Not That Anyone Asked: My 226 Seafarer 1-Year Review

blynch

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Hi Grady Folks,

I've taken a great deal of wisdom from the online community over the past year, and to pay it back I'd like to post some observations about my 226 after a full season of use. Hopefully someone who's in the used WA market finds this to be a helpful resource, whether now or down the road.

Some quick context- I bought the boat in March 2021 from a private owner in south NJ and brought it up to its new home port on the LI Sound in Connecticut the following month (a memorable 6+ hour boat ride). The boat had been repowered by the original owner in 2013 with an ETEC 200HO. It is a SeaV2 hull and has the factory hardtop. I get the sense that it was maintained very well from 1994 through the repower, then perhaps a bit less thereafter as the original owner's health declined. As for me, I've been on and around boats with family most of my life on the coast in NJ, most notably on an old Boston Whaler 17' Outrage, BW 205 Eastport (a WA model built for one year in 2005), and a 23 Regulator. This however is the first boat I've owned myself as well as the first Grady I have extensive experience with.

Over the course of the 2021 season I've put about 50 hours on the engine, comprised mostly of local fishing trips with my wife and some slightly longer voyages to dockages in Long Island. The LI sound, I've learned, doesn't often have the heavy swells you find in the ocean, but makes up for it with plenty of short period chop especially in wind-against-tide conditions.

Without further delay, the observations:

- Ride: Like most Gradys, the 226 is not a heavy, deep V offshore wave slicer like a Regulator. It's more of a multipurpose hull design intended to be seaworthy in varied sea states as well as efficient and quick planing. I've found these generalizations to hold true. My boat doesn't have trim tabs but is extremely responsive to engine trim, so the running attitude can be adjusted for the sea conditions easily and with great effect. In a head sea with the engine trimmed all the way in, it runs well if you can keep the sea pretty much straight on the nose. It can pound a bit if you take the wrong quartering angle and let the waves smack the flatter sections of the bow but this is pretty easy to avoid. In a following sea, the boat responds well to trimming the engine out and letting the nice burly flared bow and lifting strakes keep the nose up. There's a sweet spot of trim somewhere around 1/4th of the way up that seems to do the trick in most mild or confused wave conditions. All in all, if you keep your expectations reasonable and pay a bit of attention to how you operate the boat, it's a solid and comfortable platform even for occasional longer runs.

- Engine & Performance: Ahh, the much-embattled ETEC G1. First thing's first, we've lost exactly 0 days of boating to engine issues in year 1, so on the most important criteria the engine has been flawless so far. Never stalled, always starts up with one turn. The 200HO is basically a de-tuned v6 225 that has been shown to produce something in the range of 218 hp which is ample for the boat. Perhaps a perfect match would be something like a V6 225 Mercury 4 stroke, but this package gets the boat into the low 40s under a normal load which is plenty for my applications. It also has a noticeably strong grunt at low RPMs which helps with close quarters maneuvering and jumping out of the hole. The big downside of the 2-stroke to me is the noise, especially insofar as it makes the stern seating unpleasant when underway. This engine is heavy for a 2-stroke at 510 lbs. I wouldn't want to go heavier since the boat sits with the external scupper drains about half submerged, but I've never had an issue with water on the deck so I don't see it as a negative. Finally, we run a 4-blade prop. Unfortunately I don't know the prop details but I assume it's partially responsible for the overall strong performance of the boat.

- Layout & Design: The 226 offers a spacious fishing deck for its size. The downside of that is it puts the helm very far forward which can be a negative for the ride quality. Access to the bow isn't bad, probably about average for this class of boat. It would be great if the cabin could fit 7' fishing rods in the designated rod holders but they only fit diagonally. Another small gripe is that the helm doesn't leave a very natural place for an electronics unit of any size and the overhead electronic box is a little in the way. But other than those fairly minor complaints, I find the layout to be functional and well suited for our primary uses.

- Durability: This is a little hard to address since it's largely a function of maintenance, but overall the boat inspires alot of confidence for a vehicle approaching 30 years old. The big liability with these of course is the transom which is original on this boat. It does show some surface damage to the gelcoat around the engine bolts, but I've addressed this and it hasn't grown worse throughout the year. Otherwise it feels strong and solid, so I'm optimistic that I can get some more years out of it. One part that hasn't held up so well is the wiring. Pretty much all non-essential electrical components (and, at times, the VHF) are non-functional at this point, but could undoubtedly be brought back to life. The only major work I've had done since taking ownership was having it hauled to replace the thru-hull drain fittings, some of which were looking ready to let go. All in all, the boat is as mostly as capable as it was when it was new, which I think speaks well for its build quality and durability.

- The Bracket Question: I realize this is a subject that inspires great passion on both sides in Grady circles. I targeted a non-bracket Seafarer for the improved maneuverability and shorter LOA for docking. I haven't had any issues with water entering over the transom, but I realize others may use their boat in ways that make this more of a concern. Here's one unpopular opinion that I'm pretty convinced about: I think the lack of a bracket actually INCREASES fishability out of the stern because you can fish over the engine in a limited capacity, whereas the bracket pushes the engine far enough out that this is harder. That said, I don't like the design of the flip-up transom piece, which could be just about blown down with a stiff breeze. I'd much prefer this could be locked in place and am planning to modify it with hooks.

All in all, year 1 has been a great success and I’m extremely pleased with how the boat purchase worked out. Sure it would be great to have a bit more LOA for longer runs and a bit more creature comforts in the cabin, but for the majority of our needs the boat has proven to be just the ticket.
 

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Ky Grady

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Excellent write up. The 226/228 platform is hard to beat in its class of boat. Easy to trailer, solo launch and load, does a lot of things very well for its size. I trailer my 228 anywhere and everywhere I want to go and fish different places. Works pretty well for sandbar hopping too.
 

SkunkBoat

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- The Bracket Question: I realize this is a subject that inspires great passion on both sides in Grady circles. I targeted a non-bracket Seafarer for the improved maneuverability and shorter LOA for docking. I haven't had any issues with water entering over the transom, but I realize others may use their boat in ways that make this more of a concern. Here's one unpopular opinion that I'm pretty convinced about: I think the lack of a bracket actually INCREASES fishability out of the stern because you can fish over the engine in a limited capacity, whereas the bracket pushes the engine far enough out that this is harder. That said, I don't like the design of the flip-up transom piece, which could be just about blown down with a stiff breeze. I'd much prefer this could be locked in place and am planning to modify it with hooks.
Agree totally with the old fashioned motorwell over a bracket. That was a major reason for getting my 265. One word of warning. Don't use a solid deadbolt to hold your tailgate. You WILL try to put your motor up and that would be BAD. I use a strong bungee on both sides
 

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I never had any problem with these latches not holding, unless I tilted the motor too far. They have to be in good shape, and installed carefully, to get the latching mechanism right. You could put 2 per side, for more holding power.
Also a good price, if they will combine shipping on more than one.
 
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Mustang65fbk

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Good write-up! I have a couple of thoughts on the matter since I was just in the same boat, figuratively, not literally, with buying a 22' Seafarer. Before my current boat I had a 2003 Arima 21' Sea Ranger with a skip top and while that boat is only 21' in length, it had a ton of fishing room in it and also kept its resale value incredibly well. I bought the boat in June/July of 2017 for $16.5k out in Maryland and sold it September of 2020 in Seattle for $27.5k. So, I owned the boat for 4 seasons and made over $10k in profit off the boat without doing much in terms of upgrades, other than just general routine maintenance. The boat also did quite well on fuel in that at WOT I think it was only using 10gph or so because it had a smaller sized Honda 130hp 4 stroke outboard on it. Top speed was just over 35mph in perfect conditions with trim tabs and the trim/tilt on the motor adjusted for the conditions as well. That being said, it sucked in terms of ride quality because it was such a light boat that had a modified vee hull with no weight in the bow and with all the weight in the stern. It was brutal riding in 1'-2' chop and you'd either have to do 15mph or so, or take a beating all the way back to your destination. The cabin on the boat was also pretty narrow in that if you had a couple of downriggers or other gear in the cabin then there's not much room for sleeping or anything else in there. I did like that the boat was easily manageable by one person in that you could drive, fish, launch/retrieve and trailer the boat very, very easily on your own. I also trailered that boat over 3k miles cross country when I bought it out in Maryland as well and trailered it back home to Seattle. At times I forgot I was towing anything because it's so light and easy to trailer. Arima's also have an almost cult-like following out here in the PNW/Seattle area in that you see them all over the place, and especially at the dock, waiting to be launched or retrieved. They were initially made in Seattle before being bought out by a company called Defiance Marine that is now in Bremerton and still producing Arima's. I guess the reason for the almost "cult-like" following is because they're produced locally? I'm still not sure, but like I said, you see a ton of them all over the place. And I figured that with everyone having an Arima, that I'd try one out and see what the fuss was all about. To this day, I still have no idea why people love them so much as they're a very rough riding, jarring boat that is very much overpriced when bought in the PNW or on the west coast. I figured I'd have that boat for at least 10 years, but after 4 seasons I wanted something bigger, better, nicer and more comfortable. I started researching for boats similar in size to the 21' Arima as the Puget Sound is relatively all protected waters with pretty minimal storms or bad weather. That's when I happened upon the 22' Grady White Seafarer.

I loved the look of the boat, the size, that most come with a hardtop, and favored the 228 over the 208/226 in that it has the enclosed transom/transom bracket. Our beach cabin has a mooring buoy out in front of it and I honestly wasn't too fond of leaving a 208/226 out on the buoy for weeks/months on end with having more of a notched out transom. Especially the 226, as the 208 Adventure has kind of more of a motor well built into it. On top of that, I liked the enclosed transom for safety reasons with having older parents and a niece that just turned 6. On top of that, it is nice having the live well back there if you do need it, or it's really nice to use as a cooler for food/drinks/ice or storing caught fish/crab in. I like that design a lot more than having the small flip up shelf on it that the 226's come with. In all likelihood I'm sure there probably wouldn't have been any issues with it being on a buoy or safety issues with people riding in the boat, but the difference in price wasn't hardly anything. I also like having the transom bracket on there that males the boat's LOA longer and imo it makes for more fishing room. I have also never understood why people continue trolling when they have a bite on and that's honestly what I used to do. Then I stopped and thought to myself about why wouldn't we net the fish off the side of the boat where it's easiest, you have the most amount of room or space, you don't need as long of a net and don't have to worry about the fish getting tangled up in the prop. So, we started fishing that way when landing a fish in that you turn the boat to the side that the fish is on, put it in neutral and if you have someone else with you they will net the fish while you slowly walk to the other side of the boat. Which puts the fish literally a foot or two away from the person netting it. Before it was a crap show keeping it in gear and trying to net the fish off the back of the boat, and especially when you have 3-4 other lines in the water. Imo, it's much easier doing it off the side of the boat, especially since we can't use barbed hooks and makes it much less stressful. I know, you can go through a school of fish if you keep it in gear and keep trolling, and we even got a triple hit doing that one time. That being said, I'd rather focus on getting the one fish in the boat as opposed to being greedy, getting a double or even a triple hit and then losing one or two of the fish while having it look like a crap show is going on. The triple hit that we did have, we lost one of the three and while it was fun to get two out of the three, we only had one net and we were extremely lucky we caught those two.

I've only used the boat twice since owning it, as I just bought her back in early October. Took her out fishing once and then basically put her away for the winter. There's still a lot of things on the boat that I'm learning but even in just those two outings I learned a lot more about the boat like using the trim tabs and the trim/tilt on the motor, docking the boat, making it more comfortable or manageable in snotty conditions and so forth. I have no doubt that this is the boat for me and the one that I'll have hopefully for at least 10-15 years, unless I for some reason upgrade to a newer 228 Seafarer. Some of the small negatives that I'd have about the boat would be the top of the windshield can definitely effect your vision when sitting down and be right in your line of sight. Which isn't a huge deal since I like to boat most of the time while standing. The other is it can be a little cramped when you've got two bigger people standing or even sitting in the helm area as it's only an 8' beam. When one is trying to pass or walk between the two seats then it's especially annoying. That being said, I think taking the armrests off both chairs will make for a bit more room and make it so you don't snag your shirt or coat on it every time you walk by. I think the size/length of the boat is about perfect, like I said above though, it would be nice if it was maybe an 8'6" beam as opposed to just an 8' and give you a little more width. Definitely not a dealbreaker though, or even close to it. Lastly, the amount of seating that the boat has is likely way more than I'll ever need in that you have the two captains chairs with the two rear facing seats behind them and then you have one seat on each side of the transom live well. So... you've got a total of six seats, which I think I might've had six or more people on my previous boat maybe 2-3 times over a period of 4 seasons? I guess basically what I'm saying is that it would be nice to have maybe 4 seats total and the extra room for more fishing space or whatever. Again, definitely not a dealbreaker or anything remotely close to it as the boat is fantastic, is a night and day difference in terms of ride quality and just quality overall compared to the Arima I had before. The Arima was basically a "fishing only" kind of boat whereas the Grady has top of the line components, great quality control, a much nicer finish and is a boat that I can cruise in or do whatever I want. The top speed with the F225 I'm told is in the low to mid 40's and don't need to go any faster than that and she's already been in some snotty conditions that she handled just fine.
 
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NH Seafarer

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I have the 228 model and find the bracket keeps a lot of the engine noise out of the boat. Mine is a 1998 with the original Yamaha 200hp SW Series 2 stroke. Pretty much the whole boat is still original aside from replacing bilge pumps and bow lights. I do find the dash to be a total pain to see over when running long distances. I sit back in my helm seat and find it hard to keep an eye out for floating debris. I am very tempted to cut it down and place the gages next to the FF/GPS below.
The bracket is great for noise and running stability but the boat hates to back up. As we dock in a tidal zone it makes things interesting from time to time. As we do a ton of fishing with live bait, the livewell between the rear seat kicks butt. We use mackerel, herring and squid that can be up to 2# each and the livewell keeps them going all day. The access is key too when people are fishing from each side, they can flip the lid and clean the sabiki's off right into it.
As for the motor being off the back, a few feet I have at least 6' rods and have fought tons of fish over and around it including bluefin tuna 8' long so far without any cut offs or tangling.
I do like to trim the motor up a bit while I am sitting on the anchor.
 

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I have the 228 model and find the bracket keeps a lot of the engine noise out of the boat. Mine is a 1998 with the original Yamaha 200hp SW Series 2 stroke. Pretty much the whole boat is still original aside from replacing bilge pumps and bow lights. I do find the dash to be a total pain to see over when running long distances. I sit back in my helm seat and find it hard to keep an eye out for floating debris. I am very tempted to cut it down and place the gages next to the FF/GPS below.
The bracket is great for noise and running stability but the boat hates to back up. As we dock in a tidal zone it makes things interesting from time to time. As we do a ton of fishing with live bait, the livewell between the rear seat kicks butt. We use mackerel, herring and squid that can be up to 2# each and the livewell keeps them going all day. The access is key too when people are fishing from each side, they can flip the lid and clean the sabiki's off right into it.
As for the motor being off the back, a few feet I have at least 6' rods and have fought tons of fish over and around it including bluefin tuna 8' long so far without any cut offs or tangling.
I do like to trim the motor up a bit while I am sitting on the anchor.
I'm sure with having a slightly older 2 stroke motor that it also keeps a bit of the smoke and exhaust smell out of the cockpit and helm area of the boat as well? My uncle's old boat was an early 90's Bayliner Trophy with twin 2 stroke 175 Mercury's on them and they smelled, smoked and were so much louder than any 4 stroke motor that I've ever owned. The motors hung off the back of the boat and had a motor well that was lower in height than the rest of the boat, so the smoke and smell would travel into the cockpit/helm area and stink up the place. You'd have to open the vents and windows if you were trolling because you weren't going fast enough to have the wind push the smoke and smell toward the rear of the boat.

In regards to the transom bracket and trying to go in reverse... Do you have the full width transom bracket/swim platform on it? I know that some of the boats from 1998 on up until around oh I think 2002 or 2003 or so, had just the small one foot wide or so outboard bracket but with nothing else? As you can see in the first picture the engine bracket is basically just big/wide enough for the engine whereas the second picture has the engine bracket and a full width swim platform. If yours has the full width swim platform, I wonder if removing it would be more efficient for backing up or going in reverse as I could see how the waves/wake from gunning it in reverse could kind of get trapped under the swim platform and want to push the boat forward? I think the bracket and full swim platform is great, and would especially think they guys trying to net their fish off the back of the boat would like it as you could have the person netting the fish stand on the swim platform and net the fish for you. That being said, I love the toe rails that Grady White have on their boats and much prefer netting the fish over the side of the boat for that reason and for the extra room that you have.

Grady White outboard bracket.jpgGrady White full transom bracket.jpg
 
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Reading all of these posts on the Seafarer just keeps me amazed with my 87 226. She's got two old original 140 loopers that guzzle gallons per mile, choke you with fumes at times, but sing a sweet tune when up on plane. This boat has a few negatives, but overall is a solid representation on how well Grady White built this design. Having twins on this hull does make for some fun, it certainly will jump up and toss things out the back if you're not careful. One thing is for sure, we never see 34 year old 2 stroke loopers being used these days, so we get many comments at the boat ramp. Who knows what the future holds for these outboards, but as long as they operate correctly I'm going to keep them. A torn labrum in my shoulder and a smashed and broken big toe has kept me off the water for most of the year, but I'm ready to get back at the South Florida ocean bounty!
 

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I'm sure with having a slightly older 2 stroke motor that it also keeps a bit of the smoke and exhaust smell out of the cockpit and helm area of the boat as well? My uncle's old boat was an early 90's Bayliner Trophy with twin 2 stroke 175 Mercury's on them and they smelled, smoked and were so much louder than any 4 stroke motor that I've ever owned. The motors hung off the back of the boat and had a motor well that was lower in height than the rest of the boat, so the smoke and smell would travel into the cockpit/helm area and stink up the place. You'd have to open the vents and windows if you were trolling because you weren't going fast enough to have the wind push the smoke and smell toward the rear of the boat.

In regards to the transom bracket and trying to go in reverse... Do you have the full width transom bracket/swim platform on it? I know that some of the boats from 1998 on up until around oh I think 2002 or 2003 or so, had just the small one foot wide or so outboard bracket but with nothing else? As you can see in the first picture the engine bracket is basically just big/wide enough for the engine whereas the second picture has the engine bracket and a full width swim platform. If yours has the full width swim platform, I wonder if removing it would be more efficient for backing up or going in reverse as I could see how the waves/wake from gunning it in reverse could kind of get trapped under the swim platform and want to push the boat forward? I think the bracket and full swim platform is great, and would especially think they guys trying to net their fish off the back of the boat would like it as you could have the person netting the fish stand on the swim platform and net the fish for you. That being said, I love the toe rails that Grady White have on their boats and much prefer netting the fish over the side of the boat for that reason and for the extra room that you have.

View attachment 24016View attachment 24017
Mustang,
I have the narrow bracket on my boat not the full width swim platform bracket.
I am considering repowering mine soon and am concerned of the additional weight of a new 4 stroke Yamaha will cause the scuppers to flood out the deck. I would think the swim platform bracket may contribute to buoyancy to offset the weight difference. In light of the this I may consider the new Merc 250 with the 6 cyl. engine. They are about 75 lbs heavier than my current 2 stroke.
I am doubtful the 4 cyl. Yamaha will perform well enough as I run offshore a lot with rolling swells and a fair amount of fuel etc.
 

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I'm sure with having a slightly older 2 stroke motor that it also keeps a bit of the smoke and exhaust smell out of the cockpit and helm area of the boat as well? My uncle's old boat was an early 90's Bayliner Trophy with twin 2 stroke 175 Mercury's on them and they smelled, smoked and were so much louder than any 4 stroke motor that I've ever owned. The motors hung off the back of the boat and had a motor well that was lower in height than the rest of the boat, so the smoke and smell would travel into the cockpit/helm area and stink up the place. You'd have to open the vents and windows if you were trolling because you weren't going fast enough to have the wind push the smoke and smell toward the rear of the boat.

In regards to the transom bracket and trying to go in reverse... Do you have the full width transom bracket/swim platform on it? I know that some of the boats from 1998 on up until around oh I think 2002 or 2003 or so, had just the small one foot wide or so outboard bracket but with nothing else? As you can see in the first picture the engine bracket is basically just big/wide enough for the engine whereas the second picture has the engine bracket and a full width swim platform. If yours has the full width swim platform, I wonder if removing it would be more efficient for backing up or going in reverse as I could see how the waves/wake from gunning it in reverse could kind of get trapped under the swim platform and want to push the boat forward? I think the bracket and full swim platform is great, and would especially think they guys trying to net their fish off the back of the boat would like it as you could have the person netting the fish stand on the swim platform and net the fish for you. That being said, I love the toe rails that Grady White have on their boats and much prefer netting the fish over the side of the boat for that reason and for the extra room that you have.

View attachment 24016View attachment 24017
Hello.
I have a 2000 228 seafarer and am trying to find a bait table like the one you have in photo that mounts above your livewell. Do you know where I can locate one. I have a place on the east coast.
Thanks a million. Happy trolling!
 

Mustang65fbk

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Hello.
I have a 2000 228 seafarer and am trying to find a bait table like the one you have in photo that mounts above your livewell. Do you know where I can locate one. I have a place on the east coast.
Thanks a million. Happy trolling!
That's not a picture of my boat, just one that I found on Google, but you can see more of his boat on YouTube to give you a better look at the table. I too was trying to figure out what brand it was but they're down south in Australia/New Zealand so it's probably a product that's sold down under.

 
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Mustang,
I have the narrow bracket on my boat not the full width swim platform bracket.
I am considering repowering mine soon and am concerned of the additional weight of a new 4 stroke Yamaha will cause the scuppers to flood out the deck. I would think the swim platform bracket may contribute to buoyancy to offset the weight difference. In light of the this I may consider the new Merc 250 with the 6 cyl. engine. They are about 75 lbs heavier than my current 2 stroke.
I am doubtful the 4 cyl. Yamaha will perform well enough as I run offshore a lot with rolling swells and a fair amount of fuel etc.

I repowered my 1984 Seafarer with a 300 Verado. If you intend to keep the boat, maybe you want to replace the bracket? I maximized my new bracket for additional buoyancy. https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKY3HuZDoWwR_iSbBmZmWEkSuhFlgBwjb
 
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UCPA111

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Restored my 1984 model 226 from 2017-2018. Been fishing it on Lake Erie 2018 to current. Caught ton of walleye and steelhead.


I opted to enclose my transom and have a custom bracket/swim platform built. It does a great job with the 300 Verado L6.

I find the Seafarer to be a fantastic setup. It does a lot of things and does a majority of them well. It's not going to run 35 mph in a head sea, tight chop 3' wave. But, it will get out out safely and comfortably. And, when it's 1' or less, I can blast out there at over 45 mph if I want. It's economical to run. Quiet. Can handle big waves if it needs to. Lots of space and very stable.
 
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