i am interested. is the boat still for sale?if so where are you located?I have a 2000 265 express if anyone is interested.
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WTB Grady White 265
- Thread starter Gullchaser
- Start date
Hello all. As the OP I figured I'd come back and give everyone an update. I purchased my 265 at Oyster Cove Boatworks in Gloucester, Virginia. I have nothing but positive to say about them; they made the difficulties of purchasing a boat from 350 miles away not so difficult after all. Cori Williams was awesome. I had Oyster Cove buld me a Road King trailer, and had the boat hauled up to New Jersey. Before launch, I performed the unpleasant job of replacing the Groco macerator pump. An unpleasant job to be sure, but technically not too difficult, especially with the helpful posts of forum members here. The search function truly answers most questions I have.
After running the boat for the past two months I can day that the 265 is everything I was looking for and more. This boat is a beast. I was looking for an offshore capable boat that could also get my wife and two daughters to the local sandbar shallows, fit on my boat lift, and be pulled out by me onto a trailer in case of hurricane. I lost a Pacemaker Wahoo during Sandy when she floated off of the lift. This boat does it all. The ride is incredible. It takes a few trips to figure out the correct running attitude; I have found that the previous posts on this topic are spot on. She likes to run bow up, and only use tab to correct for list, which most often is not necessary. When trimmed properly, I am gettting 1.7-1.9 mpg running between 36 and 38 hundred rpm, and doing roughly 25-28 mph with a half load of fuel. I couldnt ask for more.
A few observations I have, that have also been brought up in the forums. The access to the front deck, for anchoring and such, is a little difficult. I knew this beforehand, and expected it. I would rather trade off to have the 'elbow room' gained by the express layout as opposed to a walkaround, however, it still is a little bit of a pain. Second, the swim platform/ladder setup is awkward. The angle of transom cap makes the boat look pretty, but makes for some difficult entries and exits, especially for those with shorter legs. My wife does not like the platform/ladder setup, but I really don't think there is much that can be done...perhaps add a grabrail.
Overall, the 265 exceeds my expectations. For those of you considering one, go for it. The 265 is a great boat. Be patient until a quality one comes up on the market, then do not hesitate to strike. Good ones go quick. Good luck to those searching, and thank you to all those who have posted information on this site, your experiences have been quite helpful to me, and I'm sure they will continue to be. This year is a shakedown for me, and hope to be ready for some offshore fishing next year.
Mike
After running the boat for the past two months I can day that the 265 is everything I was looking for and more. This boat is a beast. I was looking for an offshore capable boat that could also get my wife and two daughters to the local sandbar shallows, fit on my boat lift, and be pulled out by me onto a trailer in case of hurricane. I lost a Pacemaker Wahoo during Sandy when she floated off of the lift. This boat does it all. The ride is incredible. It takes a few trips to figure out the correct running attitude; I have found that the previous posts on this topic are spot on. She likes to run bow up, and only use tab to correct for list, which most often is not necessary. When trimmed properly, I am gettting 1.7-1.9 mpg running between 36 and 38 hundred rpm, and doing roughly 25-28 mph with a half load of fuel. I couldnt ask for more.
A few observations I have, that have also been brought up in the forums. The access to the front deck, for anchoring and such, is a little difficult. I knew this beforehand, and expected it. I would rather trade off to have the 'elbow room' gained by the express layout as opposed to a walkaround, however, it still is a little bit of a pain. Second, the swim platform/ladder setup is awkward. The angle of transom cap makes the boat look pretty, but makes for some difficult entries and exits, especially for those with shorter legs. My wife does not like the platform/ladder setup, but I really don't think there is much that can be done...perhaps add a grabrail.
Overall, the 265 exceeds my expectations. For those of you considering one, go for it. The 265 is a great boat. Be patient until a quality one comes up on the market, then do not hesitate to strike. Good ones go quick. Good luck to those searching, and thank you to all those who have posted information on this site, your experiences have been quite helpful to me, and I'm sure they will continue to be. This year is a shakedown for me, and hope to be ready for some offshore fishing next year.
Mike
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Fowl Hooked
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- Location
- Southern Maryland
- Model
- Express 265
Congratulations and welcome to the club. She's a great boat. You'll get used to getting up to the bow, I've found it easiest to step outside the rail for the first few feet and then come back inboard, there's a lot of hardtop piping that makes great handholds. On the swim platform, there should be a grab rail on the inboard side by the engine, can't imaging getting up on that step without it, if you don't have one definitely add it. Once you're on the platform there are two options, with the transom gate down you can step through that area, just don't step on the gate itself and that's not too bad. If you're going up and over the gunwale I usually tell people to plant their butt on that corner hatch and just pivot around to get in or out, much easier for us short legged folks than trying to step up and over.
Thank you for the reply. I see from your avatar picture the grab rail you describe. I was thinking of that exact addition, it really was the only idea I could come up with. Glad to hear that it works, thank you! I hope my wife likes it!
Gullchaser, Did you sell the V-21 when you bought the 265? I had 3 V-20's and 2 V-21's. I still think that they are one of the best looking boats ever made. I really enjoyed them. I still miss them a bit.
I still have the v-21. I love it. I also had a v-20 before the v-21. In my opinion, and it may just be in my head, I felt that the v-20 rode a little better. I think the extra foot or so that the built in bracket of the v-21 puts the motor aft affects the weight distribution a little bit. The v-21 seems to pound a little bit more. Again, it may just be me. In my opinion, the v-20/v-21 is the best riding hull for the size ever made. They are beautiful to look at, and handle the tight chop that develops every afternoon in the summer in Barnegat Bay beautifully. A well thought out and designed hull. I was going to sell the v-21 when the 265 came along, but now my oldest daughter expressed an interest in it, so I'm probably going to hold onto it....saves me the heartache of selling it.
Mike
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Is the boat still available? I am very interested in seeing your boat. Call me at 401-255-5915
I would be interested if the boat is still available. Been looking for a wile now. Do you still have it? Heard for the size it’s the best off shore boat around. Had one in Belmar NJ surveyed last week and it came up wetter than the water it was sitting in. Called on the one in Washington but it’s over 3000 miles away and transportation to Rhode Island is about $7,000. If you or anyone know of one around please throw it my way. Wife said if I quit smoking I can buy a boat and it’s been over 3 months now and going crazy because I can’t find one that’s any good with a survey. Let me know, thanks.
It seems really poor form to blow up the entire forum, on every thread, trashing a boat that you looked at as being " wetter than the water it was sittng in". Yes, sometimes surveys do not work out. It is entirely possible that the owner of that boat is a member of this forum. Full disclosure, I do not know the boat owner or the potential buyer. However, I would be very reluctant to even engage with a potential buyer that would blow up a forum with multiple threads if a survey was not satisfactory. Good luck with your search. I do not mean any harm in any way. Just an observation. Tight lines all.
Mustang65fbk
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- Model
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While Martin definitely hasn't been quiet about the results of the survey, and could probably limit his findings to a mere thread or two, I always appreciate an honest opinion about something I'm potentially interested in buying. I had the same thing happen to me a couple months back where I was looking at a 228 Seafarer and the owner claimed it was a "turn key fishing boat with nothing needed at all." Well... I spent just under $700 to have a surveyor go out and inspect the boat, of which it came back the same way... very wet and in nowhere near the condition the ad/seller claimed it to be in. While I could've said nothing, I'd have felt bad if someone else paid to have a surveyor go out and inspect the boat, get their hopes up and then pass on the boat. Or worse yet, buy the boat with multiple issues and open up a huge can of worms, wasting their time as well as the surveyor's time. I finally bought the 4th or 5th boat I've looked at over the past year and couldn't be happier. And this was the only one I haven't had a surveyor look at before purchasing. While the seller of the boat that Martin looked at might not honestly know of the issues, it's very much a possibility they know there is an issue and trying to pawn it off on the next person.
I understand. Before I found my 265, I looked at several others and all had issues of some sort. Common on the 265's are wet transoms and wet hull on the port side aft. The hull is balsa cored on the sides and Grady did not seal it when they installed through hulls in that area. However, issues are to be expected on boats that are 20 years old, and it is prudent to get a survey to be aware of such issues. If the issues found puts the potential buyer out of their comfort zone, they should move on. Perhaps the next buyer may not be as concerned. I surveyed three 265's before I purchased mine. One of them the transom and port side surveyed wet, and I declined to purchase it. That same boat was purchased by a member here, and I see it being used with no problems. I won't identify the boat, or the member. It would be poor form to do so. It sucks to spend money on a survey only to find issues that may break the deal, but its the price to pay to buy a used boat at a fraction of the cost of a new one. That boat, and its issues, will be acceptable to someone if the price is right.