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My trip
to the Abacos was fraught with problems. The flight out of New York’s
La Guardia Airport was an hour late just getting to the runway, then sat
there for another hour. At Miami International I was informed, after sprinting
clear across the terminal, that my four-seat puddle jumper was gone. “Can’t
be!” I huffed. “Can be,” a smiling rep said.
I had
to get there. Joey Weller, Grady-White’s customer relations manager,
had gone to great lengths to set up a fishing trip for me on the newly
redesigned Sailfish 282. (The Sailfish 272 walkaround had undergone enough
changes for the company to rename it.) So in a move that would have made
Jackie Chan flinch, I whipped out my billfold and flashed my Sam’s
Club card. “It’s a matter of national security,” I said
stiffly. My attempt at humor scored points. The airline rep picked up
a handheld radio and after a quick conversation said, “Lucky you.
They’re still here and are coming back.”
A $65,
one-hour cab ride across the island was yet another ordeal, capped by
a 20-minute boat ride that finally delivered me to the Green Turtle Club
near sunset. A smiling Weller met me at the dock, and I told him my tale
of woe over a Bass Ale. “That’s okay, Ken,” said Weller
in his soothing North Carolinian drawl, “Grady-White’s gonna
take care of things from here on in.”
How
right he was. But before we went fishing, Weller and I discussed why Grady
had altered the successful 272. “We base changes on direct input
from our customers,” he told me. “And with the 272, the suggestions
were significant enough for us to go ahead with the modifications. Our
problem was, of course, how to do it.”
Grady’s
solution began with styling changes that resulted in a lower profile with
a more rounded house and larger side windows. The 272’s front cabin
windows have been swapped for a large Bowmar hatch that, together with
the new side windows, not only makes the cabin feel roomier, but also
affords better air circulation.
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