Are Grady-White Boats Worth The Money?
Grady-White prides in their ‘exceptional attention to detail.’ According to the manufacturer, there are a host of factors that play a role in ensuring that the boats offer exceptional performance. These factors include superior laminates, high-quality hardware, and structural integrity among others.
But are these boats all that the manufacturer claims? The boats are elegant, but how good are they? Read on.
Are Grady-White Boats Worth The Money?
Grady-White boats offer an exceptionally smooth and comfortable ride when you are sailing rough waters. They may not offer the high speed of other boats, but they are worth the money if comfort and safety are your priority. Further, the boats offer versatility, so you can take them on a family trip, a fishing trip, or even have a small nautical party on the boat.
Grady-White is also one of the oldest boat manufacturers on the market. The company started in 1559 in Greenville, NC, and became one of the most popular creators of coastal fishing boats. The company produced great craftsmen and nurtured a strong customer relationship.
In 1968, Eddie Smith bought the company and continued the original mantra of the company; to create boats with uncompromising quality. Instead of focusing on speed, the boats focus on comfort, and this is why they are among the best when you are riding rough waters.
What Size of Boats Does Grady-White Make?
What is the largest Grady White boat? The smallest boat size by Grady-White is 18 feet while the largest is 45 feet. Before the company produced the Canyon 456, the biggest boat in the collection, the largest was a 37-feet boat. These boats offer versatility so that you have a boat for every nautical adventure you are looking for.
Each of these boats comes with a host of features that make them ideal for different boating needs. One of the features in most boats is a bow grab rail made of 3160-grade stainless steel. There are also cockpit toe rails where you can hold on to as you gaff a wahoo or reel in a big dolphin.
Other features include:
- Fire extinguisher holder
- Non-skid fiberglass liner
- Stainless steel through-hull fittings
- Self-bailing cockpit with high volume scupper system
- Underwater blue LED
- Many more features
Where are Grady White Boats Made and How?
Grady-White has been making boats since 1959. Today, the boat maker has about 27 models of boats from small 18-feet boats to the largest 45-feet boat. The boats are manufactured in Greenville, North Carolina and shipped all over the world.
According to the manufacturer, the boat maker relies on North Carolina’s saltwater heritage to create boats that cruise smoothly even when the water conditions are rough. They include high-quality materials, a modern center console, dual console, coastal family boats, and cuddy cabin sportfishing boats.
The boats they offer have handmade parts that make them extravagant. Primarily, the Grady-White boats are fiberglass boats. Granted, the manufacturer creates them from outside moving inside.
When created from outside in, the manufacturer is able to inspect the mold and ensure that everything looks perfect. They are also able to polish the mold to create a perfect and glossy finish. The manufacturer then uses handmade, woven, and knitted fiberglass to form the decks and the hulls.
Once the manufacturer makes the mold, they polish it thoroughly to give it a smooth finish. After that, they apply a long lasting gel coat that protects the surface of the boat. After spraying, the manufacturer then presses down the fiberglass between the mold layers – a process that requires exceptional attention to detail.
Grady-White will then cure the mold to ensure it is firm and ready to use. The boat maker notes that they have a team of experienced craftsmen who undertake everything from spreading the gel coat to applying the fiberglass by hand. This makes the process of making the boat tedious, but the end result is something stunning.
Each Grady-White boat is durable and reliable, especially when you need comfort and safety. Before they make a boat, the boat makers pass the fiberglass through temperature-controlled resin tanks to test it for strength. The tests show how resistant the mold and fiberglass are to extreme temperatures.
After the mold is ready, the manufacturer pushes a laminate solution onto it to ensure there is no space in it. Now the mold is ready and awaits other components of the boat.
Installation of the rigging tubes and the boat’s framework comes in next. The installed tubes will support the cables and wires to ensure the boat operates as it should.
The hulls, deck, and other components have to go through a thorough inspection and quality control process after the lamination. Before a boat is shipped to the owner, it will go through several inspections to ascertain its quality.
After testing, the boat will pass through the assembly area where the craftsmen ensure that every part fits perfectly. They will also smooth the edges. It is at this part where the doors and windows are fitted and the final installation where parts such as stainless steel nuts and bolts are added.
The finishing stage involves adding styling tapes, wraps, and logos. At every production stage, there is someone monitoring the entire process to ensure that everything goes right.
Are Grady White Boats Unsinkable?
Any boat can sink if the conditions are bad enough. However, Grady-White boats have several features that make them almost impossible to sink when sailing in standard boating conditions. This is why the boats are ideal when you sail rough waters.
Although the boats have features that make them almost impossible to sink, I always advise that you understand when to head back to the port. What makes these boats unsinkable?
All Grady-White boats feature high-grade materials such as high-strength stainless steel and high quality fiberglass. The laminates are superior and the safety features are modern.
The unsinkable foam floatation and the level floatation in small boats ensure that the boat stays on the surface of the water at all times. The form floatation increases the buoyancy of the boat, ensuring that even when the waters are rough, the boat still rides smooth and there is no risk of sinking.
Another brilliant feature is the SeaV2 Hull. This hull makes the Grady-White boats very popular among boaters looking for safety. The safety of this technology comes in its forward sections that have a sharp deep vee that makes them streamlined and the flatter aft section that offers stability.
The “continuous variable vee” of the hull allows it to deliver a smooth and stable ride even when the sail is rough. Here, there are no two places with the same level of deadrise.
Some of the boats that the manufacturer offers include:
- Center Consoles
- Dual Consoles
- Coastal Explorers
- Express Cabins
- Walkaround Cabins
Before you buy a Grady-White boat, you can take a virtual tour of some of the boats. Currently, the manufacturer offers a virtual tour of the Canyon 326 and 336.
According to Grady-White, the SeaV2 Hull has performed the best in all J.D. Power performance tests, beating all other boat models. With the hull, you can expect the “driest, softest, and the most stable ride.”
What Does a Grady White Boat Cost?
You can get a used Grady White boat for less than $10,000. If you want the biggest and most advanced new Grady-White boat, you can get it at more than $1.2 million. If you go for these high-performance models, they will come with powerful motors that generate up to 1,513 horsepower while the smaller models generate as low as 150 hp.
On average, the boats have motors that generate 425 horsepower. This is powerful enough to ensure you enjoy your days out on the water. The shallow draft and the wider beam features of the boats make them ideal when you need a boat for fishing in saltwater and freshwater and cruising during the day and at night.
Because the boats are long lasting, you can go for used boats and repower them to make them more powerful. This is for people looking for Grady-White boats on a budget.
How Long Do Grady White Boats Last?
The frame of the boat will last for a long time even after the engine dies. The hull of the boat determines how long you will use it. If you drive your boat carefully and avoid damages from other boats, buoys, pilings, and other structures, the hull will last 30 or more years. However, you have to take care of the components of the boat to ensure that the hull and other parts last that long.
The durability of the boat will depend on how well you take care of it, where you use it, and how well you take care of it during a cruise. If your hull sustains damages, you can also pick a nonproduction hull and continue with your boating fun.
Most of the older model Grady-White boats that had wood are almost not available anywhere anymore. These older models did not last as long as the newer models, thanks to the wood that did not offer enough protection to the hull.
How Much Does a Grady White Boat Weigh?
If you plan on buying a Grady-White boat, you need to get ready to tow the boat. The smallest boats weigh about 2,150 pounds. The largest boats are more than 14,000 pounds heavy. You can tow the small ones home and leave the others to dock on the marina.
With a powerful truck, the smaller boats, say up to 25 feet, are towable, but the others are not.
Closing Thoughts
Grady-White Boats are for boaters who need a smooth ride. These boats feature a host of advanced features that make them safe, easy to use, and unsinkable. They may not win in a speed race, but the SeaV2 cuts through water in a manner no other brand does.
The company says that its boats feature exceptional design, a rich heritage, design integrity, award-winning patented components, and they offer exceptional customer support. You can join a Grady-White owners club once you have a Grady-White boat and be part of the Grady family.
Owners of these boats can be part of tournaments, seminars, and parties that the boat clubs hold. You can try a GW in a boat club before you buy one and feel the difference.