looking at a 1989 254 Sailfish

[spx1000]

Hi Everyone,
I am looking at joining the Grady White Family. I am currently looking at a 1989 GW 254 Sailfish Hardtop with twin 4.3 OMC non-cobras. It will be only used in the great lakes.

What are somethings beside the "normal" to look at on this year and model? Or even the "normal" that might get over looked...lol Thanks everyone for any of your input

 

[Fishtales]

Probably the biggest thing is the coring and the motors. You can fix pretty much anything else rather easy or if you have it done, it won't break the bank. A survey is a must.

 

[Halfhitch]

I was looking at an older Grady with the thought of going to a little larger boat and one of the members on this forum warned me that Grady started using Greenwood XL in 1998, so in the years previous to that the wood in the boat will be more prone to rot if subjected to long term wetness. FYI

 

[spx1000]

Probably the biggest thing is the coring and the motors. You can fix pretty much anything else rather easy or if you have it done, it won't break the bank. A survey is a must.

Thanks! Coring the wood used prior to 1998 and what are you referring to about the motors? What's bad about those?

 

[Fishtales]

Nothing, you just don't want to have to replace or perform a major repair. A good surveyor should be able to verify they are sold.

 

[Fishtales]

It's a 30 year old hull. Going to have some issues likely, but hopefully nothing to difficult to correct,