Found My Grady

[KEZ]

Well, after many years of thinking about it and about a year of searching, I finally bought the Grady White of my dreams. My friend Doug (work colleague from Yorktown, VA) introduced me to GW boats over 20 years ago. He had a Gulfstream on a dock in his back yard and we went fishing several times out on the Chesapeake, with Doug telling me all about the quality construction of the boat. I have a Sunbird Neptune 202 also built in NC using woven fiberglass matting. Always thought of it as a poor mans GW - great fishing boat for the Sacramento Delta - trolling for stripers. But since moving to the Central Coast of CA - and starting to learn how to fish the open waters of the Pacific, I began to realize I might need a better boat. So I started a search for a GW, and saw several 228 Seafarers that I really liked - great layout with plenty of deck space for fishing, and an enclosed transom.

 

[KEZ]

1995 Sunbird Neptune 202, Johnson 150 OceanRunner, Mercury 9.9 ProKicker

 

[KEZ]

After searching for a while for a Seafarer, I realized that prices were a lot higher since Covid hit and to get one in decent condition, I was probably going to have to look cross country. There were several boats I looked at, a couple I even went to see, but in the end, I decided I was willing to pay a premium to get a boat that was not a project boat. Found the boat I eventually bought in Miami - a 2008 228, Yamaha 250 in excellent shape with just over 300 hours on it. Since the purchase was through a brokerage, I felt comfortable putting bids in and a deposit before traveling there to see it.

The seller and I finally agreed on a price early January, and I looked at the options for completing the purchase and getting it back to CA:
1) Fly to Miami, rent a car, buy the boat, fly back, ship the boat ($550* for airfare, $5400 for boat shipping)
2) Fly to Miami, rent a car, buy the boat, rent a box truck, tow the boat home ($550+ airfare, $1400+ box truck, $1500+ fuel.
3) Drive roundtrip with my truck and drag the boat home ($2000 fuel, a few hotel rooms).

We wanted to visit family across the southern US (brother in Phoenix, Sisters and mom in Houston, 2 daughters near Baton Rouge, and Doug (my friend with the Gulfstream, who now lives in NY fingerlakes and overwinters in Cape Canaveral), so we decided to choose Option 3. It really worked out well for us, as I will describe in the coming posts!

 

[KEZ]

First of all - a huge shoutout to Mustang65fbk - he provided so much advice to me on finding a boat, options to get a boat to the west coast and just general knowledge about GW boats. The advice paid off.

After agreeing on a price with the seller, I set up a date for marine inspection and sea trial - Jan 20. Found a local surveyor through a listing Mustang65fbk linked me to. We packed up in 2 days - including tools, and set out. One night in Phoenix with Sue's brother, one night in Ft Stockton TX hotel, a couple nights in Houston with Sue's sister, a couple nights in Lafayette LA with Sue's daughter, then I took off for FL. Stopped in Tallahassee to see another 228 for sale there, but it was not as good of condition, so drove onto Cape Canaveral to stay with my friend Doug a few days (Bonus - got to see a rocket launch). Jan 19 headed down to Miami for the inspection the next day.

Jan 20 there was a prediction of showers in the morning but the weather held off while we did our survey. The marine surveyor was thorough. We could not find a Yamaha mechanic to go through the engine, but I felt pretty comfortable with it based on the low hours, the excellent condition of the boat, and the fact that it was trailered, no bottom paint and watching how the seller cleaned the boat and flushed the motor after our trial. There were a few minor issues - a stuck float switch on forward bilge pump, a burned out bulb on a nav light and a frayed windshield wiper blade. Seller was a really nice guy, he provided a lot of additional information about the boat, answered all our questions, was honest about any issues we discussed. So I closed the deal that day, helped him wash down the boat, and picked it up later that afternoon. On way back to the hotel the clouds let loose and we got over 5 inches of rain that night - but I figured it was good, it would discourage anyone from vandalizing it in the parking lot!

Jan 21 I got up early to get through Miami before traffic got bad - good call, it was still raining. Drive was good up to Cape Canaveral, trailer towed well, surge brakes worked, hubs stayed cool, no problems. Doug had arranged for me to park the boat at a friends house - picture here of Doug and Mike in front of the boat. Doug went through the boat again with me and could find no issues, and tried several ploys to get me to leave the boat with him.

 

[KEZ]

After a couple of days visiting Doug and another rocket launch, I set out for LA, making it to Denham Springs and our daughter's house before sunset. Still no problems with the boat or trailer. Few days of visiting there, then another couple nights with our other daughter in Lafayette, then headed over to Houston again. We were lucky that all of the neighborhoods were safe quiet places to park a boat and most had large enough driveways to accommodate the rig.

By the time I got to Houston (over some really pounding roads) I had a problem with the trailer. The front hubs were starting to heat up. Since I did not have all the tools I would need with me, I found a trailer store (by recommendation) that could repack the bearings for me. They worked me in, since they were booked out several weeks. Found the grease in the hubs was water contaminated and the left caliper was dragging. Replaced both calipers and they gave me the one that was still good as a spare. We ended up waiting out the winter storm a few more days in Houston before heading home, with no further problems other than some really ROUGH roads.

I did have a problem once I got back. After taking the boat to CA DMV for new title and registration, I noticed the brake lines were hanging down from the trailer - and inspecting it I found the caliper hanging lose inside the wheel. Apparently the bolts holding the caliper to the hub did not get tightened on that side, and once they fell out, the next brake application spun the caliper around and sheared off the brake lines. The Houston store that did the work was straight up - they told me to get it repaired here and send them the bill - I really appreciated they stand behind their work and correcting the mistake. When my local shop could not get the same caliper and rotor, the Houston shop ordered the parts and sending them to me. They were great guys and I would highly recommend them despite the mistake.

 

[Don Davis]

Awesome looking boat, post some interior pictures when you get a chance, thanks

 

[KEZ]

Some thoughts from the road:

• If you are contemplating getting a boat out of state, and towing it back yourself, I highly recommend it, especially if you have the time for a leisurely trip. I am retired and we could do things like extend visits with relatives to wait out bad weather.
• Thank goodness we finally have an infrastructure bill that will fund improvements to our roads and bridges. I-10 is pretty much a mess in every state - some good sections but some terrible sections too. There were places where I thought the boat would be launched off the trailer, lanes through construction zones so narrow you just knew you were going to hit the concrete barrier on one side of the 18-wheeler on the other!
• State with the best roads - FLORIDA! I was really surprised, DeSantis must be fleecing quarters from all the retirees but they have amazing roads - wide, glass-smooth freeways everwhere except for construction zones around Orlando.
• State with the worst roads - Texas. This was also a real surprise as they used to have some of the best. I-10 from Katy (west of Houston) to San Antonio is under construction, with countless lane diversions, cute little miniature lanes with huge potholes, concrete barriers on both sides and truck drivers on amphetamines'. After driving that with the boat, I felt like I could crack walnuts with my butt cheeks. I-10 west of the LA state line was also hair raising - although I think my hair was pressed back down by the headliner in the truck as we bounded over the cow trail of a freeway. Surface streets in Houston also get an honorable mention for worst roads ever category. Fry road in Katy was so bad I had to creep along at just above walking speeds.
• Drive your own truck if you can. I really liked that I could see the boat the whole time in my rear view mirrors. Could see if it was still back there after hitting HUGE potholes. Could see if the hubs were smoking or not. It was comforting to know the truck was well maintained and not some high mileage rental fleet with potential sketchy maintenance. Drive both ways so you can scope out roads and know what you might want to avoid coming back. Check out hotels for parking, turnaround, security.
• Bring tools, a grease gun loaded with marine grease, etc. I pumped grease into the hubs and the return looked fine, but I still ran into an issue. If you have the place to work, pull a hub, or all of them, and inspect the grease, feel the bearings, etc before you take off.
• Whatever you do, don't overload your vehicle!!! There are some people out there doing some crazy crap! Like the guy towing a 25+ foot airstream with a jeep-sized SUV - what are you thinking??? Or the guy that passed me going 85+ in a tiny three door Mitsubishi SUV so packed with crap, and a hitch platform loaded with more crap, that the whole vehicle looked to be in a 20 degree squat. As he passed I thought "He is going to blow a tire." After stopping for diesel, and driving another 20 min, I see a helicopter rising from the freeway 10 miles ahead (West Texas). As we approached, emergency vehicles slowed traffic and sent us to the left shoulder as we passed the SUV (rolled multiple times) and possessions strewn across the freeway and right embankment.
• Whatever you do, don't tow another vehicle on the freeway with a strap or chain! I have done some low speed towing with a chain in my youth, but the danger is there. I was driving the elevated roadway above the Atchafalaya basin west of Baton Rouge and came upon two box trucks that wer traveling 50+ mph and REALLY close together. The rear truck was weaving a bit, and as I got closer, I could tell he was only about 20' behind the front truck, and as I passed - yep, they were connected with a chain. The rear driver was driving blind - with a Japanese style cab-over truck, he would have been crushed if the front truck had to stop suddenly.

 

[KEZ]

Awesome looking boat, post some interior pictures when you get a chance, thanks

Thanks Don, will do!

 

[KEZ]

So now what? I have the registration done, will get the titles in the mail but the new CA registration numbers on on the hull. Used a heat gun on low to loosen old numbers and cleaned off residue with a solvent purchased at West Marine - worked well. I am waiting for the new caliper and rotor for the trailer from the Houston shop so I can get back on the road and get the boat in the water.

Some things I still need to sort out:

• I have a pair of Cannon downriggers from the Sunbird boat and an extra pair of swivel mounts I need to install
• I would like to order some outrigger poles that will fit the TACO mounts on the T-top
• Need a new mount for the crab pot puller.
• I need to get the Sunbird boat washed detailed and sold - great boat I will be sad to see it leave
• Will have to decide if I add a kicker motor for trolling and emergency propulsion. If I do, I could use the new Mercury ProKicker currently on the Neptune or buy a newish Yamaha 9.9 that is currently on Craigslist.

It has been pretty chilly here since we have been back and rockfish season is currently closed so I have some time to get things sorted.

 

[KEZ]

I don't have pics of the inside from my own camera, so will post a few from the listing. This boat looked super clean, and the survey inspection verified that.


This is what peaked my interest in this boat - the compartment shots looked so clean is looked like as-new condition.
T-top has deck lights and TACO outrigger bases. Came with poles and canvass to make a sun shade extension over the deck. One downside - there were no curtains/helm enclosure included but it is a factory T-top so getting that should not be too hard.

 

[KEZ]

A few of my own pics

Helm - seller had installed Garmin FF/Chartplotter and Yamaha Engine monitor along with Garmin VHF radio. Upper right is trim tab monitor and rocker below throttle controls windlass for anchor.


250 HP Yamaha ran great, just had 300 hour service.

 

[KEZ]

Full swim platform - was happy to see no corrosion on fittings.


Ready to start the journey home. 6000+ miles, but I love a good road trip!

One thing I forgot to mention - check the date stamp on the tires and spare before you tow long distances. Bad day to have a dry rotted tire come apart on you at highway speeds.

 

[Mustang65fbk]

Sexy looking boat, although I might be slightly biased haha! Glad to hear you found your dream boat, you're happy with the purchase and that you made it back home safely and in one piece! Keep us up to date with what you do with/to the boat over the next coming months!

 

[wrxhoon]

Clean looking boat, well done.

 

[Chessie246G]

One thing I want to mention. The trim/tilt has locks on the side right near the pivot. Trim the motor up, flip the little arms and trim back down until it sits on the locks. Make sure they are engaged before you tow. It will save the lower unit if the trim shaft seals blow on a big bump.

Nice looking boat!!!! Super clean!!

 

[KEZ]

Sexy looking boat, although I might be slightly biased haha! Glad to hear you found your dream boat, you're happy with the purchase and that you made it back home safely and in one piece! Keep us up to date with what you do with/to the boat over the next coming months!

Thanks and thank you again for all your great advice!!

 

[KEZ]

One thing I want to mention. The trim/tilt has locks on the side right near the pivot. Trim the motor up, flip the little arms and trim back down until it sits on the locks. Make sure they are engaged before you tow. It will save the lower unit if the trim shaft seals blow on a big bump.

Nice looking boat!!!! Super clean!!

Thanks Chessie - this motor actually has the aftermarket spacers the fit over the trim cylinder pistons - they also have rubber bumpers on the end to cushion bounces. These are a little too short to also use the factory locks above, and the lower unit sits pretty low to the pavement so I will probably replace with longer ones in the future. See https://www.boats.net/product/acces...?ref=56b5fbedb0c8bb3dc1721d27adb099591ae776e8

 

[hooked on Grady]

looks like a sweet find, best of luck with her

 

[Halfhitch]

One thing I want to mention. The trim/tilt has locks on the side right near the pivot. Trim the motor up, flip the little arms and trim back down until it sits on the locks. Make sure they are engaged before you tow. It will save the lower unit if the trim shaft seals blow on a big bump.

Nice looking boat!!!! Super clean!!

DO NOT do this. It is specifically mentioned in Yamaha literature that those safety props are only for support while the vessel/engine is static. It's for the safety of the maintenance worker.

 

[KEZ]

DO NOT do this. It is specifically mentioned in Yamaha literature that those safety props are only for support while the vessel/engine is static. It's for the safety of the maintenance worker.

Thanks for that warning - I have not used these before and did not realize they were for maintenance in static conditions only. They appeared to be sturdier than the tilt down brackets on the motor and the seller had them when he transported the boat to/from the marina for the sea trial. Appreciate the tip!