1973 Grady White Restore

Hey Guys,

I picked up this little beauty for $350 everything included. This is my first project boat and I'm excited to get her in the water. I'm not in a hurry and would like to do everything right the first time. All in all, the boat is in pretty good shape, the major work ahead of me right now is replacing the transom and decking. Everything else appears to be structurally sound. I have read countless posts on transom replacement but still have a few questions, how would you recommend that I go about doing this repair? The reason why I ask is because there is some glass work needed on the exterior of the stern and I have not been able to find a post yet covering this type of work. Could someone offer some advice or point me in the direction of a post documenting similar type of work. Thanks for your help!

-Justin

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

That boat is cool as heck and if running that's a great motor you got on there. The trailer alone is worth more than you paid. Unfortunately I'm an aluminum boat guy so I don't have much advice for you on the transom. Hopefully one of the fiberglass experts will chime in.

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

$350! that's a deal. I'm a tin canner also so I'm no good unless there is an aluminum soda can attached to that boat. Grady Whites are good solid boats and can take a good beating. How's the motor? Good luck with her!

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

Its gonna be a total gut out, transom and deck always go with the stringers under the deck, you can count on it. Its possible to do without pulling the cap but if you have the room , time and money I would pull the cap and at least slide it forward.
If you like the layout then do that, but at this point you can decide if you'd prefer to convert it to a center console.

Take a few photos of the interior layout before you start ripping everything out if you decide to put it all back to original.

Get a hoist and put the engine on a stand, a sawzall, skillsaw, prybars etc and start working on it. Once the deck is gone you can pull the transom from inside. The transom outter glass will be fixed when you glue a new transom in. 6 months to a yr is typical working on it when weather permits.
About 10 gals of resin and 50 yards of glass mat, some glass tape , spreaders.
Cheapo angle grinder for power sanding with flapper disks.

If you decide to leave the cap then don't touch the rubrail, just start cutting the deck around the perimeter. Cut the splashwell off, it can be glassed back in place at the end of the job. You'll find wet foam which must go, measure stringers and keep notes, if possible keep the old wood for templates.
$2-3K budget will see you thru.

If I did all that work I'd get a newer engine, new fuel tank and all new hoses, new bilge pumps , new wiring... new everything. It adds up.

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

I've got a 1972 21' Grady Nassau. Bought it in 2005 from a guy who was the original owner and maintained it very well. First thing I did when I got it was clean it up and scrape a lot of silacone off the hull around the rub rail, windshield console, ... this guy had a thing about silicone. He even completely gooped the entire engine in a black rubbery stuff. The floor was also smeared in silicone around every screw and piece of hardware. It looked like real hell but now I understand his thinking. There was not one bit of rot on the entire boat when I got it after 30 years and now since I cleaned up most of the unsightly silicone the floor has a soft spot and who knows what else. So now I know not to worry as much about the looks but always put every effort into preventing water intrusion even in one little screw hole.

Anyway, the boat is incredible! merc straight 6 needs a rear seal and the drive may need to be overhauled this year but this boat has taken me and my family through some real tough seas and never let us down. The hull just cuts right through chop and never hardly throws any spray. It rides more smooth than most new boats I've been in.



EDIT - I had to remove your pictures. They were WAY too large for the forum. Preferred size is 640x480. You're welcome to repost them once they've been resized though I'd prefer it if you started your own thread -ezmobee

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

Nice boat! Good luck on your restoration. She should look real good when finished. Do you have some more pics of the inside, rear and port side? We all love lots of pics. I'm also retoreing a '82 Grady White in this same forum. You can expect to get lot's of good tips and how to's in this forum. Ron (AKA: LX Kid)

Ooooops! I forgot to welcome you to the best boat forum on the web! Welcome!

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

I am new to the forums, so let me know if I need to place this somewhere else. I have just picked up what I think is a 1972 Grady White 166 Stingray, I think. The problem is there is nothing that would suggest that other than the boats shape. Its going to be a restoration project but I would like to know what it is so I have something to base it on other than my own imagination. I grabbed it for $250 so I could not pass it up. The trailer is worth that on its own. Thanks in advance for any help you can give as Grady White does not have a great online resource. I am basing this on the 1972 catalog they have.

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

Grady owners have a very good mesage board of their own.

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

For best results heiliges, start your own thread in the restoration section. Good luck with your project!

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

Here's my 1972 Grady White Nassau. Just rebuilt the inline 6 and back in the water

Re: 1973 Grady White Restore

Another of my 1972 Grady and 1970 wife