1977 19ft Grady white cuddy

[Faison80]

I have the chance to buy a 77 model Grady with a rebuilt 302 with only 45 hrs on it. It has the OMC stringer outdrive. Is in good working condition. The guy still goes fishing in it. Hull is in great shape. Everybody is telling me to stay away from due to the outdrive. Looking for some opinions, thanks. Has new Bimini top, garment fish finder

 

[GA_Boater]

Two strikes against this boat.

Ford motor with marine parts hard to find and a Stringer drive, also with parts hard to find. Both haven't been made in years, more like decades.

If the price is right and she performs well now, you can take the plunge as long as you don't mind searching for parts that become more expensive as they get older and rarer.

 

[ezmobee]

For me it would have to be REALLY cheap

 

[Faison80]

No Title

1500$

 

[southkogs]

That's a single photo of a boat - so, this is the quick response from me (and I have owned a Stringer and actually kinda' like 'em):

If the boat is in as good a shape as that photo seems to suggest (and you need to review the boat CAREFULLY - read HERE), and the engine and drive are in good working order. Then, I think the price is fair for the boat.

BUT - - realize you are buying an OBSOLETE drive and an OBSOLETE engine. The drive is likely a electric shift, which will make many people cringe like yer' draggin' fingernails down a chalk board. Most marine techs won't touch these systems, and some have never seen one. You will likely become your own mechanic. Some parts are getting tougher to find, some not so tough. But sometimes you'll run into a situation where repairing the boat will be a difficult process of locating the parts you need - which keeps you off the water for a while. AND - you can't re-power this boat to something more modern very easily. You pretty much have to rebuild the entire transom in order to convert to a different drive system (which takes time or money).

Generally, I would recommend a new boat owner/buyer to steer clear of this even though it's a reasonable deal. If you're experienced with boats, and understand the Stringer outdrive then it does look reasonable if everything checks out.

 

[ezmobee]

That's a pretty darn fair price. As long as you're going into with your eyes open knowing what you could be up against with the 'ol Stringer, I say go for it.

 

[Faison80]

Think I can get it for 1000k and some labor trade on a smaller boat of his. I've worked on boats for years but mostly outboards and mercruiser units. Never touched a stringer

 

[Bondo]

Never touched a stringer

Ayuh,... This is a "Good Deal" only under 2 circumstances,...

#1, if ya consider this disposable money, 'n a disposable boat,...
#2, if ya go into it Knowin' yer gonna love the hull, 'n refit it with a Merc or Volvo drive,...

#1 because you can run it it'll it quits, at which point fixin' it is probably not worth the effort,....
It will wear out, 'n most of it's parts are NLA,...

#2 'cause a Sweet hull, Is worth the effort to swap in a newer reliable driveline,...

 

[dingbat]

As a Grady owner myself, I would question why the boat is leaning heavy to starboard

 

[jbcurt00]

All that has been said above and I'll add:

Docked at the marina, why's it leaning to the starboard side?

EDIT: as Dingbat asked:

May be nothing, but given that its a 1977 boat for $1-1.5K it might not be nothing

 

[bruceb58]

I would skip it.

 

[Redrig]

a couple of things , I have a 77 OMC stringer with a Ford as well .

can you work on it yourself ? are you mechanically inclined ? if no , then skip it . you wont find mechanics that will work on them as mentioned above .

the whole Ford thing .... I have had zero problems finding parts for mine . (manifolds will be a little bit more expensive than chevy but they are still out there)

for me personally ..... on a 77 boat the outdrive / engine combo is almost irrelevant , how is it stored ? are the transom and stringers dry and not rotting ? that's whats most important . cuz a merc or a Volvo boat with rotten stringers and transom sucks just as bad as any OMC , Its 40 years old so it will not be perfect by any stretch

 

[southkogs]

Think I can get it for 1000k and some labor trade on a smaller boat of his. I've worked on boats for years but mostly outboards and mercruiser units. Never touched a stringer

If you understand boats pretty well, then you'd be okay working on the Stringers. If I can do it, really anyone can. Just know you're walking into an antique ... and it'll like being treated like an antique.