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Random Quote: Never enough time to do it right, always time to do it again
I regularly ride a 2000 2301 with a 225 and it's a great ride. We fish it offshore on a regular basis. If the design suits your need than the difference in price buys alot of fuel. When I bought my '94 210 Striper, I chose it over the 20' Grady and I never regretted it. I got looks from Grady owners back then. Today there are just so many around that it's normal. The numbers of sales should say something. I sold it only because it was too small for the Chesapeake after I moved south from Wantagh. IF you're dealing with Great Oak Marine, the only thing missing is the original owner Charlie Shane. His wife is a sweetheart and they run a good shop. Good luck whatever you decide.
I own the Striper. I bought it from GOM. They are great salesmen. The service is friendly but not profesional. I think they are working on that. I looked hard at the Grady and it is a great boat but in my opinion not worth double the money. Also, the one to compare the 2301 too is the Gulfstream and it is a much bigger boat beam wise. THe gulfstream is literally triple the price and would be underpowered with one engine. I have been around boats all my life and I can tell you that the Striper is no way half the boat of the Seafarer. The quality on the Grady is better but once you work out the kinks on the Striper you have a better boat in my opinion.
My dad just bought 226 seafarer its very very nice! The gelcoat is the best i have seen on any boat. Depends on ur budget but i do like the Grady!! It wasn't that high either shop around!
My dad just bought 226 seafarer its very very nice! The gelcoat is the best i have seen on any boat. Depends on ur budget but i do like the Grady!! It wasn't that high either shop around!
Took a friends Striper 26 to the Big Rock from Bogue Inlet in less than perfect conditions and it was solid as a rock. Under powered though with a single 225 Opti. You are right it is not a Grady but it is a great value. It is built in the Northwest for some of the nastiest inlets I have ever seen. Half the price is a no brainer. If money is not an object then "Get the Grady". Otherwise put the differance in the bank and retire with dignity.
Thats what I mean Fishin-guy. The Striper hull is solid in rough water. I have a friend with the Grady Gulfsatream and while it is an awesome boat with great hardware it handles just ok compared to my striper. Believe it or not it feels like it pounds a little more. Maybe due to the wider beam. The Grady has a 225 which to me is way underpowered. If things get real rough and you have a few people on that boat I can see you gettting in trouble with a 225. My Striper has a 250 Yamaha .The Gulfstream should have twin 200's.
The nice thing about the striper is that the anoying stuff is easily fixable. Were the extra 40 grand is not.
My father has an 05 Gulfstream w/F150's and I can honestly say that pounding is NEVER an issue with his boat. It just doesnt pound.The SeaV2 Hull doesnt allow it.
Here's a twist for ya. I've owned two Stripers and a Grady Gulfstream. You honestly can't compare the Grady 228 to a 2301 Striper or the Striper to the Gulfstream. The 2301 is a bigger boat than the 228 and the Gulfstream is bigger than the 2301. Sold the Grady Gulfstream which had twin 150's, which were plenty enough power and downsized to a 2101 Striper for economy. As far as quality, fit, finish and all that talk. The Grady would get a slight nod, but not as much as it would several years ago. I looked at new Grady's, as well as many other brands before buying an '07 model Striper. Grady's are great boats, but still about the same quality as they've always been. The new Stripers are much better than they've ever been, so the gap has narrowed considerably. As someone esle said, if money is no object, "Get the Grady," but otherwise, at half the price I couldn't justify the difference.
I agree with you thats why I started this thread. Going to the boat show was a real eye opener. Take Robalo nice boat but it costs literally double what my Striper cost me. I have the 2005 Anniversary eddition with the pompano seats and extra fridge. Extra livewell and all the trimings plus a trailer. The same layout was literally double with a Sailfish. WTF
Great boats but come on.... Double
Also I asked the Robalo dealer what happens if the tank goes bad since it is glassed in on the Robalo. you hsould have seen the attitude. Oh they dont go bad he says... Finally I pined him down and he said you have to sawsall the floor and it gets replaced at the factory. One more nod for the Striper it is one of the few boats were the tank has a removable floor for access.
I will say out of all the "top Tiers " The pursuit walkaround had the best layout...
My father has an 05 Gulfstream w/F150's and I can honestly say that pounding is NEVER an issue with his boat. It just doesnt pound.The SeaV2 Hull doesnt allow it.
2005 300 Grady White Marlin w/F250's
Depends on the water you are driving it in. The one I was on punded in 5 footers (LI Sound on a real bad day)
Just be happy with your purchase..............trying to make yourself feel better by somewhat bashing grady makes little sense.
Take no offense it is not bashing. I just feel that the boating industry in general is getting a bit unrealistic with the price that a name can command. Brand loyalty is one thing but paying through the nose fr a name is silly.
The industry really is getting out of hand. I have my heart set on my next boat being a Grady Gulfstream 232. I saw one at the Hartford, CT show and it was $110,000 with twin F150's. I was blown away and disappointed. I good friend of ours that pretty much taught me how to fish always had Grady's and I've spend many hours on them. When I was looking for my boat, I really wanted a Grady tournament. But it was literally double the cost of my 2101DC. It is no doubt a better built boat as far as fit and finish and hardware goes. And I do hate the fact that whenever I find something I don't like on my Striper, I say to myself, "I bet its done better on a Grady". I have to always remind myself that is was half the cost. That being said, I do LOVE the ride of my Striper. It handle beautifully and the layout is awesome. In my opinions, it has the best, most versatile layout of any DC. I have taken care of a few little annoyances in my boat that make is a mid-tier boat. When adding electronics (GPS/FF, stereo, fuel management) I cleaned up some of the factory wiring.. Now, the wiring it top-tier quality. I also replaced the transom access port with a larger, better sealed door. The one thing that's disappointing is that these little changes too me a few hours to correct and very little money. There is no doubt that my boat could be considered top-tier after putting a few hours of work into it.
I also replaced the transom access port with a larger, better sealed door. The one thing that's disappointing is that these little changes too me a few hours to correct and very little money. There is no doubt that my boat could be considered top-tier after putting a few hours of work into it.
I also replaced all of the access doors with quality sealed ones. Wanna feel a little better about the quality control stuff. Go on the Grady White website...the owners one. You will see some of the same complainbts you have about your Striper. Granted not as many but there are complaints. Some big ones just like the ones you sometime see for our boats
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Grady White 226 Seafarer vs Striper 2301 
