Purcahsing a 1998 G-W Adventrue 20'

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VMDatSEA

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Hi,

I'm new to the forum. I'm a lapsed sailor and am looking at a G-W 208 Adventure 1998 Vintage. The boat looks clean and I trust the yard owner who has been looking after it for several years and who tells me it's a great boat. She has 2015 Yamaha 150 hp engine with about 600 hours on it. We have a sea trial scheduled for Monday and a survery for 9/30. She has a canvas top and enclosure, no hardtop. I know there is a lot off talk about transom rot, but my understandingh is that G-W got away from wood transoms in 1997, so I'm hoping this will not be an issue. Is there anything I should be looking for during the sea trial or survery? This is my first foray into powerboat ownership, so any guidance will be helpful and appreciated.

Crosby Roper VMD
Newcastle ,ME
 
1997 is yes I believe the year that they went away from using standard marine grade plywood and instead went to a product called Greenwood XL.The transom's of these boats can still have the issue though depending on the condition, how much water intrusion there is and so forth... so it's not a guarantee or anything that there won't, or can't be an issue. I'd honestly wait for the survey first before doing a sea trial run as the surveyor might tell you something that you don't want to hear, and then you wasted a few hours of your time out on the boat when you didn't need to do that. A good surveyor should be able to find out all of the issues with the boat but getting a moisture reader as well as readings throughout the boat, checking for soft spots in the hull with a rubber mallet and soft spots on the floor are also things to look out for. Making sure all of the electronics and instrumentation work as well as bilges, GPS, trailer lights and so forth are all pretty quick and easy things to spot. I'd also consider asking those on here about the horsepower being only an F150, as most 208 Adventure's seem to come with an F200 on them, seem even more than that. I've got the performance data sheet for the boat in question with an F150 on there and your max speed is going to be 40 mph, but the even bigger issue can be a heavily loaded down boat trying to and maintaining staying on a plane. Might ask others on here for their comments about that as I don't have any directly related experience other than having the performance data sheets saved for them. I also personally wouldn't get a boat that didn't come with a hardtop as they're great for keeping people out of the elements, they don't have to be restitched or replaced ever handful of years and they only add value to the boat. I might consider waiting for a boat that comes with the factory or even an aftermarket hardtop, but again that's just my opinion. Good luck with your search and with whatever route you decide on taking.
 

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I have a 98 208 rebuilt the transom last year check my posts , in the NE the cold weather helps finding the areas of moisture as it cracks the fiberglass depending on the boats life will help determine the transom condition especially look inside the bilge area and the area around the aluminum bracket under the motor which is usually an issue . I run a 150 HO Etec which handles the boat better them the orginal 175 Yamaha 2 stroke .Otherwise a simple boat things aren't complicated .
 
I believe what you heard about "wood" transoms is not quite correct - they transitioned to a "better" wood transom, made by a company called Greenwood.

But note, this still didn't solve the bane of GW's and their transom rot. The issue was entirely due to how they skipped steps in building the transom. The issue is the lack of sealing the hull to deck joint under the bang cap... and using an aluminum bang cap
 
97 up to 2015, stringers / transoms on Gradys are Greenwood. There may be some from 2012-2015 models that started to move to composite materials. By 2016, you will see Grady's marketing change to claim the composite stringers and transom lingo for every boat.

Greenwood XL's claim is that it will not rot. You live in Maine and freezing/thawing can eventually delaminate and/or crack the fiberglass. The even bigger issue is that there is an aluminum bar embedded in the transom with the plywood (excuse me, I mean Greenwood :). That bar when it gets wet / stays wet will corrode. Saltwater can also speed up that corrosion process. I've seen pictures of what looks like a white paste under the bang cap and I suspect that is the output from the corrosion.

A good surveyor will include explanations for any terminology they are using and most are willing to cover anything in their report over a call.

For a 1998? There is a chance it has no moisture but I'd bet against that. Even if there is moisture, it may not be a deal killer for you on a 25 yo boat?
 
T.hanks for the replies. Lots of thiings to consider. I'll see what happens with the survey and sea trial. I appreciate the info.
 
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