Grand Banks????

[ufomanm]

Thanks for the replies, I was dumbfounded when I pulled up next to him, he DID NOT have his engines running!! That was what stuck out in my mind. Just that tiny little outboard pushing such a large old bemoth! Im getting ready to go back to liveaboard status and having the hardest time in my life just figuring out what to get. Sail or power. I have bad shoulders but my Doc told me last week to use em even though it hurts. I lived on a 31 foot power boat 6 yrs ago and have (many yrs ago) limited sailing under my belt. Sooo I dont know what Im gonna do, I just know I cant live on land much longer or I'll go nuts. I have to still work to pay for what ever boat I get. And can only sail/power 3 days a week weather permitting, but was spoiled by all the room in my old power boat. Now its just me so I dont need too much room...wish me luck and boy am I glad I found this site. Its the best I've found so far!! Mike

[hatteras]

Depending on where you will be cruising and for how long. You may also want to check out a Marlow Explorer, Krogen and Nordhaven

[Just a Tinch]

Mike, here's my thoughts...for what little they may be worth.

Grand Banks "are" nice boats....however...they generally are overpriced in comparison with other makes of boats. In a cynical way of viewing them as trawlers...they are like a polo shirt with an Izod logo on it versus one without.

We looked at GB's...in the 40' and up class...the interiors were just too small. I would have to equate them with sailboats of shorter length like 35' to 37'.

If you are looking for a power boat to live on...and want some space as well as "economy" of price and operation....you might want to look at "Presents", "Marine Traders", "Nova's", "Embassy's", "Hatteras's" and we ended up buying a 44' Gulfstar MC. Gulfstar also built a 43' MC the Mark II.

Our 44' has twin Perkins 130's (naturals) and only uses about 4 gph cruising at 8 to 8.5 knots. Tons of room inside.

I'll give you a hint....there is a 44' Gulfstar MC for sale in North Myrtle Beach, SC....the asking price isn't bad....but trust me...you would be better off buying a different one....but here are some search results on the Gulfstars. They also built some sailboats, but I limited the search to power.

YachtWorld.com Boats and Yachts for Sale

[High Cotton]

In respect to limited space in the GRAND BANKS, it really depends on the model, EUROPA which is the style of the one pictured previously, or a SUNDECK or just the traditional TRUNK model.
Seem the TRUNK model has less room than all of 'em... but go look at a EUROPA, I think you'd be surprised...... that's actually what I was looking to buy before my brother talked me into buying my Endeavour for cruzin the islands....... but a TRAWLER will most certainly do the same cruze, just a more fuel.

[skinner555@comcast.net]

I have just gone through the process of deciding which new boat to buy. After looking at just about everything on the market in a trawler style boat, I decided on a grand Banks. Here is why. 1) After having bought and sold several boats, is clear to me that the amount that the boat costs is the amount you bought it for minus the amount you sell it for. Another consideration, not unrelated to the above, is whether there is a vibrant market for the boat you're trying to sell (and you can actually sell the boat). Needless to say, the Grand Banks wins hands down- apparently no grand Banks has ever sold for less than it was purchased for. 2) I have no quarrel with those who complain about reduced interior space- but what you get instead is the luxury of wide comfortable side decks and an abundance of cleats that make tying up to a dock, adjusting fenders, rafting, and fishing, a pleasurable task. Obviously, I opted for the side decks. 3) then there is the question of quality- after looking at many comparable boats, GB quality is unquestionably superior. All you have to do is look at things like wiring ( and whether or not chafe has been taken into consideration and prevented), plumbing, through hulls, hardware, etc. take a look at the placing of mounting screws and allignment of cabinet and door hinges- they will be perfectly alligned. it's not that this lining up is important by itself, but it indicates how much attention is given to detail and care is taken in construction. this is why GB can charge more in the first place and why they have such astounding resale value. there are other boats which have comparable quality and resale value but they are few and far between. my advice, buy quality in the first place and you will have a more enjoyable cruising experience and spend less money ( after the inevitable selling of the boat occurs).
Best
Bob

[High Cotton]

I think you've made a great choice.... I've never heard anybody criticize a GB!

[thomas70]

I took a 1972 wooden 42 Banks to trawlerfest a couple years ago was'nt mine but a customers. I found it very uncomfortable. Just not laid out well.

[clockwork orange]

I did some major repair on a wood GB42 about 10 yrs ago,it got dropped from a crane as it was being launched,i had to replace some frames and planks,the entire transom,lots of stuff actually.Some observations.This was a 1966 model and had spent its entire life in fresh water(Great Lakes) and had very little rot
in the planking or frames,the transom was bad.the big issue though and this probably applies to the glass boats too was that the diesel tanks which were either side amidships were iron and shaped to fit the hull so the is a low corner,water being heavier than fuel sits in this corner and rusted it out so one tank was leaking.to make matters worse there was no provision made for ever removing the tanks so i actually removed planking(they were saturated anyway) and frames and removed the tanks from the bottom,made new ones and reversed the process,big job.Another issue was the ridiculously large engines,twin Cummins about 300hp each,i think the smaller Fords which i think are more common would be more appropriate.
Steve.

[David M]

Naturally aspirated Westerbekes and Ford Lehmans (sometimes the same engine) typically around 120 HP each are typical for those boats. Twin 300 HP Cummins are a waste because those hulls were never meant to plane.

[TURTLEcrew]

We started looking for a good live-aboard in Sept, 05 and happened across the boat we bought. Turtle is a '68 GB Flushdeck-Pilothouse. There were only 67 of those hulls built and she's #4. She's 56' x 16', 54,000# and by comparison to the wonderful group of others we looked at, she's huge. She is a wood boat and that was a sticking point as I wanted glass. She needs constant work, but that seems to be a theme with any boat, so why should ours be any different? She's slow and that suits our pace.

We've been living on her since July, 06. Would that Johnson Brothers or that Ocean Al Mark I or that Canoe Cove have done us better? They were our front runners that narrowly got beat out by our GB.

We'd highly suggest one to anyone looking for a great vessel and certainly for a live-aboard!

Aloha!