GrandBanks Liveaboard Adventure

Hello, new to to the forum and looking for advice!
We are considering buying a 90's GrandBanks 46 and living on it in the Vancouver BC area. Are we crazy?

yvr2ams said:

Hello, new to to the forum and looking for advice!
We are considering buying a 90's GrandBanks 46 and living on it in the Vancouver BC area. Are we crazy?

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Wifey B: Yes, you are crazy, so you'll probably fit in quite well with the rest of us.

As long as it has a good heating system. Should have all the room you could possibly need. Have fun.

yvr2ams said:

Hello, new to to the forum and looking for advice!
We are considering buying a 90's GrandBanks 46 and living on it in the Vancouver BC area. Are we crazy?

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Yes, stark raving mad, like the rest of us, as stated by WifeB!
I hesitate to comment, as I have been accused of being negative towards Grand Banks (which I am not by the way). Just as long as you are aware of the maintenance (above and beyond what some other brands/models have), and that is not a concern for you, then they are great, good looking, well built boats!
For Vancouver area live aboards, you will need good heating, and a good dehumidifier (or 2).
Enjoy your adventure,
Tom

You are crazy if you make an offer without some idea of we’re you will more it and if they accept liveaboards.

Have you lived on a boat year-round in this region? Ok with icy, dark docks? Have a plan to stay warm and a bailout plan if things go sideways? Not trying to be cynical....we live onboard during the summer months in Alaska. Winter is different and isn't easy here.

Thanks for the responses so far!
We have not lived on a boat or owned one of this size before, but are not easily daunted...
an unforeseen issue at this point seems to be finding mooring that accepts live aboards.

It's not for the faint of heart, especially if you know nothing about maintaining a floating vessel. I'd advise to look very closely at the realities of living aboard before jumping into it. Research is cheap...

Here is a good link to learn about the different aspects of liveaboard life.

https://www.liveaboard-boats.com/

Thanks FlyWright, I will check out the link. Lots to consider for sure. Also very exciting. YOLO!!

Don't say live aboard, here in Vancouver it congers up all kinds of twisted ideas, Permanent cruisers ! Marine travelers, BC is getting a little harder to find descent full time moorage, Far to many condos lining the sea shore all wanting the own idea of the perfect sky line making it harder for boaters to anchor in places were mariners have moored for hundreds of years. Left leaning Liberals ! ( Socialism is for every one but the socialist )
Good luck and have fun on the water !

yvr2ams Welcome aboard.
FlyWright' s spot on, if your ex military you will know for sure that time spent on reconnaissance is never wasted.

Ejdakins I agree with your sentiments 100%.

Ejdakins said:

Don't say live aboard, here in Vancouver it congers up all kinds of twisted ideas, Permanent cruisers ! Marine travelers, BC is getting a little harder to find descent full time moorage, Far to many condos lining the sea shore all wanting the own idea of the perfect sky line making it harder for boaters to anchor in places were mariners have moored for hundreds of years. Left leaning Liberals ! ( Socialism is for every one but the socialist )
Good luck and have fun on the water !

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Very good post. And while getting a tad political, it does raise some issues with permanent cruisers. Like that name.

Yes much maintenance but love the boat

We purchased our 1990 hull 91 GB 46 in 2011. We love the boat but she does require a significant amount of topside maintenance. In addition as a 1990 you will have on going system maintenance / upgrades but that comes with most boats of that vintage.

Absolutely go for it. Hey, if you don’t like it move back ashore. Don’t let everyone rain on your parade. My only caution would be make sure you can sit comfortably in the built in furniture for long periods of time. My wife and I both have back trouble and cannot sit in built in furniture for any amount of time. Most GBs have built in furniture which immediately eliminated them as a possible boat for us.

yvr2ams said:

Thanks for the responses so far!
We have not lived on a boat or owned one of this size before, but are not easily daunted...
an unforeseen issue at this point seems to be finding mooring that accepts live aboards.

Click to expand...

You need to look outside of the city itself. In the city, the only marinas that openly accept liveaboards are full, with a clientele that changes little year by year. There are some that are saying "no living aboard" but turn the blind eye. Those are harder to find, but again, the turnover is slow.
In the river, there are more marinas that will allow living aboard, but most people don't want to face that long slog upriver, should you actually want to go cruising.
Maple Bay, Ladysmith Harbour, Nanaimo all offer some possibilities, but if work ties you to Vancouver proper, not acceptable.

Good luck on your search.

Hard not to be a little political these days, I never in all my years seen the level of insanity in the political arena as there is, hopefully cooler heads will prevail and we will get back to basic, all any one wants is to be happy, joyous and free, live with out the left wing wackos dictating how we should live, or thinking the government knows best, government could not organised a **** fight in an out house.
I am looking forward to spending a few quiet hours on the boat cruising the inside passage, catch up on some reading, may do a little painting, strolling on some of the beaches i have seen but didn't have the time to do a looky-Lou.

Maybe a typo or semantics but choose a slip and not a mooring. Liveaboards require constant electricity (either 120 VAC or 12 VDC ) to run refrigerators and possibly AC / heat.
Also, good comments on the status. Some marinas frown upon 24/7 usage. Even though it is paid for.

Took ownership of a 2001 46 europa in 2014. Keep her in Sydney and spend may through September on board. Love the boat. Love the cruising from here to alaska. Endless possibilities. No regrets. Good luck. Check NW Expedition in Bellingham for listings and /or charters for GBs. Good luck! Cheers

yvr2ams said:

Hello, new to to the forum and looking for advice!
We are considering buying a 90's GrandBanks 46 and living on it in the Vancouver BC area. Are we crazy?

Click to expand...

I have an older GB42 in Seattle. The marina that I am in doesn't allow any liveaboards, but they define that as more than staying aboard more than 90 hours/month. I spend 3-4 nights/week staying aboard rather than commuting 3.5-4 hours/day for work. I think that they largely turn a blind eye for those of us who spend more than the 90 hours/month on board provided that we're tidy, not on-board 7 days/week, and have a permanent address other than the marina.

Winter heat will be your biggest comfort concern. I have the a Webasto Airtop 55 forced air diesel heater which is the largest forced air unit that they make, and it hasn't been able to get the interior of the boat any warmer than 58-59F (15C) with the overnight outside temps dropping well below freezing this past week or so. Those lovely big windows in the saloon are a major thermal penalty in the winter months unless they're covered with something insulated and then you have a cave. For the GB46 I would seriously consider a diesel-fired radiator heat option for area heating comfort and additional capacity.

The whole Puget Sound to Strait of Georgia area seems very constrained about liveaboards spaces in the more dense urban areas. Marinas in the Seattle area that allow liveaboards are constrained by state law to no more than 10% of their total slip population as liveaboards, and the wait lists are usually from 1-3 years depending highly on slip size. Based on other posts things are similar in the Vancouver metro area. Buying a slip in an ownership-based marina may be an option but those are often very expensive and may still be highly regulated.


Good luck.

No you're not crazy. We live full time on a GB 48 and have been for the last 4 years. Lots of room and well built boats. We moved ours to California and despite the crazy politics, really enjoy the adventure. We keeps ours in a covered slip and I would recommend that as well in the NW if you can find a suitable slip. I'd say if its something you want to do, do it while you can.

Thanks Bear Spirit,
Heating was my next concern especially as we are looking out the window at a bit of snow right now... The 46 we are looking at closely now does have Diesel Hydronic Heating and i was wondering how that would hold up in this sort of weather. Anyone have experience with these units in these conditions?

You bring up an interesting question of “no liveaboards”. We have found that to be more a discriminator of who they accept at a marina than any flat rule.

First, if your boat is presentable you have gone a long way towards acceptability. There also seems to be a symantic difference between liveaboard and crew. Lastly, extended stays seem accepatble as a transient implying as a livaboard you will never move your boat or ever leave.

My wife and I (crew) have stayed at a number of “no liveaboard” marinas for up to four months at a time all with invitations to stay longer.

Bottom line is don’t assume “no liveaboards” mean “no liveaboards”. Discuss your plans with the marina as a crew wanting an extended transient berth. You might be surprised that the “no liveaboard’ moniker does not now include you.

Two comments, please
Get on the wait-list at Spruce Harbour, False Creek South. Designed originally for liveaboards.
Unless you really like bright-work work (I meant that), pick an alternative that is easier to maintain.
(Have a look at an Eagle Transpac 40. With a 14'9" beam it has lots of space. There is one for sale at Grand Yachts. And, yes, it does currently belong to a friend....)
Happy hunting (boat and berth)!

YVR2AMS, I have a friend who lives aboard at Richmond Yacht Club, Middle Arm of Fraser River near YVR. They usually don't allow live aboards but he is sort of a night watchman for them. He would be a good guy to talk with and I could set that up with you. Shelter Island has some live aboards. A guy there builds boat sheds with an apartment on one end. They have moorage for them also under the Alex Fraser Bridge. False Creek has some live aboards, but a waiting list (when I had last checked it) unless you buy your boat with "grandfathered" moorage. Let us know what you decide.

Russell Clifton said:

As long as it has a good heating system. Should have all the room you could possibly need. Have fun.

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Installed a 60k BTU Hurricane Heater on my 48 Foot wooden GB last year. Makes ALL the difference in the world keeping lower berths dry and warm. Not only for winter cruising but summer evenings in the Broughtons!

garychurch said:

You bring up an interesting question of “no liveaboards”. We have found that to be more a discriminator of who they accept at a marina than any flat rule.

First, if your boat is presentable you have gone a long way towards acceptability. There also seems to be a symantic difference between liveaboard and crew. Lastly, extended stays seem accepatble as a transient implying as a livaboard you will never move your boat or ever leave.

My wife and I (crew) have stayed at a number of “no liveaboard” marinas for up to four months at a time all with invitations to stay longer.

Bottom line is don’t assume “no liveaboards” mean “no liveaboards”. Discuss your plans with the marina as a crew wanting an extended transient berth. You might be surprised that the “no liveaboard’ moniker does not now include you.

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Some seasonally busy marinas further north are delighted to have semi-permanent moorage customers. Their summer transient business is vital for revenue but empty berths in winter are offered at discounts. Just need to ask.

We (Jim 67 and semi-retired, Sidse 54 and very un-retired!) on a 44 foot Marine Trader in Copenhagen Denmark, year round. Same type of humid/cold climate (ok, maybe a little warmer) that you will experience. Get a good heating system (Webasto, Eberspacher and similar are definitely not up to the job) - you need a hydronic system similar to a residential central heating setup - Kabola and Maritime Booster are both up to the job and can be combined with hot air blowers and radiators as you wish. Buy good dehumidifiers to keep everything copacetic, make sure you have a great galley (food is important) and insulate wherever you can. The remaining 6 months of the year are pure magic!
Jim/Sidse - Denmark

lavida said:

Installed a 60k BTU Hurricane Heater on my 48 Foot wooden GB last year. Makes ALL the difference in the world keeping lower berths dry and warm. Not only for winter cruising but summer evenings in the Broughtons!

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That is a large heater for a boat! I presume it is oil fired, how often do you have to refuel and what capacity? Yes indeed, you should be very comfortable with that heating system. Good for you

Live aboards

Comodave said:

Absolutely go for it. Hey, if you don’t like it move back ashore. Don’t let everyone rain on your parade. My only caution would make sure you can sit comfortably in the built-in furniture for long periods of time. My wife and I both have back trouble and cannot sit in built in furniture for any amount of time. Most GBs have built in furniture which immediately eliminated them as a possible boat for us.

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On my trawler yacht, 43ft, I have taken out a piece of the fixed furniture and bought 2 armchairs which have made so much difference to the way that we enjoy the boat.