Hello all. I am thinking about adding the Seakeeper Ride 450 on my Grady 235 freedom. Has anyone had any personal experience with the SKR on a GW235? Seen people say it's "a game changer" on other boat models. The 235 rides pretty good offshore in 2'-2.5' waves with minimal Trim tab work. Would it be worth it? Also, for those with the Seakeeper, which bulkheads are you placing the software module and the distribution module in the 235? Any pics would be appreciated! Thanks.
Seakeeper Ride on Grady 235
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Fishtales
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These devices are designed to provide stabilization while underway, your post states trim tabs so I assume that is your use case. I'm not sold on these devices on small boats but only have limited input from a guy that has one on a 25'er. I'd look long and hard at my hours in the boat per year, then how many times you are in seas >2 feet, then how long you are actually moving each time on the water in these conditions. Back of the envelope might be something like 125Hrs, 40Hrs, 10Hrs. So is the cost worth it to you for that amount of time. All these new do dads have initial cost, over sell under deliver risk, maintenance and actual use per year considerations. For me it would be a no, but for you it may make sense.
I have the 450 Ride on my 26 foot non Grady boat. The system kicks in at 10 mph and does nothing below that speed so if you are looking for something to stabilize you boat when just sitting or low speed trolling, the Ride wont help
At speed however, the system really does reduce rolling or listing of the hull. As important is that the Ride product also controls the pitch of the hull. That keeps the bow trimmed down when getting on plane and reduces porpoising in chop. Excessive heeling over on turns is also reduced. Downsides? A few: Antifouling is tricky if your boat is wet slipped especially in salt water. The feature to keep the bow down in chop can cause over the bow splash and a wet ride. In theory the amount of pitch can be changed in the setup profile but I haven't gone there yet. The system will adjust itself in turns to limit the heeling over, a nice feature for the white knuckled passengers.
They are expensive and installation can be more extensive if you have trim tab pockets since they would need to be glassed over. I have read that Seakeeper is offering kits for some boat models that will 'fill in' the tab pockets.
At speed however, the system really does reduce rolling or listing of the hull. As important is that the Ride product also controls the pitch of the hull. That keeps the bow trimmed down when getting on plane and reduces porpoising in chop. Excessive heeling over on turns is also reduced. Downsides? A few: Antifouling is tricky if your boat is wet slipped especially in salt water. The feature to keep the bow down in chop can cause over the bow splash and a wet ride. In theory the amount of pitch can be changed in the setup profile but I haven't gone there yet. The system will adjust itself in turns to limit the heeling over, a nice feature for the white knuckled passengers.
They are expensive and installation can be more extensive if you have trim tab pockets since they would need to be glassed over. I have read that Seakeeper is offering kits for some boat models that will 'fill in' the tab pockets.
Yes, I would be deciding based on being underway. The cost is high, which definitely plays a factor. I would price out the labor cost and consider installing it myself if need be. I'm not totally sold on it, but since I plan to keep the boat for years to come, it may be a nice feature to have, particularly with the family. Like many things though, I am sure something else better in the future will come up that will help with stabilization while underway.
Just a reference point but I asked at the New England Boat show and the smallest ride tabs were $4500 in parts and they quoted me $11,500 all in for the install. That’s a lot of labor. DIY might make sense.
That is in the ballpark for installation. It can be a bit lower depending on specific cases. One big expense is the glass work to enclose the trim tab pockets if there are any. Complete integration to an MFD will require a N2K network and MFD configuration . There also is the initial config of the Ride system itself. I do not know if that is a DIY option. Yes it is expensive and to be honest, I am not sure if I were buying a new boat would chose i at those prices.
There are alternate options for 'automated' tab systems but I can't say if any of those are better options.
As for alternate options and I wanted to stand on something that didn't list, I would go stand on a sidewalk.