And Marin the GB32 and 36 are better looking than most or all the other GBs that come to my mind but I'm not that familiar w the bigger models. The 36 is actually the best looking of them all and you don't even realize it.
Well, we'll just have to agree to disagree strongly on that one. We bought a GB because of its construction quality and because its interior layout would accommodate what we wanted to accommodate. And as older GBs are damn near free in the overall scheme of things, it's a terrific value for the money if you don't care what it looks like. Our '73 boat allowed us to get into the kind of boating we want to do at an extremely low cost compared to what we were grudgingly prepared to shell out. It was simply too good a deal to pass up despite the age of the boat and the fact it's not the style of boat we prefer.
Ken Smith's
Spray was a pretty good looking boat in my opinion. But when American Marine changed the lines to create the production Grand Banks I think they totally ruined the boat aesthetically. The house is way too tall for the hull for starters. This is really apparent on the short models--- GB32 and 36. I would not consider the GB32 and GB36 ugly but they're bordering on it in my book.
The basic design gets a little more tolerable as the boats get longer, but only up to a point. The GB42 is okay, and the GB46 is actually quite good in both the Classic and Europa models. Then as the boats get even longer they start looking bad again. The GB48 and 49 are just kind of hulking and blocky and the GB52, which only comes as a Europa, is just too big for the design to work anymore. It looks like an apartment house. And the GB66, of which only three were made, are downright hideous.
I see the whole GB range every time we go to our boat and pass the big GB charter operator on they way out and we have spent time examining GB46s closely when we've thought about aquiring a larger boat. So my opinons, while totally subjective, are based on seeing these boats almost every weekend in person from every angle for nearly 15 years. As opposed to making judgements based on a few photos.
So while I rate GBs near the top of the list in terms of construction quality, longevity, and value for money (the used ones), neither I nor my wife even put them
on the list in terms of what we consider to be a good looking boat. They are just too grossly out of proportion for that.
I've seen a photo of a GB32 with the flying bridge removed and it was a big improvement. But the house is still too tall for the hull even with the flying bridge gone.
The attached photo of our boat up north on the Georgia Strait I think really bears this out. It's just not a good looking or well-proportioned boat at all in my opinion, and I'm always surprised when I hear people saying how good-looking GBs are. Built like a tank, especially the first run of fiberglass 36s and 42s, and the woodies just seem to go on and on and on when taken care of, but sometimes I think the house was designed by the janitor while the naval architects were at lunch.