Thread: Island Gypsy
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Old 12-16-2012, 02:45 PM   #33
Marin
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Join Date: Oct 2007
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BruceK View Post
I think GB set a benchmark;
I think the main benchmark American Marine set with their Grand Banks design was consistency of quality. Over the years there have been designs that are more pleasing and makes and models of boats that are better built.

But what AM brought to the production boat table with their GB line in 1966, first in wood and then in fiberglass, was consistency. Every GB was built by the same people (figuratively speaking) in the same yard with the same materials to the same quality standard (for the most part--- they had periodic bouts of hull layup problems and kept calling Howard Abbey back to set the process right again).

Not that this consistent quality thing is a GB exclusive. But particularly during the heyday of the "farm the work out" Taiwan Trawler makes and models, GB's approach to production boat building, first in Kowloon and then in Singapore, stood out.
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