250 Explorer To buy, or not to buy

[togntime]

Hey guys. So I've ramped up my quest to upgrade my '83 22'GW. I've been lurking here a while and like the vibe   .The GW forum is full of people asking what is the best buffing wheel for their brand new 30' Marlin . In terms of layout, I love the 250 explorer (even shortchanged 2' for a swim platform). That said, I've narrowed my search down between the 250 and 24GW. I'm about to pull the trigger on a 250. Its a '99 w/ yami 250hp. Its a hull with lots of blue/teal pinstriping. Can one of you guys tell me if this is a Genmar or Wellcraft Aquasport, which are more desirable, and maybe some of the subtle differences between the two? The boat showed well on my initial inspection. Seemed solid and tight. Is there anything I should look for that usually show signs of age and wear and tear ie spider cracking, loose hinges etc? Anyone have or know where I can get some performance numbers - full burn, cruise speed, and range with the yami 250efi? And how does it ride in a tight 3' chop indicitive the Long Island Sound? Does it tend to be wet? Also, has anyone had good success at removing the pinstripes??
Thanks for your time :nemo: ,

[Capt. Bob]

Well well,
Where to begin

First, welcome to the Forum.
Second, Aquasports are the finest boats ever built when compared only to Gradys.
But then we (I) tend to be biased.

The 99 was an Aqua built at the Wellcraft Plant in Sarasota Fla. Both bands were owned by their parent company, Genmar.
Though built in the same plant, there were separate (but equal?) production lines for each brand. (a little help here SB4).

Therefore, the 99 model 250 will be a Gen II (my term only) Aquasport built not unlike others before and after.
Some Aquas and WCs shared genes (think clone) but someone like SB4 is better suited to answer.

In any case, both craft were designed as mid tier production boats, making them affordable to the masses. GWs are usually considered (especially by their owners) to be spawned from the deeper end of the gene pool.

Aquas bang in a confused sea and IMHO are wet but I think you will be hard pressed to find a boat that provides as much bang for the buck. They look good and the early models are boating legend. A non arguable point.

There are some pros and a lot of amateur restorers on this site (and the Mako site too) that can rebuild these things as well as any comparable boat built today.  

I don't have a 99 catalog and never met a pinstripe that couldn't be removed.

Good luck.

[seabob4]

togntime,
I was at Wellcraft building 225/250 Ospreys (the CC sister of the Explorer) in '99.  From '94 until '00 when I left, ASs and Wellcrafts were built on the same line by the same people.  One of the differences between the 2 was the use of composites and foam in the ASs versus wood in the WCs, which is a good thing for AS.  The transoms were poured foam which cured to an amazing hardness and will never rot.  The only issue with the transom area on an Explorer, and was much more prevalent with twins, was cracking in the radii of the splashwell corners, but rarely with a single.  The 250 was a step up from the base 225, she is rated for 300, but I don't think the extra 50HP combined with the increased drag of the second lower unit would make much difference, maybe 2-4 MPH top end.  The old Yammi OX66s are excellent motors, although they tend to shake a bit at idle.

Does the boat your looking at have a hardtop?  That is a very nice feature to have as it allows a hard platform to mount antennas/electronics, as well as providing an excellent foundation for an enclosure, which I would suggest.  However, if she has a bimini, an enclosure can be designed for that as well.  She is a bit wet, but not overly so, depends on the sea conditions, just like any other boat, AS or not.

CB is right in that an AS offers a lot of features for the money, and with the 250, she also has a molded stringer grid (foam-filled) that is bonded to the hull with Plexus, whereas the 225 has conventional foam-filled stringers glassed to the hull.  A definite plus for the 250.

The only real "problem" (and I always thought it was a "problem" right out of the factory) is that the fishbox (which is great, it has a hinged lid that opens from either side) is emptied by a small bilge pump.  Obviously, it will not be able to macerate fish scales or anything of that sort.  I recommend installing a macerator pump and re-plumbing the fishbox to that.

As far as the boat striping, well, I kind of liked that motif...

Good luck on your purchase!

Bob C

[togntime]

Thanks for the help guys. The boat doesn't have a hardtop, although I saw factory top advertised on this site. We also have a couple fabricators on the island that can make something nice. I really do like the looks and the functionality of the hard top, especially on the 250. It would definatley be my first modificaition. How is the insulation in the above deck boxes? Will they hold ice fairly well? Is below deck fish box pump the same pump as the livewell pump, or is the livewell pump shared with the washdown? Would it be possible to flush mount gunnel rod holders across the transom, maybe two, or should I be concerned about water intrusion? Should I be concerned about cracking the pulpit. I can see my-self snapping while trying be back my grapple out of a wreck.
Thanks again,
and I should mention that I was a proud owner of '79 19-6 CC. Boat didn't owe me a dime...

[seabob4]

The livewell pump does double-duty with the washdown, controlled with a y-valve located in the upper starboard side tackle center behind that small door.  The fishbox pump is actually installed on the drain fitting of the fishbox.  Open the access door of the tackle center, stick your head in and look towards the back of the fishbox, you'll see it.

As far as installing flush rod holders, I would suggest 1 ea. flanking the livewell.  Port side doesn't really pose any issues clearance wise as you move outboard (although one might drain directly onto the freshwater pump... :( ), but you would run into issues with the starboard side clearing the tackle trays...

Don't worry about the pulpit.  We had a 250 Osprey (identical pulpit to the Explorer) out once in the Gulf and got hung up on a reef with a cheap Danforth.  Finally broke loose.  Bent that Danforth 90 degrees...and the pulpit was just fine!

Bob C

[togntime]

Bob, thanks again! Is the hull bottom cored, or solid glass? What about the sides?

[seabob4]

Bob, thanks again! Is the hull bottom cored, or solid glass? What about the sides?

The hull is solid glass from the waterline below.  There is hullside coring (divinylcell), but only above the waterline.

[JoseGaspar]

togntime,
I was at Wellcraft building 225/250 Ospreys (the CC sister of the Explorer) in '99.  From '94 until '00 when I left, ASs and Wellcrafts were built on the same line by the same people.  One of the differences between the 2 was the use of composites and foam in the ASs versus wood in the WCs, which is a good thing for AS.  The transoms were poured foam which cured to an amazing hardness and will never rot.  The only issue with the transom area on an Explorer, and was much more prevalent with twins, was cracking in the radii of the splashwell corners, but rarely with a single.  The 250 was a step up from the base 225, she is rated for 300, but I don't think the extra 50HP combined with the increased drag of the second lower unit would make much difference, maybe 2-4 MPH top end.  The old Yammi OX66s are excellent motors, although they tend to shake a bit at idle.

SeaBob..I have similar cracking on the transom of my '87 250CCP.  They don't appear to be too deep, but one is about 2" long and splits off into two smaller cracks.  How concerned should I be about these?  I'm running a single Suzi 200hp.

JG

[seabob4]

SeaBob..I have similar cracking on the transom of my '87 250CCP.  They don't appear to be too deep, but one is about 2" long and splits off into two smaller cracks.  How concerned should I be about these?  I'm running a single Suzi 200hp.

JG

The question is, how wide are the cracks?

[Capt. Bob]

Like this, only shorter?

viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4670

[seabob4]

Bob,
Just looked at that thread.  The most evidentiary cracks are where the deck met the hull in the transom area, that being a style with a large transom cutout in both the hull and the deck.  When the boat is decked, a gap is left in this area, to be filled in by whatever means possible.  The proper way is to dry fit, measure the gap, pull the deck back off, cut strips of 3610 to fill in the gap, saturate, lay and secure in place on the hull, and deck the boat.

Once the glass has kicked, grind flush, any remaining small pockets to be filled with a mix of chop and resin (I mean SMALL pockets!), then gel and finish before the transom trim is installed.  In an instance like the one pictured in the thread, it is the gel patch that cracked, not the substrate below it, IF IT WAS DONE RIGHT!

The cracks I am talking about are in the molded radii in the splashwell corners as they turn forward...

[JoseGaspar]

SeaBob..I have similar cracking on the transom of my '87 250CCP.  They don't appear to be too deep, but one is about 2" long and splits off into two smaller cracks.  How concerned should I be about these?  I'm running a single Suzi 200hp.

JG

The question is, how wide are the cracks?

Hairline, maybe as thick a a sheet of paper....nothing like the photos shown in the previous post.

[seabob4]

SeaBob..I have similar cracking on the transom of my '87 250CCP.  They don't appear to be too deep, but one is about 2" long and splits off into two smaller cracks.  How concerned should I be about these?  I'm running a single Suzi 200hp.

JG

The question is, how wide are the cracks?

Hairline, maybe as thick a a sheet of paper....nothing like the photos shown in the previous post.

Don't worry, but keep them in mind.  If they grow, we'll tell you how to fix them...for good!  In the meantime, when it warms up, hit Caladesi, Honeymoon, and catch some snook...or reds...or get out there and get some grouper!

[RickK]

Hey guys. So I've ramped up my quest to upgrade my '83 22'GW. I've been lurking here a while and like the vibe   .The GW forum is full of people asking what is the best buffing wheel for their brand new 30' Marlin . In terms of layout, I love the 250 explorer (even shortchanged 2' for a swim platform). That said, I've narrowed my search down between the 250 and 24GW. I'm about to pull the trigger on a 250. Its a '99 w/ yami 250hp. Its a hull with lots of blue/teal pinstriping. Can one of you guys tell me if this is a Genmar or Wellcraft Aquasport, which are more desirable, and maybe some of the subtle differences between the two? The boat showed well on my initial inspection. Seemed solid and tight. Is there anything I should look for that usually show signs of age and wear and tear ie spider cracking, loose hinges etc? Anyone have or know where I can get some performance numbers - full burn, cruise speed, and range with the yami 250efi? And how does it ride in a tight 3' chop indicitive the Long Island Sound? Does it tend to be wet? Also, has anyone had good success at removing the pinstripes??
Thanks for your time :nemo: ,

Welcome aboard togntime  :!:  :!:
I like my Explorer - night and day change from the Osprey I have. Too bad you couldn't find a '94-95 250 Explorer - totally a different boat from the ground up but only made a couple years.  The 250 Yammy on mt 230 pushes her just fine - 40 top end (at 27gph   ). You'll end up with about the same cockpit space as my 230, because of your forward transom, which is a lot. Anyway, I think you'll like the 250 you're looking at - it's a big fishing boat with some amenities  8)