Back on the trailer we pulled the prop and while there was nothing obvious seen with the prop hub itself, the front shaft spacer was scored like it was spinning independently from the prop. The lower unit goes in and out of gear fine and there are no abnormal noises.
One good thing was confirmed though I can tell you that you'd better be holding onto something when that thing jumps on plane.
It was a brute until that prop slips.
There is nothing there to make me suspect the engine or lower unit is bad but this is a new one for me.
I have never experienced a spun prop before so with that said I'm not 100% sure but it is my best guess.
One other note is that I towed the boat with my '99 Chevy K1500 and it towed really easy. I felt it back there but it went fine. Pulled like my 21' camper. I think the 20'er is just right for me to tow and run. Not sure I'd want to go bigger.
So aside from the prop issue I believe I have found a boat I can be happy with.
* As I write this the owner has reached out to me to say he spoke with his mechanic who also believes the prop hub is the culprit. Its a $80 fix that he said he'll cover. We'll water test it again when that's done. So what do you guys think?
Mike.

 

[noXcuse]

That 99 Chevy will pull any 20-22' Grady just fine. I pull my 22' Seafarer with a 2005 Nissan Pathfinder, which is a mid-sized SUV.

I will tell you my opinion on which boat is more bang for it's buck in that range. I have been around a few 20' Overnighters, and the 22' Seafarer just seems way more roomier in the cockpit, better for the fishing. I'm also partial to the Mercruiser inboard/outboard setups. Mine has a fuel injected 5.0L Chevy with Alpha 1 Merc. I see people on here all the time complaining about fuel economy on their outboards. Last weekend I went out in a small craft advisory (like a dummy, but I wanted some striper), went 50 miles round trip and put 18 gallons in the boat when I returned. That's 2.77mpg average. You will not see that kind of economy with an outboard engine. I also spent quite a few years as a vehicle mechanic, so I know those motors pretty well. Plus I can get just about any part for it at Advance Auto Parts. And they're ALOT cheaper to replace if it blows up. In my opinion, any inboard engine will outlast an outboard by many, many years. You can get the earlier SV2 hulls with I/O engines. I was just looking at a 94 Gulfstream with a Volvo Duo-Prop and Chevy 454, but I missed out on the deal. He only wanted 13,000 for that. You might want to expand your search a little more. Down here in Virginia and North Carolina, Grady's are plentiful.

 

[GulfSea]

I haven't experienced a spun prop either but have read once it happens, the repair often doesn't work well. I'd probably want a new prop in the deal. But as others suggested, I'll repeat which I don't do often, "get a survey." I am a seasoned mechanic as well, over 34 years of experience. With a boat of that age, there are items that can cost big dollars to repair. Since you're in a big Grady area, you're likely to find a surveyor very familiar with specific areas to check on.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Just a quick follow up, in two days I'll be towing that Grady home. I went over it from top to bottom and am very comfortable with the minor cleanup and repair that I'll be making on it but really don't need to do to run the boat. The owner took care of the spun prop and we had a water test afterward. The boat rode very high in the water with 4 adults on board. Plaining at part throttle was instant. Once warmed up I opened it up and the Suzuki 225 easily hit a recorded 45.1 mph on my GPS without playing with the trim. The boat ran flat and comfortable with no tendency to squat.
I was also impressed at how crisp, smooth and quiet the engine was at speed, all rpms for that matter.
I believe we are going to be very happy with this boat.
Mike.
PS- This boat also had the mounts in the gunnels for lee outriggers. The owner didn't have them though. Chance was in my favor as craigslist produced a blue bimini in about 90% condition for $50. I asked the seller if he had any other Grady items and he produced an unused set of '89 Overnighter outriggers, yes unused complete set. Here's the clincher... he threw them in on the deal. Top and outriggers $50. :wink:
Now the owner of the Grady (76 years young) says that since the boat is going with me he's going to give me everything else he has related to it adding that he doesn't think I can bring it all home in one trip :huh Yep there's alot, that I can sell what I don't want. :wow
This is going to be interesting.

 

[mboyatt]

Lt mike, what treasures did you find when you picked her up? Do you plan on splashing her this winter, or waiting until the spring? Just curious about the status of her, post delivery. Post an update, if you feel up to it. I am trying to work out the projects for my 192 Tournament for this winter. Plan on painting the motor (having a pro do it) and maybe updating my gps.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Lt mike, what treasures did you find when you picked her up? Do you plan on splashing her this winter, or waiting until the spring? Just curious about the status of her, post delivery. Post an update, if you feel up to it. I am trying to work out the projects for my 192 Tournament for this winter. Plan on painting the motor (having a pro do it) and maybe updating my gps.

Ok, its home! The original canvas enclosure is more complete than I was aware of and is in very good almost unused condition. Its a full enclosure. I found the rear cushions, unused as well with two of the bow cushions. The front middle cushion is MIA but the seller is still looking so cross your fingers. If it doesn't turn up anyone have one they'd care to part with?
I have a list of things to replace like the deck plates that are brittle from the sun as are the cup holders. Small stuff. The deck has some of the gel coat worn off where a cooler sat rubbing through. I'll be exploring my options with gel coat repair, epoxy, or deck paint. Going over it again I found a lot of little cosmetic things that will bug me but they are things I can fix. Got to remember the boat is 26 years old and sold for around $35,000 when new, (what do they go for now? :shock: ) I got this boat with an '03 225 ob (380hrs) and an ok trailer for $6700.00.
Its not realistic to think there won't be things to fix. The hull and transom is rock solid and dry on this boat.
Among the things thrown in were eight life jackets that needed a good cleaning, 2 anchors (I have 8 now :roll: ) and a bunch of fishing equipment that included a down rigger. Also got a bunch of maintenance related items. I'll be adding a swim platform before the spring too.
As luck has it the temps here have taken a nose dive. I'm not keen on running a boat if the water is going to freeze when I wash it down or chance water frozen in the engine at any point. I knew that the cold was coming though so that is why I brought my daughter along for the final water test giving her a chance to take the helm. Thought that would hold her till spring but now that its home she wants to go out for winter stripers. :lol:
Mike.
Below is a photo of it I took at dock on the Delaware river.

... yeh I know fish don't swim that fast and this is a fishing boat but damn! This is gonna be fun! :wink: