Hull and transome integrity specialist needed

[zimm298]

I have my family's 1978 Grady White Challenger that we've had since new. Since it spent almost all of it's life in the Chesapeake, it looks rough, and I would like to find a reputable, affordable boat shop to check it out for me. Still runs like a top. It's time for a new floor and a rewire, but before I do it, I want to make sure the hull is sound. I really do like this boat and think it has a lot of life left, but want the pro's to confirm that for me before dumping a ton of money into it. I am also considering cleaning it up looks wise, like awlgrip or something. Right now I can't quite afford to replace it, so I really would like to clean it up. I've only been up here for about 2 1/2 years, so I'll take any advice. Thanks

[snyder]

Zimm,

I have an old Grady made in 77 that I replaced the transom, stringers and floor on. The transom was fairly obvious as it flexed when applying pressure to the outboard. I was too far invested to just dump the boat at the time so I did some research and took on the job myself. If you wanted to check your stringers you could use a hole saw to cut though the fiberglass on your accessible stringers to check out the condition of the wood inside. The problem for me was that Grady butted the stringers to the transom and then glassed over them, so when the transom became wet it wicked through the rest of the boat. From the factory they only glassed the stringers 3/4s of the way to the top. The last inch or 2 was just bare wood coated with resin. The floor is setting on a thin layer of glass thats nailed or stapled to the stringer. Another consideration is that being older the flotation foam has had a long time to soak up water, mine was wet like a sponge. One thing just let to another.

I'm not saying your boat will have any of these problems and certainly don't want to discourage you. Just letting you know what I found. It was time consuming but not all that expensive by doing it myself.

[zimm298]

The thing is, the transom seemes solid. The stress cracks are really bad all over the top and upper sides, and also on the lower part of the transom. I can personally say that when we turned 16 and were allowed to run the boat ourselves, between my cousins and myself (I'm now 40), the first goal was to have the boat totally out of the water jumping frieghter waves as they made the turn to come down the bay out of the

Chesapeake and Deleware canal. It was a blast then, kinda worries me now. The work to do the stringers, and transome scare me. Never did them. I can figure out the floor. I wouldn't be surprised to have the same problems you did, the boat was in the water from march till november for 25 years. The foam soaking up water makes a lot of sense.....

[180ccf]

Great Lakes Marine out in Sodus. They are experts in these repairs. My dad had his 350 ray in last winter for full stringer replacement. Pulled both motors and rigging, plus the 8kw genset. All the work came out perfect and came in at under 5000.00.

[zimm298]

I'll check them out!