The POD influence

trapper

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For you who have a Grady with a closed transome and pod, the interest I have is in the 228 seafarer . What are the noticable handling charaterist differences between the notched transome models and the pod.....if any. I have only had yachts with notched transome....my precious 208 Adventure being the last one.
 

DennisG01

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In a word... better.

Because the engine sits further back, it effectively has more "leverage" on the boat. So it can provide more lift and better performance. The downside is that sometimes reversing is a little more difficult because the prop wash hits the transom. But that can be mitigated by trimming the engine up.

As you're searching around for info... use the word "bracket" instead of "pod" - bracket is a more common term. When I saw your title, I thought you were asking about drive pods... these are "outdrives" that hang directly UNDER the boat and rotate against the hull bottom.
 

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My first thought was that he was talking about whales, but yes, transom and/or transom bracket would be the correct terminology. I've owned a 2004 GW 228 Seafarer for almost 2 years now and love the fact that it has an enclosed transom as well as the transom bracket, instead of essentially a motorwell that the motor hangs off of. I've heard a few people talk about the "difficulties" with going in reverse, though most that mention it don't seem to own a 228 Seafarer or have ever even been on one before. Which to me makes it sounds more just like rumors or "word of mouth" than anything. I rarely ever go in reverse, typically the only times that I do are when fighting a fish or potentially docking the boat. Of which when I do, I'm going quite slow anyway and to where I've never really noticed any sort of issue with reversing, especially when doing so at lower speeds. Also, as mentioned above, you can always trim up the motor a bit to avoid any potential "issues" while reversing.
 

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The complaint that I've heard about the 228 is that a following sea will push you around, could even stuff you.

I have yet to experience that in my 228, other than being pushed around a little. I found it to be no big deal but I just may not have been out in the "right" conditions.

The other issue, and this one is real, is that the 228 was designed for lighter 2 stroke engines. Sticking a heavy 4 stroker out there pushes the stern down and leads to a wet cockpit. I fixed that with some real brass flap valves in my drain hoses.
 

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I had the same issue that luckydude had when I first bought my boat where water would come in but then I put some brand new rubber scupper flappers on it last summer and the issue went away entirely. It was more just a "peace of mind" type of thing since I have my boat out on a mooring buoy all summer and didn't want to potentially have an issue. And it's always a bit unnerving having water pool up in the back of your boat, even if it is going to get drained out when you get up on a plane next or walk toward the front again. I think the scupper flappers were like $9.95 a piece x3 from the local GW dealer and so I think I'll just spend the $30 or so each season and replace them so as to not have any issues. I've talked with lucky and we don't get the 4-5'+ waves or rollers that often out here, but they definitely can happen. We're in more protected waters, so I don't have quite the same experiences and conditions that he has but I've never been out in anything where I didn't feel safe in my boat.
 

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We're in more protected waters, so I don't have quite the same experiences and conditions that he has but I've never been out in anything where I didn't feel safe in my boat.
Agreed. I absolutely love the enclosed transom. I had the notched transom in my previous boat and it always freaked me out. I get it, if you are up on plane you could take the whole transom out and still be fine, but there are tons of times when water wants to get in through that notch.

I'm very happy with my 228, I'd absolutely buy it again.
 
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Mustang65fbk

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Agreed. I absolutely love the enclosed transom. I had the notched transom in my previous boat and it always freaked me out. I get it, if you are up on plane you could take the whole transom out and still be fine, but there are tons of times when water wants to get in through that notch.

I'm very happy with my 228, I'd absolutely buy it again.
Same here. I had a 21' Arima with the motorwell off the back of it where the engine hung. There are drain tubes in the motorwell that are made of cheap plastic, of which I guess at the factory the boat will be made in two different pieces and then the seam is covered up with the rub rail. Well... when those two pieces of the boat are combined together at the factory, there's a gap right there underneath where the motorwell drain tubes are. So, if the plastic sleeves on the motorwell drain tubes are cracked, missing or so on and your boat gets some rain in it, it'll drop the boat a bit to where the waterline is at those drain tubes. When that happens, if you don't have the plastic sleeves in there, it's exposed fiberglass, plywood and there's a hole that water can free flow into and potentially sink your boat. There were 3 different times where I had this issue before I could figure out what the problem was and to where I almost had my boat sink on me 3 different times, which is a bit unnerving to say the least. Because of the issues with my Arima, that was one of the many reasons why I went with a self bailing cockpit instead of relying on bilge pumps, and then also having a fully enclosed transom as well, as opposed to a motorwell.
 

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Ok, thanks for the tutorial on pod verses bracket. I believe I need to purchase a 228 to get the termanology correct....I am working on that! Appreciate some of the in depth answers to my original question and it does sound all good to me. All my boats have been of the notched transome species...... accept my commercial 40 ft. west coat troller, which was of course was bracketless. Got to love GG, you guys are an education on request.
 

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Before I purchased my 226 in 2010 I did a number of test rides on 226s, 228, and 208s. I did a pretty detailed analysis of the handling and running characteristics of each hull.

1. The low-speed handling properties both in forward and reverse are poor with all 3 hulls. This is a consequence of the SV2 design, which handles great once solidly on plane but at the sacrifice of low-speed maneuvering ability. All three hulls bow steer at low speeds, which causes them to wander in a narrow channel and when trying to anchor on a waypoint against a head sea. This can be minimized a bit by trimming the engine up. The 208 has less of a problem with this than the 22' models. All three hull swing away from the dock when you try to tuck the stern end in with a standard docking maneuver. Because of propeller torque, the response is different depending on whether you are pulling in on the port or starboard side. Again, the problem is somewhat less with the 208.

2. I did not notice a big difference between the hulls when backing down in reverse. They are all pretty terrible compared to many other deep Vs. They wander and you tend to over-correct. The bracket on the 228 doesn't really make much difference. Again, it is more the property of the SV2 hull where the running strakes don't extend all the way to the stern and you have a lot of hull in the water at the bow end.

I find that I cannot back my 226 onto the forklift at my marina such that the boat needs to be pulled back by hand. But I don't recall the 228 being any worse in reverse.

3. The enclosed transom on the 228 cuts the engine noise level down quite a bit, which is nice.

4. The stern layout of the 228 is really nice. The bait well makes a convenient place to use a bait-cutting board. However, it is much more difficult to service the pumps and sea cocks near the transom. The enclosed transom keeps water from splashing into the cockpit went backing down to set an anchor. But the splash well door on the 226 does a pretty good job except in a heavy sea.

5. The biggest difference between the enclosed and open transom hulls is in planning speed handling. This is why I went with the 226.
You can keep a 226 on plane down to 18 mph while I had trouble keeping the 228s solidly on plane below 25 mph in any significant sea. Part of this is because the engine is mounted higher on a bracketed boat. So the prop tends to ventilate in waves unless you trim in, which you don't want to do in a following sea. Even when on plane, the 228s felt squirrely to me in a following sea. The prop just doesn't feel fully locked in. I've noticed this on other bracketed hulls beside Grady. Maybe this is just a personal preference.

When I was younger I would run in much heavier seas than I do now. I remember several hairy situations where had to slow down and slog along just off plane for long distances. I would not want to be in a bracketed boat under those conditions. It's kind of counter-intuitive, but the open transom boat is actually safer and more comfortable as long as you keep moving. All of these hulls drift bow forward, so the 228 could potentially keep you from taking a wave over the stern if you ever lost power and found yourself adrift. But since I always have a sea anchor to keep the bow into the waves, I didn't see this as a problem.

It's funny, but after all the consideration I did ending up with a 226, I kind of wish I got the 228. I find that as an older retired guy with a lot more common sense than I used to have, I picked my days and never found myself in a situation where I needed to slog in a heavy sea. I probably would have gotten used to the 228's quirky handling. The 226 also took a long time to get used to.
 
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Don Davis

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I agree with all comments so far and did stuff the bow for the first time into a 4-6 ft wave going around Cape Sutil on Northern Vancouver Island last year. I definitely didn’t have the motor trimmed up enough, lesson learned. First time I’ve seen green water through the windshield of any boat I’ve owned but I felt completely safe.
 
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Ok, thanks for the tutorial on pod verses bracket. I believe I need to purchase a 228 to get the termanology correct....I am working on that! Appreciate some of the in depth answers to my original question and it does sound all good to me. All my boats have been of the notched transome species...... accept my commercial 40 ft. west coat troller, which was of course was bracketless. Got to love GG, you guys are an education on request.
I guess my question would be... what are your concerns about the enclosed transom/transom bracket? It sounds as though you might have enough concerns or uncertainties to make a post about it. Are you concerned about going in reverse and not being able to? As mentioned above by myself and others, I think the "issues or concerns" with the fully enclosed transom and transom bracket are pretty negligible at best, and they can be remedied rather easily.
 

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The bigger question might be, what was going through the minds of the designers/architects at Grady to bracket those early models? Were they attempting to improve/test the SV2 hull with a bracket or was it an easy transition to a bracket from the 227 Seafarer model without the inboard ie fill in the hole and add a bracket. Just spitballing. I realize they had the open transom 226, inboard 227 and the bracket 228 all in production at the same time but eventually dropped the 227 as I would assume that the demand/sales for inboards was dropping.
 

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I've always just been annoyed at how much room an inboard takes up in the cockpit area of the boat and how the cover for it will usually stick up at least a couple of feet or so. If you're fighting a fish or trying to walk around, it's always in the way and can definitely create a tripping hazard if you aren't paying attention. Outboards are frustrating in that they're usually quite a bit more expensive to work on and buy parts for since they're specific to marine applications. Whereas inboard motors are generally an automotive engine that's been converted to marine usage and a lot of the parts are interchangeable, cheap and readily available. But, the cost savings imo isn't worth the hassle of having an inboard boat... just my opinion of course.
 

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Thanks again for all your imput regarding my question of "bracket " on the Grady. Great info from Doc!
Mustang, there are no concerns, question was one of interest, finding out the difference if any between the bracket and notched transom.
So more about handling differences rather than any other. Since I seldom use reverse for any tight manovering, that is not a concern. I am starting to lean towards keeping my 208, as I find it very comfortable for my wife and I and are use of it...... fishing boat camping and touring this centre of the planet. The prices on used 228 ( thanks Mstang for your search and shakedown of pre owned Gradys) seem to be out of reach at the moment with the discrepency in the USD and CD. My 208 has been paid for since it came into the family 12 years ago. Also so many mods on the 208 over the years, that I am reluctant to start over. But the thought of a 2 ft upgrade haunts my dreams. Maybe I was a little premature in my search for the 228 but once again great appreciate the info that is constantly shared on this forum.
 
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Doc Stressor

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I didn't find much difference in rough water handling between the 208 and 226. I went with the larger boat because of the extra cockpit space. I went through a large tanker wake with a 208 and found it did fine. It was powered by a 200 hp Yamaha which had plenty of torque to keep the boat under control when I slowed down.

I used to run a Silver Streak up in Vancouver Island so I am familiar with the tide rips and what it takes to get through some of the bad ones. The only Grady I ever ran up there was a 330 with twins that was of course a very different boat. But I think I would prefer a 208 or 226 over a 228 under those conditions.
 
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Gonna comment on some of the issues raised by Doc Stressor. All of my comments are relative to my 2020 228.

Low speed handling. He's not wrong, it's not the best. But I crab a fair amount and have gotten pretty good at coming up on the buoy. On my last trip, pulled 7 pots 3 times, so that's 21 pulls. I only had to go around again on one of those. The point being that you can get quite good at steering even at slow speeds. One of these helps a *lot*: https://alltackle.com/edson-powerknob-proseries-stainless/

Docking. It took me 2 years to get good enough I have no use for a boat hook. What works for me is to come in to the dock at about 25 degree angle at about 4mph. Neutral at about 4 feet out. At about 1.5 feet out, use that Edson knob to swing the prop towards the dock. 1 foot out (or so, practice and you'll get it) shift into reverse hard enough to avoid the bow running into the dock and bring the stern next to the dock.
The first time I did this with one of my regular hitch hikers, I told him to grab the boat hook, I dock perfectly and he's looking at me like I'm crazy and said "what's the boat hook for?" I smirked and said "It's not always that pretty". I haven't needed a boat hook for over a year.

Backing up. Yeah, not great. Definitely trim the engine back quite a bit. The rare times when I miss on coming up on a crab pot, I go around rather than try and back up.

Servicing seacocks and pumps. I recently pulled my baitwell out so I could replace the loud as f*ck stock pump. When the baitwell is out, you have great access to everything. The first time you pull it will be a project, I had my buddy Peter come up and help (he's the guy with a 228 who is replacing his gas tank). He was a ton of help, not sure I would have done that on my own. Now that I've been through it once, I wouldn't hesitate to pull it again if I needed access down there.

Planing speed. 25mph to stay on plane seems high to me, I can stay on plane at 21mph in pretty much any seas I care to be on. But it is an issue, there are lots of conditions where I have to slog home at 9-18mph and I'm burning fuel like crazy. One thing that helps some (I'm told) is talk to prop gods and get a 4 bladed prop, that supposedly "lifts" the stern. I did it, I'm not sure it made a lot of difference. What has made a lot of difference is swapping out the stock 9x12 trim tabs to more appropriate 12x18 trim tabs. Using them pops me up on plane faster and keeps me on plane at slower speeds. I don't think 18mph is a thing but 19mph can be and 20mph definitely, in all seas that I go out in. Still not great, the high plane speed is a downside to this hull. I live with it.

Squirrely. Yeah, it is in a following sea. People complain about it, I just have gotten used to it. If someone offered to swap a 2020 226 (if such a thing existed) with my 228, I'd turn them down. Yeah, the bracket has its issues, but the engine not sticking into the cockpit, having the baitwell where the engine would be on the 226, and having a fully enclosed transom, those all tick more of my boxes.

Slogging along off plane. I've had to do that, came back from Franklin Point to Santa Cruz, about a 27 mile run, at 9-15mph. Following sea the whole way. I was fine. I don't want to say that I'd be fine in all conditions, I'm part way into my 4th year of running my boat. I have over 2000 miles on the main engine, I don't troll on that, that's all going out and back. Trolling is on the kicker. So I have some experience but it is entirely possible I haven't been in conditions that Doc is talking about. I do know that in a following sea, I'll be watching the swells and if they start smacking under the bow pulpit, I instinctively trim the engine back until the smacks stop.

All things considered, I'd absolutely buy my 228 all over again. It's a big little boat, and the little means it is easy to trailer it anywhere. I fish out of 5 different harbors (Monterey, Moss Landing, Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay and Oyster Point). I love the cockpit and enclosed transom. I love the extra size over the 208. Don't ask my opinion of the new 218, it's not nice and you know what our mothers taught us. I get there are conditions where the 226 is better but I'll take the 228 quirks with the 228 advantages. It's a great boat. And I say that as a guy who was gonna upgrade to a new Marlin and backed away because it wasn't better enough, I'd have to get a slip, and it eats gas.
 
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Mustang65fbk

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I agree with lucky, there were probably at least a dozen or so times where in the year that it took me to find my 228 Seafarer where a 208 Adventure or 226 Seafarer popped up and I thought to myself "should I go with this boat instead?" And boy, I'm glad that I didn't. I love the extra space on the 228 Seafarer over the 208 Adventure and love the enclosed transom/transom bracket on the back of the 228 compared to the 226 Seafarer. As lucky mentioned above, the trade offs or "quirks" of having the transom bracket imo are worth it over having a notched or motorwell style of boat. And like has been mentioned, there are things like changing out the prop or trim tabs for different sizes that will help you out quite a bit with the conditions you might be facing that "hinder" a boat with a transom bracket on the back of it. I also agree with what lucky said about someone wanting to trade boats, and even if someone wanted to trade a 208 Adventure or 226 Seafarer for my boat with some money on top of that, I'd still turn them down. I know that not everyone is going to agree with me, which is completely fine, though I think that Trapper needs to go out on a 228 Seafarer or at least step onboard of one to see how he likes it as the differences between the two or three boats are going to be very subjective between different individuals. I know that my prop doesn't have any markings on it for the size, pitch and so forth and I just know that it's a 3 blade SS prop that came with the boat. My top speed is just under 45 mph with about a half a tank of fuel, which it would probably go faster with only 10 gallons or so in the tank. I can definitely be on a plane at 20 mph depending on the conditions and honestly I don't really go much above 25 mph or so, unless I just want to burn fuel and go fast. I've been on a 232 Gulfstream as well as a 270 Islander, though I don't believe I've ever stepped foot on a 208 Adventure or a 226 Seafarer, nor do I have much desire to do so. Even the bigger boats though, I still wouldn't trade my boat for them as my neighbor has a 270 Islander and we both agree that it's definitely a bit overkill for what we use our boats for. I like the size of the 228 Seafarer, it's easy to trailer/launch/retrieve/captain by yourself and it doesn't have a 9'3" beam like a 232 Gulfstream has. I also love the fact that the floor is all level and without any steps or stairs to walk up and down, so you don't have to worry about slipping or tripping when you get a bite, or when it's wet.
 
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trapper

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Thanks once more for the great coverage on the 228 with your thoughts and recommendations . Certainly a lot of posative responce for the 228. I would like to take a moment for a posative responce for my "smaller" 208. Enjoy! Summer is coming!
 

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Thanks once more for the great coverage on the 228 with your thoughts and recommendations . Certainly a lot of posative responce for the 228. I would like to take a moment for a posative responce for my "smaller" 208. Enjoy! Summer is coming!
The 208 is a perfectly fine boat, I almost bought one instead of my 228. I just wanted more space and enclosed transom so the extra $30K got me that (yep, $30K for 50 more HP, enclosed transom/swim bracket and 2 feet more cockpit. Crazy.)