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Grady Days!
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t h e g ra dy - w h i t e o w n e r s ’ n e ws l e t t e r
IN THIS ISSUE: Dealer News & Events | Grady Days | Owners’ Club News | Letters & Photos | Grady Buddies
The Latest in Exceptional Attention to Detail
Open Family Cruiser, Saltwater
Sportfisherman: Multi-Platform Freedom 275
Is the Ultimate Transformer and All New for 2016
Sometimes it can “get better than this!” Since its debut, the popular Freedom 275
dual console Grady-White has really wowed families who enjoy all forms of water
recreation with its versatility and supreme functional features, whether the fun of
the day is cruising to a favorite beach or coastal town, pulling water toys, or serious
fishing. For the new model year, an expanded helm area (a full four inches!) and
reconfigured deluxe seating has added an entire square foot to cockpit roominess,
and the new deck design is accomplished with even more aesthetic appeal. Top this
with a wider port console entry, a new wet bar set up, plus refined features both
standard and optional, and you’ve got a bigger slice of heaven.
Let’s start from the bow. The anchor locker features a through-the-hull chute for
easier anchor deployment and a clear deck. There’s room for six people seated on
the comfy port and starboard bow box cushions. Moving aft, the entry to the lockable port console with head is wider for easy access, and the new bow layout allows
longer rod storage in the console.
Widening the helm area adds generous seating space for increased comfort.
Standard helm seating is a deluxe horizontally and vertically adjustable chair, and
can be upgraded to a plush cushioned contoured seat with flip-up bolster.
Companion seating is wider and is backed by an electromechanically extendable
lounge seat, all on a rugged, durable fiberglass base.
The optional deluxe wet bar now faces inboard, and is located just behind the
helm seat. This entertainment feature has a Corian® countertop, sink, fire extinguisher holder, storage and trash compartment and can be equipped with a grill
and with a refrigerator. Anyone can be a short order cook with this feature on the
Freedom 275!
The aft cockpit working space is enlarged so there’s more room to play in, fishing
or funning. Grady-White’s patented aft bench seat provides more seating when
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needed, and folds away when things
get busy. And for tow sport enthusiasts, there’s a freshly restyled optional ski pylon that fully recesses into
the transom when stored. The
integrated swim ladder with transom
door access adds to ease of coming
and going.
You won’t find a dreamier 27-foot dual
console anywhere. The Freedom 275 and
all Grady-Whites are now available in one
of five hull gelcoat colors or two paint
colors. Each and every Grady features
the remarkable performance of a
SeaV2® hull.
Freedom 275 gradywhite.com/275
Beam Amidships: 8'6" (2.59 m)
Bridge Clearance: 8'6" (2.59 m)
Center Line Length: 26'11" (8.20 m)
Hull Draft: 20" (0.51 m)
Maximum HP: 500 (373 kW)
Standard Fuel Capacity: 184 gal. (696 l)
Weight w/o Engines: 4972 lb. (2255 kg)
Standard hardtop with
painted aluminum frame
Roomy bow seating
Deluxe companion seating
backed w/extendable
lounge chair
Adjustable deluxe
helm seating
Wet bar option w/grill and
refrigerator available
Integrated swim ladder
w/transom door access
Dealer News & Events
Grady-White dealers sponsor hundreds of events every year—seminars,
tournaments, trips, cookouts, sightseeing voyages and much more.
See www.gradywhite.com for events in your area.
RADIO ISLAND MARINE Grady-White owners enjoyed a lunch cruise from this Beaufort, NC, dealership
to Oriental, NC, on a lovely June day. Making the 40-mile round trip on the Intracoastal Waterway were
John and Sarah Currin aboard their Fisherman 230, Kevin and Anna Dollhopf on their Freedom 275,
Mike and Pam Kearney on their Fisherman 257, and Radio Island’s Bill Fluty on a Fisherman 209.
A smooth ride!
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Now through Nov. 10 only!
Exceptional attention to detail at
exceptional savings this fall, only
during Grady Days. The best buying
incentives of the year! See your dealer
or visit www.gradydays.com today!
Grady Days
Exceptional attention to detail.
www.gradywhite.com/Anchorline
©2015 Grady-White Boats, Inc.
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The Grady Life: Owners’ Clubs
Here are highlights from recent Grady Owners’ Clubs events and outings. If you have Grady club information to share or are interested
in information about Grady clubs in your area, email [email protected]. Go to www.gradywhite.com for links to club websites.
LAKE ERIE GRADY-WHITE CLUB WALLEYE TOURNAMENT teams weigh in their catch while a record crowd of participants awaits the results.
The Chesapeake Bay Grady-White
Club extends a hearty “Thanks!” to
Jack and Anne DeVine for hosting
another delightful Steak and Shrimp
Party at their home. More than 55
people attended and were totally
stuffed from the huge shrimp and
expertly grilled steaks. This has
become a June club tradition! Next up,
Gradypalooza at Tilghman Island,
MD, August 14-16. Tri-State Marine,
Deale, MD, sponsors this club.
The 2015 Lake Erie Grady-White Club
Walleye Tournament set a record for the
most boats entered to date (15) and the
largest number of participants (71)! The
field was challenged by storms early in
the week of June 7. Eleven teams chose
to try for the larger, harder to catch
migrating walleye in the cloudy central
basin. Four teams fished clearer waters
with more eager-to-bite but not quite as
large walleye in the western basin. Two
teams in the central basin ended up fin-
THE NORTHWEST GRADY-WHITE CLUB gathered
May 15-17 for their annual Spring Rendezvous in Anacortes, WA.
ishing first and second. Jason Brooks
won first and broke last year’s all time
record set by Justin Lopriore with a total
146.75 in.–all five fish being Fish Ohio
class (minimum 28 in.). The other winners in descending order: Mike
Pasadyn, 141.75 in.; Mike Manion,
122.63 in.; Bill Rauterkus, 121.88 in.;
Dave Spangler, 111 in.; and Drew
Opsitnick, 103 in. The club sends a big
thanks to sponsor South Shore Marine,
Huron, OH, and to Grady-White.
The Northwest Grady-White Club gathered May 15-17 for its annual Spring
Rendezvous in Anacortes, WA. The
event was based out of Cap Santé
Marina and featured the traditional
ling cod fishing derby. Twelve boats
chased the toothy critters with over 30
anglers participating. Tamara Melvin
won first place and defended her title
from last season with a 15.8-lb. ling
cod. She is the club’s first three-time
TAMARA MELVIN WON FIRST PLACE and defended her title
in the Northwest Grady-White Club traditional ling cod derby.
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derby champion! Second prize went to
her boat’s captain, Jeff Melvin, with a
11.5-lb. ling. Fred Tsang was third with
a 7.2-lb. fish. A group of over 40 friends
and family followed the day’s fishing
with a catered dinner. Next stop, Port
Hudson Marina in September!
Jacobsen’s Marine, Edmonds, WA,
sponsors this club.
Members of the Tampa Bay and
Tarpon Coast Grady-White clubs have
been cited for being “repeat offenders”
as for the second time in five months
they gathered together, this time with
12 boats and more than 34 people at
the Sarasota Hyatt Regency & Marina.
Bill Hayes reports that the charges
include taking up almost every slip in
the marina, complete with floating
docks; utilizing the pool, socializing
from boat to boat, strategically placing
trays of food within easy reach of all
and causing a hard-to-ignore party
atmosphere; taking over a 4th floor
hotel room to best capture fleet photos;
and orchestrating a move into the 2nd
floor banquet area to take more pic-
THE TIDEWATER GRADY-WHITE CLUB enjoyed their Seventh Annual Rendezvous at Smithfield Station Marina with nine Gradys participating.
tures, timing their exit within minutes
of the beginning of a wedding reception. Despite risk of further citations,
these clubs (sponsored by Quality
Boats of Clearwater and Ingman
Marine of Port Charlotte, FL, respectively) together with Cannons Marina’s
Grady-White Crew out of Longboat
Key, will be a Triple Threat as they are
planning another “hat trick” in the fall.
The Tidewater Grady-White Club
enjoyed an eventful late spring and
summer! In May, six Gradys and a few
land yachts cruised to Cape Charles,
VA, and enjoyed a fantastic day including lunch at the Shanty Restaurant. The
weekend of June 12 saw the Seventh
Annual Rendezvous at Smithfield
Station Marina. Nine beautiful Gradys
were at the boardwalk, including a
Fisherman 257 with new club members
Ray and Andrea Alley. Club sponsor
Norfolk Marine’s Captain Paul
Wentworth and wife came in aboard a
Freedom 275, bringing custom hats and
t-shirts commemorating the event. A
big shout-out is given to Norfolk
Marine for hosting a catered luncheon
for the over 40 people in attendance.
TAMPA BAY AND TARPON COAST GRADY-WHITE CLUBS gathered together with 12 boats and more than 34 people
at the Sarasota Hyatt Regency & Marina.
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Letters & Photos
What’s happening? Have an interesting story or photo? Email us at [email protected] or
write to Anchorline, P.O. Box 1527, Greenville, NC 27835.
Bahamian Adventure
Dear Anchorline:
We always knew our 2005 Marlin 300
was perfect for us. Here in the
Panhandle, we use it weekly for diving,
fishing, and hanging out, but always
dreamed of taking it to the Bahamas.
As soon as both of us were retired, we
decided to go for it.
We planned for months, purchasing
cruising guides, charts, and “backups
for our backup” GPS and VHF, knowing
that our longest open water transit
would be crossing the Gulf of Mexico
from St. Marks to St. Petersburg. We
headed across on April 22, 2015, cruising at about 25 mph meeting the threefoot swells head-on. Seven hours later
we were in St. Pete, proud of ourselves
for owning such a comfortably seaworthy boat. We then went south to Cayo
Costa State Park for a night, and the
next day began the transit through the
Okeechobee Waterway.
On April 26, we were thrilled to
guide Moon Dance into the beautiful
blue Atlantic Ocean for the first time.
We hung out in the Palm Beach area
waiting for something less than 15-25
knot NE winds. While we knew crossing with any northerly component was
not ideal, after five days NE winds at 10
knots looked like our best bet. With
some trepidation, we entered the
Gulfstream with five-foot swells and the
promise of an eight-second period
between them. Again we found ourselves quite pleased with our boat. We
left Palm Beach inlet at 7 A.M. and four
hours later cleared customs at Grand
Cay, Abacos–safe, sound and ecstatic!
For the next 30 days we visited beautiful marinas, beaches and coral reefs
between Grand Cay and Marsh Harbor,
where my father flew over to join us for
a few days. We had been to the
Bahamas on many one-week vacations,
but nothing compared to the total freedom of exploring these beautiful
islands in our own boat.
The cabin of the Marlin 300 was perfect for storage: Four large plastic boxes
held clothes, dive gear, food and kitchen
wares, including a small propane burner, grill, and bottled fuel. We converted
the livewell and fish box into temporary
storage, and used the fish cleaning station for rinsing dive gear. If we were
fishing, we shuffled things around a bit,
but it all worked out perfectly. One gorgeous sunset followed another, and
soon it was time to work our way home.
We headed back across the Gulfstream
with the following seas making the fivefoot swells almost unnoticeable. We
made the trip from West End to Palm
Beach in three hours.
It was an amazing and wonderful
1,800 mile trip, and we could not have
asked for a more nimble, dependable,
and economical vessel in which to do it.
We thought this would be a one-time,
“bucket list” adventure, but find ourselves considering a trip to Bimini and
the Berry Islands. The Marlin 300
proved that while we were often the
smallest cruising vessel in the
Bahamian marinas, we didn't have any
trouble keeping up with the “big boys.”
Eugene and Donna Watkins
Crawfordville, FL
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TREY VERDERAMO’S FIRST STRIPER was a 20-pounder caught while fishing in the Rarian Bay, New Jersey, with his
dad, Rich, on the family’s Adventure 208. Now eight, Trey has been fishing since he was five and has caught fluke,
blues, spot and croaker but he wanted a striped bass. He won’t forget this catch!
DR. TOM BRIDGES caught and released this fine grouper a few miles off Fort Myers Beach, FL. He was enjoying a
May day aboard his folks’, Vicki and Allen Bridges, Marlin 300. The Bridges are Fish Tale Grady Club members, and the
family’s dog’s name is Grady!
AL CORTESE, RIGHT, WAS PRESENTED WITH A “CAPTAIN
AL” Grady-White hat at the Somers Point Bayfest in
MIKE MANION AND WIFE, MICHELLE , took delivery of their new Gulfstream 232 during Ohio’s blustery spring, and in
late April came the first day of fishing success for Mike and his crew!
Who’s Your Grady Buddy?
RILEY the schnoodle turns 12 this year and judging by
her smile she is a happy boater! Louise Close and Joel
Matthews, Fort Myers Beach, FL, report that Riley is the
first to race down to their Grady 222, and loves loves
loves to fish!
April upon the occasion of passing his captain test.
Congratulating him is fellow Jersey Shore Grady-White
Club member Bill Walker, also a charter captain, aboard
Al’s Express 330, Tina Marie. Good work, Captain Al!
JAYNE PERKINS AND HUSBAND DAVE PERKINS,
Punta Gorda, FL, have been Grady owners since 2003.
They recently headed to Marathon for some fishing
aboard their 2013 Marlin 300, where Jayne caught her
first mahi–this one measured 52 inches! “Not bad for a
first time! Thanks for making such an amazing product.”
To share a photo of your furry Grady friends, email us at [email protected] or
write to Anchorline, P.O. Box 1527, Greenville, NC 27835.
RUDY is an old hand at six-and-a-half, having been boating since he was 12 weeks old. He clearly has his sea
legs! Rudy loves boating around Barnegat Bay, NJ, on
the Stratton family’s Release 283. He only missed one
season due to Super Storm Sandy.
Elias Quintos reports that his daughter Amanda’s dog,
JACK , is quite the balance artist in Charlotte Harbor,
Punta Gorda, FL. This border collie-retriever-terrier mix
likes to walk the gunwale of the family’s Seafarer 228,
Heart of Hearts, attesting to the smooth ride. “He’ll need
a life vest!" writes Grandpa Elias.
HERE’S ZELDA! She is the Craig Donohue family’s
four-year-old rescued Italian greyhound/terrier mix, and
is shown aboard their Freedom 205 on Hidden Basin,
Nelson Island, BC. ”This is our first Grady-White and I could
not be happier with the way it performs,” writes Craig.
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Anchorline
t h e g ra dy - w h i t e o w n e r s ’ n e w s l e t t e r
252-752-2111 www.gradywhite.com
Grady-White Boats, P.O. Box 1527, Greenville, NC 27835
Audra & Jonathan
Nichols snorkel Utah’s
Starvation State Park
reservoir on the
Skip Daynes family’s
Fisherman 180.
Dear Grady-White Owners and Enthusiasts:
How was your summer? When we weren’t on the water ourselves, we’ve been in full gear at the plant putting the finishing touches
on the 2016 model year Grady-Whites. Our exceptional attention to detail is in overdrive, bringing you added ease, comfort and
performance in our newest full line of rugged, elegant saltwater boats. We eagerly hear and read from customers–especially via
social media–how owners today enjoy such
a range of activities on their family’s Grady.
We made our mark by building tough
platforms for saltwater fishing, and as the
desire for more time with extended family
EDDIE SMITH AND KRIS CARROLL
grew we incorporated features to make all-day
adventures that much happier for all. That’s never been truer than with our 2016
lineup, including the exciting new Freedom 275 featured on the cover of this Anchorline.
Every Grady-White is undoubtedly a superb fishing machine. With 26 models
and five styles to choose from, you decide the level of refined features and aesthetic
appeal that makes your purchase decision the best for you. When is the best time to
buy your Grady? Now! Ask your Grady dealer how to make this happen!
Happy Boating!
Kris Carroll, president
Eddie Smith, Jr., chairman, ceo
DAVE AND DEBORAH SKINNER FROM JAMESTOWN, NC, visited the Grady-White factory in April to see their
Gulfstream 232, SeaHoney II, being built. During the lamination stage they placed a special silver dollar in the hull of
the boat. The coin is said to bless the boat, and bring good nautical spirits and good fortune. Although the coin will not
be visible, the Skinners know it’s there! You’re invited to take your own factory tour.