i'm looking at two boats at the moment.

1979 Grady White 185 Challenger w/ 88hp johnson &

14ft starcraft w/15hp Merc

both are in the same ball park cost wise.

the Starcraft is a newer model.just not sure what the best bet for the southcoast area would be? i enjoy the rivers but getting to the islands on a nice day would be sweet.
any thoughts?
also what should i look for on the Grady White?

thank you

Go with Grady. Buzzards bay can change quick
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make sure the transom and the deck is solid, that era boat were built with ply, in particular the deck was not sealed underneath.
my 78 grady had issues with water soaking into the transom, and stringers at the stern, I replaced the transom and the deck, an easy job once you get the liner out, which was a friggin beetch to do, you had to use 2 vertical winches to get it up and out the boat without breaking it.

the 88 hp should be the commercial detuned 100 hp that is a great motor if you have solid compression and no liner scoring in the cylinders.

I would advise staying away from a Grady that old that hasn't had serious transom and stringer work done. the 88 is a solid motor but a little under powered for that boat IMO. another thing to look at is wiring. if it's original you could spend anywhere between 100 and 1000 to fix it. depends on how handy you are. there are going to be lots of boats on the market for short money this fall. if you can hold out I would.

i appreciate the info....thank you

sarcraft would be my choice.. far more economical to run..

I would pick the tin boat too. Fishing in skinny water is way more fun than deep IMO. I have both sizes, types, you are looking at and I would never ever give up my 25 year old 14 foot tin boat.