Grand Banks????

[BilgeRat]

Any one here ever owned a Grand Banks. I kind of like the style but have not been aboard. I've seen a few from the outside and noticed some were wood and others glass. When did they stop making the wood ones?? I'd rather stay away from wood. I prefer working with steel but glass would be second best.

Anyone out there that makes steel trawlers?

Yours aye!

[GordMay]

Some Grand Banks models sported wooden hulls until well into the 1970s.

[irwinsailor]

I think Grand Banks stopped building in wood about 1973. I hear that the wood that they used rotted very fast.

[SkiprJohn]

Grand Banks in glass are great boats. I've been aboard several. The old wood ones would last just fine in cold salt water if taken care of properly.
JohnL

[BilgeRat]

Thanks Mates,
I guess cold salt would apply up here. But glass would be the choice. I'll have to find one for sale and check'r out.

Yours aye!

[David_Old_Jersey]

Originally Posted by BilgeRat

I kind of like the style but have not been aboard.

I like the style as well, but I've not owned one (not enuf money!).

However I went aboard one a while back at a S/h boat show (obviously the salesman was on a slow day letting me aboard!) - I am pretty sure it was 42 foot version, not the smaller 36 (?) one - I was very surprised how small it was inside. My impression was a nice enuf (but not particulerly big) master cabin aft, a nice enuf (but not spacious) wheel house which double as the "Living area" and forward and below a couple of small (not exactly inviting) cabins for guests / storage.

Of course compared to my 30 foot sailboat all these areas are fooking HUGE in comparison! .....but I was still dissapointed. I am not sure I could live without some sort of aft deck for lounging around (I am an expert lounger ) - even in our climate.

Anyone out there that makes steel trawlers?

Not sure if this is the sort of thing you are after..........it's 43 foot (a lot more room than I recall on the Grand Banks - and a lot more capable of "Bouncing" off stuff )










Pedro boats - the dutch make good boats in steel (and these guys have been going for years - which in my book is always a useful sign), some of Dutch companies make the boats in kits, but not sure if Pedro do as well.

JR Cole Marine Services | New Boats

I did not look up the prices, but before ordering a Kit you might wanna check the UPS charges!

[ufomanm]

Ive been aboard 10 of em here in the NW and am always amazed at how little inside room they really have. Lots of folks have em up Seattle way and love em, both wood and glass, but for me I'll take an old wood Chris Connie any day, why? Ive been on both during our east wind knock down on the columbia gorge and those old Connies sliced through the storm like butter!! An FYI, as luck would have it ( or maybe not) both boats were 40 footers. Also I have yet to go onboard any Grand banks and not be knocked out by fumes,EVER !!! Grand banks has a great web site if your interested. Its because of this that Iam currently looking to buy an old Connie..Good luck and happy motoring.. Mike

[David M]

I think Grand Banks are a little overpriced for what you get compared to other similar designs. I have been aboard a few wood ones. The wood ones always stink..sorry, but they do. You may get used to the stink but your guests won't and they won't say anything in order to be polite. Go with glass and save yourself all the hassles of wood. Other than a few well restored historical relics from the past, the days of wood went with the tall ships. There is no point in owning a wood boat that is not part of history.

[ufomanm]

Oh now ya went and hurt my feeling (Note just one feeling?) Ive had both, Im a power boater and cant sail due to bad shoulders. There are 10,000 if not more posts on glass vs. wood. I wont get into it here but for my money and time I'll stay with wood. And just so ya know 3 of the GBs I were on reaked of fumes and guess what? Yep they were glass AND in very good condition.

[David M]

What can I say, no offense was intended. My apologies. That's just been my personal experience.

Why do you suppose so many of these boats smell bad? Could it be the old straight six Ford Lehman or the Westerbeke's leaking fuel and oil?

[Capct]

Originally Posted by BilgeRat

Any one here ever owned a Grand Banks. I kind of like the style but have not been aboard. I've seen a few from the outside and noticed some were wood and others glass. When did they stop making the wood ones?? I'd rather stay away from wood. I prefer working with steel but glass would be second best.

Anyone out there that makes steel trawlers?

Yours aye!

The woodies were made in Junk Bay in Hong Kong The parent company was called American Marine.The first glass model was built in 1974.Great range on them 1200 miles or so is the average I think.
A wood GB in good conditon is a thing to marvel....but its a ton of work.I wouldnt go for wood either unless I had nothing else better to do than to constantly work on a wood boat.A true labour of love.Lots of wood ones for under 100K ....quite a few glass ones too.
Both versions are slow as molasses though.You will be waiting for slack tide along with the sailboats.

The comments on the ride of old Connies and Bullnose cruisers were right on ....big and beamy and of course much faster....a lovely ride.

[sandel]

The GBs have a great amount of wood trim, even on the glass boats. Personally I really love the look feel and texture of wood, as long as it's on some one elses boat!

Del

[ufomanm]

Speaking of ole Connies, I'll never figure this one out (hell maybe I'll try it myself someday) anyway, about 3 yrs ago Im tied up getting fuel and theres an old 45 foot maybe 1965 Connie in front of me with a 10 hp johnson outboard connected to his transome on a jerry rigged platform. I asked the guy if it was for trolling, "Nope it saves me in gas money" I laughed and just walked away. ( Not making fun of him mind you) anyway he gets some beer and him and his crew of 5 fire up the twins and take off. About 20 minutes later I spot him doing about 4 knots and see a whisp of smoke from the transome so I motor on over and I'll be damned if he wasnt using that little putt putt to cruise!! I didnt get a good look at how he was steering it but he was sitting in a chair on the port side and I could see a tiller hooked up to it. I just waved and gave him the thumbs up and took off. Now how in the hell could he power an old woodie like that against the current (no wind) to speak of, but still? I'll never forget that but just wish I would have pulled along side and taken a better look. And no his main engines were NOT running! Maybe he coated the bottom of the boat with Clark Grisswalds non stick food spray!!

[Capct]

Originally Posted by ufomanm

Speaking of ole Connies, I'll never figure this one out (hell maybe I'll try it myself someday) anyway, about 3 yrs ago Im tied up getting fuel and theres an old 45 foot maybe 1965 Connie in front of me with a 10 hp johnson outboard connected to his transome on a jerry rigged platform. I asked the guy if it was for trolling, "Nope it saves me in gas money" I laughed and just walked away. ( Not making fun of him mind you) anyway he gets some beer and him and his crew of 5 fire up the twins and take off. About 20 minutes later I spot him doing about 4 knots and see a whisp of smoke from the transome so I motor on over and I'll be damned if he wasnt using that little putt putt to cruise!! I didnt get a good look at how he was steering it but he was sitting in a chair on the port side and I could see a tiller hooked up to it. I just waved and gave him the thumbs up and took off. Now how in the hell could he power an old woodie like that against the current (no wind) to speak of, but still? I'll never forget that but just wish I would have pulled along side and taken a better look. And no his main engines were NOT running! Maybe he coated the bottom of the boat with Clark Grisswalds non stick food spray!!

No big deal
Cloth people have used small engines to push there cloth boats for ages.My neighbor has a 26Catalina with a 9.9 and it scoots his boat along at about 6knots.In fact he has never unfurled the sails on it.....he just putts around on it.

The Connie was probably twin gas 454's...pushing those big hulking bodies....15 tons or so....46 feet
Major money even three years ago.
I'm pushing 8 tons over 36ft with twin 318 small block V8's and its not a cheap proposition.
Certainly though the "economy of scale" of big motor yachts can be improved dramatically just by going slower.Something I noticed this summer through the Islands.The smaller boats were still peeling along but the bigger boats were doing slower speeds.Im sure directly related to the fuel costs.Bring out the kicker!

[David M]

Originally Posted by ufomanm

Speaking of ole Connies, I'll never figure this one out (hell maybe I'll try it myself someday) anyway, about 3 yrs ago Im tied up getting fuel and theres an old 45 foot maybe 1965 Connie in front of me with a 10 hp johnson outboard connected to his transome on a jerry rigged platform. I asked the guy if it was for trolling, "Nope it saves me in gas money" I laughed and just walked away. ( Not making fun of him mind you) anyway he gets some beer and him and his crew of 5 fire up the twins and take off. About 20 minutes later I spot him doing about 4 knots and see a whisp of smoke from the transome so I motor on over and I'll be damned if he wasnt using that little putt putt to cruise!! I didnt get a good look at how he was steering it but he was sitting in a chair on the port side and I could see a tiller hooked up to it. I just waved and gave him the thumbs up and took off. Now how in the hell could he power an old woodie like that against the current (no wind) to speak of, but still? I'll never forget that but just wish I would have pulled along side and taken a better look. And no his main engines were NOT running! Maybe he coated the bottom of the boat with Clark Grisswalds non stick food spray!!

It's no surprise a 10 hp engine could push a boat that size at 4 knots. To double the speed of a displacement vessel you have to roughly square the horsepower. Since the boat is at less than half it's theoretical hull speed of 4 knots...for a boat that has a 45/43 foot boat/waterline?..of roughly about 9.8 knots hull speed, then it makes sense. His diesels in gear at idle speed probably push the boat along at 4-5 knots...burning more fuel in MPG than his 10 HP outboard does at 4 knots. There is also quite a bit more mechanical friction from the two much larger diesels than the outboard.

Another factor is that diesels do not like to be idled...they just don't last as long. I went through a pair of diesels that were properly maintained in ten years because of all the idling I do while taking scientific samples. About half the engine hours were spent idling and the other half were spent at cruising speed which is about 85% of maximum output.

I agree that it's kind of a silly thing to do from a practical standpoint, but the guy seems to have a couple of legitimate reasons.