30 GW Marlin vs 30 Regulator Express

[FenderBender282]

Thinking about a move myself. Those who know, which boat would you take. We are talking inshore/offshore trolling and also some bottom fishing, drifting for flounder and tuna chunking. Being a weekend warrior, we gotta be able to go when they are calling for 3 to 5's. My Sailfish is a great boat, but i want to move up and i want to make the best move possible. Thanks

[jawz12]

Thinking about a move myself. Those who know, which boat would you take. We are talking inshore/offshore trolling and also some bottom fishing, drifting for flounder and tuna chunking. Being a weekend warrior, we gotta be able to go when they are calling for 3 to 5's. My Sailfish is a great boat, but i want to move up and i want to make the best move possible. Thanks

you're kidding,right ???

there's absolutley no comparrison..the regulator wins hands down...that marlin pounds,just like the 282 you're running,those boats are heavy lead sled dogs,they will pound your head in,in big seas,a good boat for inshore fishing,but not a good choice for offshore.the regulator has the deep v hull,it's designed and built to run in a sea without beating you to death.the construction is much better too...
lots of problems with those bigger gradys and the cored hull sides,lot of boats went back to the factory for big repairs...grady's construction techniques leave alot to be desired,not so with the regulator...

[FenderBender282]

I know your not a big fan of the gw's Jawz but the way i understand is you don't b/s either. Thats why i'm asking. I've been doing my homework on these boats just haven't had a chance to get on them. I've read tons on the Reg console boats but not much on the express. How do these boats perform on the drift or on the hook? The Reg website does not list Cockpit Square Footage, gw lists 74 for the Marlin. I'am comparing size/room also. I called Regulator this morning and i talked to one guy who didn't know, and he said the guy who would know is not in today.
The Regulators are beautiful boats and I really want to get on one to see for myself how big the difference would really be.

[bulldog2]

Fender,
The best guy to talk to about REGS is a dude called Bear,He is on here the BB and THT.It will not be all good concerning the construction and customer SVC as he has had some serious problems but he does love those boats he's just not a cheerleader. Good Luck with your decision either way your good I see plenty of both brands in the canyons.Pat L

[Tricia Lynn]

I have owned the Grady 30 Marlin and have been to the Hudson Canyon several times on a 30 Regulator. I have also owned a 23, 26, and 32 Reg. and a 33 Grady.

As far as ride, the Regulator wins hands down. The Grady pounds in the worst possible place, right under the captains feet.

Both companies build rock solid boats, and Grady White has absolutely, hands down, the best customer service in the business.

The Regulator is probably the best bet if you want to fish in any chop or slop at all. Also, unless Grady has a bow thruster, it is not to agile around the dock, especially with any sort of wind

[gradyfish265]

I will have to agree, the Grady 30 will pound more then the regulator, regulators are solid built boats. Although I have to say, the regulator has a small cockpit for a boat that size, reason enough I would not buy it...give me more cockpit space and it would be hard to beat that boat. This is also coming from a guy who owns a Grady and has fished both brands numerous times. As far as wuality, both are well built and have great customer service so that is a toss up, really comes down to ride and layout. The ride will go to regulator, layout is very debatable.

Personally, layout wise I perfer the Whaler 305 conquest. Great fit and finish, nice cockpit layout and possibly the best access on a ny express/wakaround out there to get to mechanicals through the cockpit access hatch....well it is more like a big door. Only down side is I'm not a merc fan....

Persoanlly...if your looking for a boat to go out to the canyon in 3-5's, I'd do diesel, the added weight and reliability is the way to go if your looking to run in 3-5's, my choice would be a Henriques 28....they are tanks and will get you out there in no sweet...oh and burn about 140gal or so to the canyon and back with a pair of yanmars....pretty hard to beat, you will be burning well over 200 with outboards....my 265 burns between 180-200gal, and a marlin or regulator will burn more, especially the regulator with F350's. That extra weight and better center of gravity lower in the boat as well as having the engine weight in the middle will provide a huge comfort factor in the ride. They are right in the same price range as what your looking at for the most part. My next leap after my 265 will likely be to a 28 or 30 Henriques.

[wreckman]

I owned a 2000 30 Marlin for a few years. It had twin Yamaha 250 ox66's which got about 1 mile per gallon at 4000rpm cruising at 27 mph. The boat is well laid out, and easy to maintain.

The ride was poor at best in a 3-5 head sea, it pounded. On a drift in 3-4's it had a terrible snap roll. Beam sea, and a following sea wasn't that bad.

The motors are mounted to close together so maneuvering in tight quarters was very poor. They did move the motors farther apart on the larger Grady's.

The electrical wiring was very messy which was a negative.

So if asked would I purchase another Grady Marlin the answer is NO. I would consider the larger models after a good sea trial before I say no to those models. Grady service was also very good and reliable.

I've only been on regulator 26's and they are very impressive in the slop.

Good luck.

[FenderBender282]

Just got the Cockpit Square Footage measurements of the Regulator, 44, the Grady website says the Marlin has 74, seems like a HUGE difference, am i missing something??

[Fast Forward]

Regulator!

[Bligh]

Are you trying to justify the GW or are you concerned about a good ride? As jawz, and tricia lynn and a few others said the regulator is going to smooth out the ocean and the GW is going to hurt you in 3to 5s. its got a modified V bottom not a 24 degree deep V like the regulator. There are a few others not as heavy as the regulator with the same botom, But the regulator with the weight wins the ride part! Go buy the GW if your happy with the ride, but dont even try to compare the two.