Grady White Seafarer 22 Walkaround Guide, Versions and Values

Grady White Seafarer 22 at a glance

The Grady White Seafarer 22 is a small walkaround cabin boat: 22 feet 2 inches on the centerline, an 8-foot beam, a cuddy with a V-berth and head compartment, recessed side decks to the bow and a self-bailing fishing cockpit. It was already in Grady-White's 1990 catalog and survived, in updated form, until the 2020 model year. For many East Coast anglers it was the first boat that let them run an inlet, fish a wreck and duck inside when the weather turned.

Today it is a used-only boat and a favorite of budget buyers, because an 8-foot beam makes it easy to tow and store, and a 22-foot Grady with a cabin costs far less than a new center console. The catch is age: most Seafarer 22s on the market are 25 to 35 years old, so the condition of the hull, deck and engine matters more than the badge.

Decoding the 226, 227 and 228G variants

Grady-White sold the Seafarer 22 in three versions, and listings often mix them up. Our reading of the 1995 catalog specification page gives the following.

• 226, outboard on a standard transom with a fold-down motorwell bulkhead, 2,875 lb without engine
• 227, sterndrive version listed with a 230 hp engine, 3,876 lb with the engine
• 228G, outboard on Grady-White's integrated bracket transom, 3,000 lb without engine
• Shared figures, 22 feet 2 inches centerline, 8-foot beam, 26-inch cockpit depth, 49 square feet of cockpit, 15-inch hull draft, 280 hp maximum, 92-gallon tank, 7-foot 11-inch transom width
• Bridge clearance 6 feet 2 inches, or 7 feet 11 inches with a hardtop; an auxiliary 56-gallon fuel tank was optional

Inside a 22-foot cuddy from the 1990s

The 1990 catalog layout drawing shows how much Grady-White packed in. The cabin has two berths with fabric-covered foam cushions, a headliner, two fixed front windows and two sliding side windows, a forward hatch, cabin rod storage, under-bunk compartments, side shelves, a lamp and a marine head area, closed off by a lockable door with companionway hatch. It is a place to sleep two anglers on a calm night or get children out of the spray, not a weekend cruiser.

On deck, a 93-gallon underdeck tank sat beneath the cockpit sole in the 1990 version, with a 190-quart insulated fish box, a divided 90 and 45-quart box, rod racks, a lockable electronics box at the helm, tackle drawers under the helm seats, two pedestal chairs, a port aft-facing seat, a ventilated windshield and a stainless bow rail. Everything drained overboard through a self-bailing cockpit with four drains.

From Seafarer 22 to Seafarer 226 and 228

The Seafarer 22 name appears in the 2000 catalog; by the 2006 catalog it was listed as the Seafarer 226/228, the 226 on a standard transom and the 228 on the bracket-style Grady Drive transom. The 2014 specification sheet for the Seafarer 226 and 228 shows how the design matured: 114 gallons of fuel, a 300 hp rating, a 16-inch hull draft, passenger capacity of 10, and weights of 3,385 pounds for the 226 and 3,510 pounds for the 228 with its Grady Drive transom.

The 226 disappeared after 2015 and the Seafarer 228 continued alone through 2020. The final version lists a SeaV2 hull with 20 degrees at the transom, a composite stringer system and transom, Captain Grady digital owner guides, a carbon monoxide detector in the cabin, a rigging station with cutting board, a 190-quart starboard fish box, a 72-quart aft box and a divided port box. Grady-White did not replace it with a new 22-foot walkaround, which keeps late Seafarer 228s in demand.

The repower math on an older Seafarer

Most early Seafarer 22s left the factory with two-stroke outboards or, in the 227's case, a gasoline sterndrive. Many have since been repowered with four-strokes, and that repower is the single largest swing factor in price. A boat with a recent, documented repower from a reputable dealer is worth considerably more than a cheaper boat that will need one next season, because a new 200 to 250 hp outboard with rigging can cost more than the boat itself.

Sterndrive 227s are the rarest and usually the cheapest; they also carry the maintenance costs of outdrives, bellows and an inboard engine. For most buyers, a 226 or 228G with a modern outboard is the better long-term choice. Respect the capacity plate: the 1995 rating was 280 hp, and later boats were rated for 300 hp.

What 30 years does to a Seafarer

Grady-Whites from this era were well built, but time is undefeated. Moisture in the deck, transom or stringer area is the major risk on any 1990s fiberglass boat, so a surveyor with a moisture meter and a sounding hammer is essential. The underdeck fuel tank on older boats should be checked for corrosion and leaks, along with its fill, vent and supply hoses. Windows, the forward hatch and deck hardware are common leak points that stain the cabin and soften cores if neglected.

On the positive side, parts and knowledge are easy to find, and Grady-White's archived brochures and spec sheets let you check exactly what a boat should have. Budget $4,000 to $9,000 a year for typical ownership on a trailer or rack, plus a reserve for age-related repairs.

Seafarer or a newer center console?

For the price of a well-used 21-foot center console, a Seafarer gives you a cabin and walkaround decks, which matter in the Northeast, the Chesapeake and the Pacific Northwest. If you fish mostly in warm, calm weather and want maximum casting room, a center console is the better tool. If you want shelter and a place to sleep, the Seafarer remains one of the best-built small cabin boats of its era.