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Random Quote: he ain't afraid of hard work, i seen him sit down right in the middle of it.
The 228 is the bracket and the 226 is the notched transom. I don't believe Grady makes the Seafarer w/an i/o any more. Gradys are great boats, you can't go wrong with either model.
The 228 is the bracket and the 226 is the notched transom. I don't believe Grady makes the Seafarer w/an i/o any more. Gradys are great boats, you can't go wrong with either model.
Derek is right on. If you don't mind the open transom then Parthery is selling a real nice 226.
I own a Grady White SeaFarer 226. This is my 2nd season with the boat. I'm approaching 200 hours on it. I love the boat. I use it only on Lake Erie. It rides very well in the chop. It elightened me as to why the word "soft" is used to describe the way a boat rides in rough water. The boat has a very spacious cockpit. About a month ago, we fished 5 adults out of it and it did not seem crowded at all. The cuddy is not large, but I am 6 ft tall and can comfortably stretch out in the berth and sleep down there. Grady put the emphasis on fishing space which is right in line with my priorities. And I think you'd be hard pressed to find another boat in it's class/size with as much storage. Fit and finish and overall quality is superb. There are many design features that I like as well. As you probably gathered by now, I can't say enough good about the boat. Hopefully it will stand the test of time because I don't foresee ever getting rid of it. I like it that much.
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Grady White SeaFarer 226 w/Yamaha F225 - SOLD
Ok, so explain the Seav2 hull since I actually have been considering a Downeaster style hull boat yet want a modern fiberglass fit and finish. I have researched Northcoast and Pilot and even used Fortier, but they are big money. Grady's aren't cheap either but the Grady hull seems very close to a downeast style hull since it is "sharp" in the bow and flatter at the transom.
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"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not."
Ah, tell me then what you think are better values....that is really what I am looking for.....I want to know if paying the premium for the Grady is REALLY worth it....
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"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not."
When I was shopping I seriously considered a used GW 226/228 and ended up with a 23' Whaler Conquest w/MERC 225. (sale closing next week, only took a year!)
Both are cult brand boats with above average quality but at what price? Likley 20% more than the competition.
I would seriously consider a clean use Pursuit 2470. Or better yet.......a clean used Glacier Bay, then again I know cats are not for everyone. How about Sea-Pro, Triton ?
While shopping and sea-trialing, make a positive / negative puch list for each vessel. Buy the vessel that fits "YOUR" needs the best. Hence ....why we moved from the BW to the GB 2640.
Cappy: This isn't easy, because if you could plot quality against price, you wouldn't get a straight line. Leaving aside for the moment individual variations, what I believe you'd find (I haven't done the experiment and don't have enough information anyway) is that at least near the upper end of price and quality, each additional dollar would buy you less increase quality than the one before had, but it wouldn't be zero. In math terms you'd approach an asymptote. For some people, any improvement in quality is worth any increase in price. For others, price becomes limiting at a certain point.
I suggest you come up with your own subjective quality scale of 1 to 10 and then plot the boats you're interested in on that scale, and then plot price on the other axis, so you get a 2-dimensional graph. I know it sounds pretty arcane, but I think it really would help to clarify things for you (as it has for me).
All that said, my own 18-year-old Grady 208 has been as fine a boat as any I know of; the quality is absolutely top-of-the-line for a boat its size, in terms of how it was when new and how it's held up. But we're looking at something Grady made 18 years ago, which doesn't necessarily tell you about things they made this year. Also, 18 years ago the price of a 20-foot Grady (low $20k range) wasn't as scary as it is now (low $50k range).
On a scale of 1 - 10, the most important criteria to me is a comfortable/dry ride (hull type) and quiet (outboard or inboard) and finally a known brand with good resale. (Learning the hard way about resale!) So, I would rank Hull Type, Motor performance then resale. Price is limiting at some point as you said.....
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"24 hours in a day, 24 beers in a case. Coincidence? I think not."
Cappy: Here's an easy one: if resale is important, get a 4-stroke rather than a 2-stroke. And you get a bonus: the 4-stroke likely will be quieter, another thing you want.
Grady-White Seafarer v. ???
