What Makes a Grady-White an Exceptional Offshore Fishing Boat?

Have you ever wondered why Grady-White sport fishing boats are an exceptional choice when compared to other top-tier boat brands? I’m a 100-Ton USCG Master, running MarCeeJay Sport Fishing charters from Long Island, NY. I’ve owned and operated a six-pack of Gradys over the decades, also running many more for my charter customers on “away” trips that have totaled thousands of hours of sea time. I risk my life and the lives of my customers every time we break the inlet on a sporty day and head offshore into the unknown. I have just a little more peace of mind when I see that GW logo on the dashboard, knowing that this boat has the right stuff to bring us out and back as long as I do my part. I’ve seen and done it all on Grady-White fishing boats, in every kind of weather, from shark and tuna fishing in 20-fathoms, to running 200-mile roundtrips in the northeast canyons.

I wouldn’t be telling you anything new if I reiterated the usual rationale like their trademark SeaV^2® hull that provides smooth tracking and a stable ride in a variety of sea conditions; unsinkable construction; high quality laminates and premium hardware; angler-focused features like abundant rod storage, livewells, tackle centers and spacious, protected cockpits; layouts engineered to use every square inch of space onboard; hull designs meant to handle big waves and heavy loads with predictable, reliable performance offshore; and unmatched attention to detail from design to the finished product. All this leads to consistently high customer satisfaction and lasting value…plus a customer service team and dealer network that’s second to none. But you’ve heard all this before at the boat shows, on the Grady-White website, at the dealerships and in the printed catalog. At first glance these claims are hard to distinguish from the marketing hype from other boat brands who claim to be “just as good” as the Grady…but maybe not.

Few companies can match the track record of Grady-White over the decades. It has been under continuous ownership by Eddie Smith and his family since 1968, building over 75,000 hulls since then, quite a feat for a small boat builder. What good is an extended hull warranty on that new go-fast, deep-vee offshore rocket sled if the company that made it is out of business three years later? In an era of constantly changing next-gen hull designs and high-tech material evolution, the engineers at Grady-White have weathered storms, wars, recessions, pandemics and more to keep their boats consistently at the highest quality levels, making intentional changes along the way to improve their products without jumping reactively at the latest industry fad. A while back, Grady started incorporating next-gen composites like foam core stringers, transoms, bulkheads and more into the mix, using their proven lamination methods to continue their legacy of building rock-solid sportfishing boats, and making a great thing even better.

I have made numerous trips to the factory during my 42-year relationship with Grady-White, seeing many familiar faces of craftsmen who have been there for 20, 30, and 40 years or even more, loving their jobs and putting that positive vibe into their work. Grady-White leadership empowers their employees to be part of a constant improvement process and the listening doesn’t stop there, extending to their dealer network and customer base at numerous national and regional boat shows. This vision creates consistent excellence and is what separates Grady-White from other sportfishers in the fleet. Although I currently own two competitive boats, I have been looking to upgrade to a late-model used Grady center console and will probably pull the trigger sometime soon. So when you want to be sure you’ve got the best…definitely get the Grady!

—Captain John N. Raguso, Owner & Operator of MarCeeJay Sport Fishing