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Looking for first boat for use out of Oxford area--mostly cruising and just learning about the area. Tri State Marine has used 2007 225 Grady White with F250 (28hrs) for about same price as 2008 R227 Robalo similarly equipped. Any views on dealer and one boat vs. the other?
personally I would go with the Grady. Both are very nice boats but the Grady has a larger cockpit and has a higher demand on the resale market. Just my opinion.
I would go with the grady
I have had a lot of Quality issues with my Robalo
Its a 2000 so I do not know if the newer ones are better
There is a Robalo owners fourm
robaloboatowners.com
Jason
__________________ I am Boatless as of November
Looking for a Mako 231 or 232
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing
A 2008 Robalo is a completely different company than a 2000 Robalo on the tail end of being owned by Brunswick Marine. When bought out by Chapparal in 2001 they started over with new hull designs and put the quality back into the product. I would challege the rigging and quality of components on my Robalo r227 equally to Grady White. The R227 hull was designed in 2005 so it's a newer hull design than the grady and with that uses a euro style transom which has become a more popular style for multi-tasking boats. What you have to decide is what you will do with the boat. I feel that the grady is rigged to be primarily a fishing boat with the wide solid transom and a more open cockpit. The Robalo R227 is more family friendly with more seating, a walk thru transom for watersports and it's 6" wider which give you a bit more moving around in room. They both have a heavy and solid hull, and I imagine the Grady is a little faster due to the narrower hull but both have similar numbers for fuel burn from what I've read. Good luck with your search, I think they are both outstanding boats.
I'm in the process of purchasing a new Robalo R225 from Tri-State right now. I ordered it back in October and it arrives tomorrow, so I'm pretty excited! I did a lot of research and looked at many boats (Pursuit, Scout, Pro-line, Whaler, Striper, Parker, and many others) over several months before deciding on Robalo.
Tri-State sells Grady, Robalo, and Parker. So far my experience with the Tri-State dealership on Kent Island has been great. Go to a boat show and look at them side by side. It was an easy decision for me once I saw the Robalos. From what I can tell the new Robalos are very nice high quality boats. I'll post an update/review in a couple of weeks after I've had a chance to zip around the bay with it.
I haven't purchased a boat from them so I don't know first hand. however they do have a very good reputation. People who I know that have purchased a boat from them have never had any complaints.
I would recommend that you water test each of the brands. The Robalo has a soft ride whereas the Grady uses older inefficient hull technologies. Both manufacturers make great boats with high resale values, albeit that you will be paying a lot more on the front end for the Grady.
To answer both questions....buy the boat that you feel comfortable with and fits your needs and budget. This is an easy decision, since no matter which one you choose you will have purchased it from one of the best dealers in the East. The customer support and after sales support is unequalled. Enjoy, have fun and don't forget to sign up for the Tri State fishing tournament in Aug. It's a lot of fun with some great prizes.
I would recommend that you water test each of the brands. The Robalo has a soft ride whereas the Grady uses older inefficient hull technologies. Both manufacturers make great boats with high resale values, albeit that you will be paying a lot more on the front end for the Grady.
Older, yes, inefficient, that's a laugh. IMHO, the Sea V2 hull design used on Gradys is one of the best overall, period.
I have a 04' R235 and love it but I agree that you just can't argue with the Quality and resale of a Grady. I have a few complaints with my Robalo (Small Fish boxes, when taking waves over the aft there is some water than comes under the door and into the cockpit floor), but that's about it. Solid boat and nice ride.
Grady White vs. Robalo 
