General question on buying a Grady, i am looking on Long Island NY

[Roadworker]

So last year when i found a 1997 20ft GW walk around was at end of season i called 2 boat surveyor's

1) told me STAY away look for something 2004 are newer? say he would take my money but those year boat are big problems with water damage?

2) Guy told me he would look at it but elven without seeing it could almost bet there is water damage in transom?

Is this true? Should i only look for GW after 2004 ?

thank you

 

[luckydude]

There are two things I'm aware of that push people towards newer gradys:

a) Wood, especially in the transom but also the stringers. It can rot and does.
b) Seavee 2 hulls.

So the wood is a problem because it can, and does, rot and it's very expensive to rip things apart and fix the rot. You'll have to ask around when Grady moved away from wood for each model, I'm not sure. I have a 2020 and have been told "there is no wood in the hull". Maybe.

The seavee 2 hull is kinda neat, you want it if you can get it. Instead of have big flat planes in the hull, the hull is some what rounded front to back so it bounces into the water more like a ball would instead like a sheet of plywood would.

I think 228s were Seavee 2 by around 1999, it was somewhere around there.

You could ask Grady if a 1997 had wood and was it a Seavee 2 hull.

 

[glacierbaze]

AI sez:

Response A
Grady-White completed the transition of its entire fleet to the
SeaV²® hull by the 1994 model year.
Ray Hunt Design +2
While the design was first introduced in 1988 on the Marlin 300, it was phased in across other models over the following six years.

SeaV²® Hull Timeline

• 1988: Introduced as a collaboration between Grady-White and Ray Hunt Design.
• 1988–1993: Various models were updated or newly designed with the SeaV²® hull.
• 1994: Every boat in the Grady-White lineup featured the SeaV²® design.
  Ray Hunt Design +3

Key Features of the SeaV²® Design

• Continuously Variable Vee: The deadrise (angle of the hull) constantly changes from a sharp entry at the bow to a moderate angle at the stern.
• Soft Ride: The sharp bow entry slices through waves, while the flatter stern section provides stability while trolling or at rest.
• Dry Performance: Wide "strakes" and "chine flats" on the hull deflect spray outward and downward.
• Tracking: The design is widely noted for its ability to "track" straight in following or quartering seas without significant steering effort.