Removing hardtop & windscreen - 228 Seafarer

[dobson_c]

Hi Grady fans,

I'm writing from Sydney Australia where I'm looking to import a 228 Seafarer from the US. As an aside, Grady's have only recently made it to the land down under and as such the second hand market is pretty much non-existent.

To reduce freight costs (and thus spend more of my budget on the boat!), it has been suggested to me by the freight company that I have the hardtop removed (and stored in the cockpit) and the windscreen removed (and stored in the cabin) for shipping across the pacific to Australia.

Can anyone please help me with what some of the issues with this maybe before I consider this option.

A few concerns I have include:
- fitting the hardtop in the cockpit
- wires in the hardtop tubing and removing these for transport
- undoing the windscreen and fitting this in the cabin

How hard is it to remove the hardtop? Is it just a matter of unscrewing the mounting bolts/screws, removing wires and pulling it off?

Thanks for your help.

And by the way I've posted in the for sale / wanted section of this forum for the Grady I'm looking for. If you have one that suits, PM me.

Thanks for all your help and enjoy the fortcoming summer. We unfortunately are heading into winter.

Chris

 

[gradyfish22]

The windshield can come off with a little work, the hardtop might be a little tougher but will come off as well. The biggest problem with the hardtop is removing all of the wiring, but on that model I believe access is easier to get to the hardtop leg then it is on bigger Grady's. I would remove all wires from the helm and leave them in the hardtop, will make life much easier, and mark them well. Give each wire a number and note it somewhere, as well as writing what it is exactly on the wire. Removing these 2 items is not the end of the world, on some Grady models as time passes, these 2 items become spots where water can sometimes leak into the cabin due to poor maintenance or sealant breaking down, so having them apart gives you a great opprotunity to tackle this and seal them right using a product like 3M 4200, or in the case of the hardtop maybe even 5200. You will know after that your cabin should be waterproof and last a long time. It is a pain to have to remove these items, and will mean more work once the boat arrives, and might add to the cost since your paying to have it removed and then reinstalled. I'm surprised they want you to remove it though honestly, I know of other boaters who have shipped boats and did not have to do so, unless your transporter thinks you will somehow save some money by doing so and having a "smaller" boat to send. I would contact Jekyl, he just imported a boat recently and I'm almost positive he had the hardtop still on, maybe he has a different transporter or some more information that might be helpful for your situation. As far as storing these items, make sure they are well secured and the hardtop pipework is well padded to prevent scratches. Personally, I feel having the hardtop in the cockpit will make it more likely to be damaged since it is not well secured in place, and your talking about maybe lowering it 3 ft, not a huge difference when it comes to shipping. As I stated above, would not be a bad opprotunity to re seal these 2 items, but personally I think removing both items will make your craft more open to damage along the way. As far as removing the windshield the more I think about it, with the hardtp in the cabin, the windshield will barely clear the height of the hardtop in the cockpit, so why remove that if it does not benefit you for height.

 

[BobP]

If it's just house wiring, cut the wires and waterproof splice them back together later. (disconnect all battery leads)

I'm surprised the windshield has to go too.

Other members are from down under too, perhaps they will respond with their experiences.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes.

 

[gwwannabe]

I think the reason for removing the top and windshield is to reduce the amount of cubic space the boat occupies since most freight companies charge by both weight and volume. They use the term dim-weight (dimensional weight). I've had light weight but large volume packages cost more than small, heavy ones. It might be worth researching what the shipping costs would be with the top and windshield on and off to see if it's worth it to you (I bet it will be). I think you got some good advice from the freight company.

Gary 89 Overnighter

 

[dobson_c]

Thanks everyone for the reply.

It is true that the extra height adds considerably to the freight costs. As far as I can tell, it is a cubic foot rate for freight. And unfotunately a simple calculation of height x width x length. Thus any foot of extra height equates to one foot across the whole boat. Any reduction is going to help a lot.

I do forsee a problem of asking (paying) a dear to remove the hardtop. It will simply be a matter of economics (and service) for me. Will the cost and hassle outweigh the extra freight costs. As I mentioned, I'm on a fixed budget so any savings anywhere mean more $$ to spend on a sweet GW for Sydney Harbour and the surrounds. Yellowfin Tuna season has just begun!

I'm also a bit of perfectionist and want to feel a strong sense of pride for my new Grady, so would prefer to go with the suggestion of not cutting any wires. But again, it will come down to economics and the $$ might force my hand.

I'll also have to see if the hardtop in the cockpit warrants a removal of the windscreen. If the hardtop does come off, I'll be sure to have it tied down and protected.

Again, thanks for your help. I just need to find my Grady 228 now!

Regards,

Chris

 

[BobP]

I can tell you what an electronics dealer charged me to remove a radome for shipment off my boat out of Maryland to Long Island. These guys are not working for 20 bucks an hour!

And you don't sound like a DIYer who can come over here, who does have the time to get to all the harness wire terminations / plugs.
They may be convenient though, since the hardtop was an option.
Any electronics up there may not be so easy, like the FF transducer, wich is another one that can't be cut, like the radome cable.

Isn't it always a case of economics?

 

[Scouter]

Buy a boat with no top, and have one built in AUS. This is a great seafarer with a good price, and can be bought for less. If I lived closer to FL I would check this one out.


http://www.boattrader.com/listing/2002- ... r-94850812


They are close to big shipping ports as well. There are tremendous deals right now on used Seafarers.

Jim

 

[gradyfish22]

Scouter, not a bad recommendation at all. Less things to worry about with shipping, and removing the windshield is a much easier job then the hardtop I feel, and it will store better in the cockpit so you will save money on shipping and get the boat for cheaper. Boats with hardtops typically go for a good chunk more, plus then you can have the hardtop tailored the way you would like it and have all the options you will need to suit your style of fishing best. I know it would be nice to buy the complete package, but if your going to take it apart anyways, maybe having a custom hardtop made after shipping and saving a few bucks on the purchase price might suit you better and ease your worries with the shipping process.

 

[Bill_N]

I was going to say the same thing when I realized you hadn't bought a boat yet. Also, a hardtop on a 22' boat is nice to have but not essential equipment. If you're drift fishing on a breezy day sometimes it's nice not to have a sail on your boat

 

[dobson_c]

Hello all,

Well I can now speak authoritively about this matter as I've received my 228 with hardtop off and re-installed it last weekend.

Let me first explain what electrics I had in the hardtop.
- Courtesy dome light
- Spreader lights
- GPS antenna
- Marine radio & antenna
- Normal radio & CD player & antenna
- Mast light

In great Grady fashion, the hardtop was very well organised from an electronics perspective with a fuse block installed behind the lockable doors. The great thing about the fuse block is that the power and earthing for all electrics in the hardtop are fed into this. A single power cable is then fed down the hardtop (on the starboard side) towards the helm. This power cable simple connects with a plug to a connector behind the main switchboard.

Given that I have a CD player in the hardtop, there were speaker cables that needed run to the speakers in the cabin. The speaker cables ran down the post (the one in front of the Captain's chair) into the lockable box and onto connectors for the speaker cables.

The GPS antenna ran down the same post as the speaker cables, into the lockable box and into the GPS.

SIMPLE! and no cut wires at all.

That said, we did find an old grey cable (the end was very oxidise so had been cut for a while) that didn't find a home.

Everything works so not sure what the random grey cable is for. We just called its a spare!!