I bought a 2021 GW 336, twin 435's and SeaKeeper as a yacht tender and day boat. I didn't expect to fall in love with the superb handling, build quality and creature comforts. Now, life has changed and I'm in the market for one boat only - multi purpose. The GW 386 Canyon could be the One.
Another great video! I own a 1998 Grady-white 272 Sailfish with the SeaV2 hull. I can say with no hesitation that Grady indeed has the best hull period. The hull design handles extremely well regardless of the direction of the sea conditions. The hull is confidence inspiring. Also, in regards to the Sabre 45 video. I believe C. Raymond hunt played a design role in both Grady-white and Sabre yachts. I would not compare the GW hull to a Freeman or Catamaran etc. However, I have been out in rough sea conditions off Block Island and the GW never makes me worry!
Thats really interesting. I did not know it was the same designer as the Sabre but now you mention that I can totally understand the similarities! Both of those hulls are are joy to drive offshore
I have a 272 sailfish too!! It bats above its weight. I’m hoping to get a 330 express in the future! Shame they done do a larger walk around love that feature of the sailfish!
Ray Hunt Design had no part in designing Sabre's hulls. They are a modified Deep V I believe. However, EVERY Grady-White is design by Ray Hunt Design (C.Raymond Hunt Associates).
92 252gt sailfish sportsbridge and I got caught in a massive storm. 92 was the first year of the sea vee 2 hull boat brought my family and I back to dry land safe. 14 foot seas and 60mph wind. They can handle their own
Yeah that would make for a spacious cabin below actually. Glad the choppy water was helpful! I spend a lot of time putting those together so appreciate that
Great question. Hmm maybe I should do a video on that? So I sold Axopar's from 2015 - 2020 so know them extremely well. The adventure hull concept is bringing a totally new way of thinking to power boats that somewhat resembles performance sailing yacht hulls. Using lighter weight and design to slice through waves instead of a mixture of design and raw power that the Grady is going for. There are pro's and con's for both but a Grady feels like you're driving a large luxury car down the highway and you don't really feel any of the bumps... where an Axopar is more like a lighter performance car where you still need to drive the thing to ensure the cutting bow enters the waves at the right angle. When done right you also achieve a similar experience of smooth riding but to achieve that it takes a bit more focus and work from the driver where the Grady will just chop up anything you put in front of it... does that make sense?
My family have 3 SeaV2s in the fleet, it is an excellent hull, but I would argue its time for GW to drop a seaV3 with a stepped hull. The deadrise and chine sizes are perfect already but a stepped hull should reduce drag meaningfully without compromising the hulls other charateristics.
Oh great! Yes I don't take money for the videos and I'm not selling boats so the idea is that i'll just show you guys what I see and we all learn together
I stand corrected. C. Raymond Hunt did NOT design Sabre hulls. My apologies for the misinformation. However, you can't go wrong with either boat brand.
Sabre is the best offshore hull i've tested so far this year. But she's WAY bigger than this Grady so I wouldn't really compare the two. The Grady is amazing for this category and at the top of my list for 2023.
Dan great review. Comparing this exact model for a friend/neighbor vs the Southport 33. Ride is the most important to them. The Southport is by far nicer from what I have seen and been on but with a larger price tag. Have you had a chance to drive the Southport?
Oh i'm glad that was useful! So Southport to my knowledge does not have any representation in Australia and I probably won't begin regular boat tests in the US until next year so I can't comment with any accuracy on the Southport. If you get a chance to test it just make sure you have lots of wind and chop. We had 25kts consistent during my test with 30kt gusts at times (you can actually see some of the dark wind patches in the video). On some boats I drive this would be throwing a LOT of water up and over the boat but the Grady handled it so well with literally just a little bit of spray on the windscreen, the bow seating was all dry (some salt on the grab rails and that was it) and the aft deck was also dry. I deliberatly drove it on all points of the wind and swell to test that. Also running into sharp chop this hull was like luxury sedan on the highway.
Ray Hunt Design designed both the Southport and Grady-White hulls. I believe the Southport has a lesser beam dimension which would perform better at the same thrust.
I have now driven both. The dimensions are .1 on beam and a few inches in length. Weight is about 400lbs per spec sheet making the SP slightly heavier. I am a cat guy but he as well as I want the best ride in various seas and both drove very very close. Everything about looks to luxury of seats and fit and finish were better on the SP but the Grady felt roomier. I am good with either except price. The SP being nicer isnt worth an extra 125-150k. to him. I on the other hand like how SP did it all and would spend the extra coin. That being said I will be getting a 39 Fountain DC which was just a little more than the SP if I dont check too many boxes. @@tedwillard4046
@@winstonsmith4003 yes so the bigger they get the more useful the tabs can become. Agree under 30ft it's a different story, but all hulls behave differently so sometimes you never know.
Yep i've sold plenty of them back in my sales days. Fair comparison. I've not had a chance to film any for the channel yet unfortunately. I have approached the dealers multiple times
I have driven a Regulator 41 in BIG seas and it was excellent. Soon i'll be comparing with the Valhalla but I have not tested a Contender yet. It's hard to judge because i've not tested a small Regulator yet. Both Regulator and Grady have excellent rides in my opinion. This was my test - th-cam.com/video/lRLScuutPyY/w-d-xo.html
It was blowing offshore and what you're seeing from the drone was filmed before the wind picked up so you'll see more accurate wind strength through the cockpit camera. But yes 20 - 30kts is different around the world depends on the air density. I'm a sailor and we will use different sail's in different parts of the world because of this.
Who TF has a million bucks to throw at a runabout? Just crazy. And why would 90% of boat owners want to take it out "on a day that would keep most day boaters at home"? Just how many investment bankers with more money than sense are there?
A million Aussie Dollars so thats like $660,000 USD. $1M AUD only really buys you a small apartment in Sydney which when we track back 10 years the costs of an apartment was always about the same as a boat of this size and capability so I think we are just seeing inflation here. But yes there are a lot of wealthy people in Sydney buying boats like these.
I bought a 2021 GW 336, twin 435's and SeaKeeper as a yacht tender and day boat. I didn't expect to fall in love with the superb handling, build quality and creature comforts. Now, life has changed and I'm in the market for one boat only - multi purpose. The GW 386 Canyon could be the One.
Another great video! I own a 1998 Grady-white 272 Sailfish with the SeaV2 hull. I can say with no hesitation that Grady indeed has the best hull period. The hull design handles extremely well regardless of the direction of the sea conditions. The hull is confidence inspiring. Also, in regards to the Sabre 45 video. I believe C. Raymond hunt played a design role in both Grady-white and Sabre yachts. I would not compare the GW hull to a Freeman or Catamaran etc. However, I have been out in rough sea conditions off Block Island and the GW never makes me worry!
Thats really interesting. I did not know it was the same designer as the Sabre but now you mention that I can totally understand the similarities! Both of those hulls are are joy to drive offshore
@@BoatLife_DansBoatLife Ray Hunt Design or C Raymond Hunt did not design any of the Sabre Yachts hulls at this time.
I have a 272 sailfish too!! It bats above its weight. I’m hoping to get a 330 express in the future! Shame they done do a larger walk around love that feature of the sailfish!
Ray Hunt Design had no part in designing Sabre's hulls. They are a modified Deep V I believe. However, EVERY Grady-White is design by Ray Hunt Design (C.Raymond Hunt Associates).
Nothing rides quite as good as a GW. Total quality and built like a tank!
Ate up swells pretty well. I’m impressed
92 252gt sailfish sportsbridge and I got caught in a massive storm. 92 was the first year of the sea vee 2 hull boat brought my family and I back to dry land safe. 14 foot seas and 60mph wind. They can handle their own
What a great story to be able to tell. It makes all the difference when the sh#t hits the fan and you're on a good boat that you can trust!
Love the boat I just wish it was available with a closed bow and I appreciate the choppy water boat test thats the way to test a boat.
Yeah that would make for a spacious cabin below actually. Glad the choppy water was helpful! I spend a lot of time putting those together so appreciate that
The 33 and 37 Grady-white Express does have a cabin vs the open bow of the model in the video.
Sure, you were just about to spend a mill on a runabout, if it just had....🙄
@@SuspectAccount It wouldn't be the first time..😁
Boston Whaler owned Sea Ray has a lot of work to do absolutely 😊
How does the hull compare to the wave piercing Axopar?
Great question. Hmm maybe I should do a video on that? So I sold Axopar's from 2015 - 2020 so know them extremely well. The adventure hull concept is bringing a totally new way of thinking to power boats that somewhat resembles performance sailing yacht hulls. Using lighter weight and design to slice through waves instead of a mixture of design and raw power that the Grady is going for. There are pro's and con's for both but a Grady feels like you're driving a large luxury car down the highway and you don't really feel any of the bumps... where an Axopar is more like a lighter performance car where you still need to drive the thing to ensure the cutting bow enters the waves at the right angle. When done right you also achieve a similar experience of smooth riding but to achieve that it takes a bit more focus and work from the driver where the Grady will just chop up anything you put in front of it... does that make sense?
Not as stable in a banking turn.
My family have 3 SeaV2s in the fleet, it is an excellent hull, but I would argue its time for GW to drop a seaV3 with a stepped hull. The deadrise and chine sizes are perfect already but a stepped hull should reduce drag meaningfully without compromising the hulls other charateristics.
I like that idea. Evolution on an already great design.
Appreciate for once, seeing a "test" that is not an advertisement, actually in at least some chop. So often, they only show lake like conditions.
Oh great! Yes I don't take money for the videos and I'm not selling boats so the idea is that i'll just show you guys what I see and we all learn together
I stand corrected. C. Raymond Hunt did NOT design Sabre hulls. My apologies for the misinformation. However, you can't go wrong with either boat brand.
what drone did you use?
Dan. How would you compare this hull to the Sabre 45 you tested earlier?
Sabre is the best offshore hull i've tested so far this year. But she's WAY bigger than this Grady so I wouldn't really compare the two. The Grady is amazing for this category and at the top of my list for 2023.
@@BoatLife_DansBoatLife How would you compare it to the Boston Whaler 320 Vantage
Dan great review. Comparing this exact model for a friend/neighbor vs the Southport 33. Ride is the most important to them. The Southport is by far nicer from what I have seen and been on but with a larger price tag. Have you had a chance to drive the Southport?
Oh i'm glad that was useful! So Southport to my knowledge does not have any representation in Australia and I probably won't begin regular boat tests in the US until next year so I can't comment with any accuracy on the Southport.
If you get a chance to test it just make sure you have lots of wind and chop. We had 25kts consistent during my test with 30kt gusts at times (you can actually see some of the dark wind patches in the video). On some boats I drive this would be throwing a LOT of water up and over the boat but the Grady handled it so well with literally just a little bit of spray on the windscreen, the bow seating was all dry (some salt on the grab rails and that was it) and the aft deck was also dry. I deliberatly drove it on all points of the wind and swell to test that. Also running into sharp chop this hull was like luxury sedan on the highway.
Ray Hunt Design designed both the Southport and Grady-White hulls. I believe the Southport has a lesser beam dimension which would perform better at the same thrust.
I have now driven both. The dimensions are .1 on beam and a few inches in length. Weight is about 400lbs per spec sheet making the SP slightly heavier. I am a cat guy but he as well as I want the best ride in various seas and both drove very very close. Everything about looks to luxury of seats and fit and finish were better on the SP but the Grady felt roomier. I am good with either except price. The SP being nicer isnt worth an extra 125-150k. to him. I on the other hand like how SP did it all and would spend the extra coin. That being said I will be getting a 39 Fountain DC which was just a little more than the SP if I dont check too many boxes. @@tedwillard4046
You shouldn't use tabs for trim. Use the engines. Tabs are made for leveling the boat from weight distribution and crosswinds
But they are also useful when used in combination with engine trim offshore or in choppy water.
@@BoatLife_DansBoatLife sorry no, but my perspective is with 30 ft or under mono hulls. Maybe things change otherwise
@@winstonsmith4003 yes so the bigger they get the more useful the tabs can become. Agree under 30ft it's a different story, but all hulls behave differently so sometimes you never know.
Seav2 not Seev2. But anyway thanks great video!
what about a Boston Whaler?
Yep i've sold plenty of them back in my sales days. Fair comparison. I've not had a chance to film any for the channel yet unfortunately. I have approached the dealers multiple times
Everyone I see online says Regulators ride better, whats your thoughts on that? Also, have you driven a Contender or SeaVee? Thanks mate
I have driven a Regulator 41 in BIG seas and it was excellent. Soon i'll be comparing with the Valhalla but I have not tested a Contender yet. It's hard to judge because i've not tested a small Regulator yet. Both Regulator and Grady have excellent rides in my opinion.
This was my test - th-cam.com/video/lRLScuutPyY/w-d-xo.html
5 minutes in and still waiting for rough water , 20-30knt wind . Must be different around the world.
It was blowing offshore and what you're seeing from the drone was filmed before the wind picked up so you'll see more accurate wind strength through the cockpit camera. But yes 20 - 30kts is different around the world depends on the air density. I'm a sailor and we will use different sail's in different parts of the world because of this.
Who TF has a million bucks to throw at a runabout? Just crazy. And why would 90% of boat owners want to take it out "on a day that would keep most day boaters at home"? Just how many investment bankers with more money than sense are there?
A million Aussie Dollars so thats like $660,000 USD. $1M AUD only really buys you a small apartment in Sydney which when we track back 10 years the costs of an apartment was always about the same as a boat of this size and capability so I think we are just seeing inflation here. But yes there are a lot of wealthy people in Sydney buying boats like these.
👍 🇨🇷
Ate up swells pretty well. I’m impressed