Cruising Family

[Hyperion]

I joined a bit ago but just noticed this thread so I thought I would introduce myself. I have been a boater my whole life but mostly sailing, racing, and small runabouts. I bought a Grand Banks 36 five years ago and refitted her to do the loop with my family. We ran it in 2019-2020 for 500 days and 7200 miles. We sold the 36 and bought a 42 a year ago and we cruise the FL Keys and Bahamas. We plan to do the Down East Loop next summer and maybe the Caribbean or Europe the year after that while our daughter still is young enough to want to hang out with us. I look forward to learning from all the other boaters here and perhaps share some knowledge as well.

 

[Peter B]

Welcome to the forum. The GB42 is a great boat. A friend of mine has one in the South of France, and I've been aboard. Sadly we had no time to go out in her though.

 

[fgarriso]

Welcome Aboard!

 

[Blissboat]

If that gray-hulled GB is yours, my compliments on a nice looking boat, and on that serious spotlight mounted on the upper console.

 

[Hyperion]

If that gray-hulled GB is yours, my compliments on a nice looking boat, and on that serious spotlight mounted on the upper console.

Thanks to everyone. They are both mine. I sold the dark blue one and we now cruise in the grey one. That spot is monstrous but love it. The 42 is 50 years old but I am the second owner and she had her engine room gutted and refit with new Lehman 135s, fuel tanks 1000 Gal, Water 300 Gal, 2 Northern Light Gensets and a myriad of other improvements. She has new teak decks and although I kept all primary systems analog, she has a sophisticated software I wrote to manage all aspects of administration. I installed all kinds of sensors to notify me of any issue on board or away. Currently I am ading a new app to the ipads in all cabins that allow me to control the all the lights on board. She is old school in all the right places and modern in very useful ones.

My favorite part:

 

[Hippocampus]

Be wonderful if you would share your updates done and contemplated.

 

[Hyperion]

Be wonderful if you would share your updates done and contemplated.

Sure. So it is a 1973 Grand Banks Heritage. I am the second owner and I have had her for a little over a year. The previous owner made large updates to her about 10 years ago but he was 95 and could no longer use her. He loved the vessel and after seeing me take care of my 1973 36 next to him for a year in preparation for the Loop he asked me to buy it from him. His asking price was certainly fair market value for a 50 year old GB 42 but this was far from a normal one so I pulled the trigger. Until I sold my 36 I went around bragging about how I had a GB collection.

Done:
- Gutted and refinished Engine Room.
- 2 Ford Lehman 135s.
- 2 Borg Warner Velvet drives.
- Northern Lights 13kw main Genset.
- Northern Lights 10kw backup Genset.
- Fuel tanks removed New tanks installed. Stainless built inside ER. No hull cutting. 1000 Gal Capacity including two spare tanks in Lazaret where water was.
- New water tanks built over bilge in ER 300 Gal Cap.
- Custom SS sliding Toolbox/Benches in ER corridor
- Full engine room insulation as well as house. You can barely hear engines and Genset inside and cant at cruise on Fly Bridge.
- New teak deck all around including aft cabin top. 1" thick old growth quarter sawn
- All original hatches under lazaret and throughout the boat that were plywood remade and glassed.
- Custom reversible reclining sun lounge on FB
- Halon system in ER
- Synchronizers
- Coupling 2 piece shafts to allow replacement without haul out.
- Rub rail flares extended out 2" to protect cap rails and hand rails.
- Electric winch on Cabin top to launch dink.
- Sub Zero under counter fridge.
- Sub Zero under counter freezer.
- 9" marine chest Fridgibar freezer fridge on flybridge.
- Ipad Vessel Maintenance app running on ipads in all cabins on board or from shore.
- Digital, wireless Central Light controls run from ipads or remotely from shore.
- Wireless security cameras visible remotely
- Secure wifi network with vpn and high power external antennae that projects vessel wifi out 3 miles. (So if no internet, all remote functions from phone still work on LAN like turning on spreader lights in dark anchorage when coming up on dink.)
- Wireless Wifi sensors with phone alert bilge alarm, Temp and Humidity, power state.


To Do
- Aluminum hull RIB.
- 1000 watts of flexible solar on Bimini.
- Victron 3kw Charger Inverter and other Victron bits.
- 800 AH LifePo 24v House Bank.
- New Auto Pilot.
- Electric Windlass.
- 3M Clear UV/IR film for all windows.
- Remove, Rebed, all externally fixed pieces and trim.
- Refinish Superstructure as gelcoat is original and very tired.
- Starlink
- Massive hull lights under swim platform. (kid likes fishes) (white, not a disco)

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. Congrats on your new boat.

 

[Blissboat]

Hyperion, when daydreaming of bringing a 20th century Grand Banks fully into the 21st century, that list of mods and updates incorporates a lot of what must be on any GB enthusiast's wish list. Talk about a well-sorted 1973 GB! I must say, however, that's a lot of generator capacity for a 42' boat. Having two mains and two gensets in that engine compartment, it's unclear where you shoehorned in 300 gallons of water, but from the photo the space appears clean and organized, and functional to move about in.

Anytime you're of a mind to share more pix, bring 'em on.

 

[Hyperion]

Hyperion, when daydreaming of bringing a 20th century Grand Banks fully into the 21st century, that list of mods and updates incorporates a lot of what must be on any GB enthusiast's wish list. Talk about a well-sorted 1973 GB! I must say, however, that's a lot of generator capacity for a 42' boat. Having two mains and two gensets in that engine compartment, it's unclear where you shoehorned in 300 gallons of water, but from the photo the space appears clean and organized, and functional to move about in.

Anytime you're of a mind to share more pix, bring 'em on.

It sure has a bunch of the more pricy things done, that is why I jumped at buying it, even before selling my 36. It would have cost what I paid for the 42 just to get my 36 up to half that setup. On top of that, there was a West Marine's worth of tools and spares that came with the boat. Example: 5 spare props, 3 complete raritan spare head systems, spare rudder, shaft, hot water tank. The list whent on and on and included a storage room full of 50 years of stuff. I forgot to mention that I figured out the other day why none of the fuel lines had hose clamps. They, and the fittings, are commercial aviation grade. The water tanks are in the bilge below the floor the length of the Engine room. Custom made with an arch on the bottom to allow for the bilge to work. Although I have humdreds of pics of the 36. I don't have many of the 42 but ill post some more soon. The picts in the engine room were mid cleanup as it had not been cleaned for a year when I got it. I organized all the tools and then my kid and I cleaned all the dust off the engines and gennys. There are two gennys because the PO ran no imverter or house bank. He basically ran a genset at all times so he switched back and forth to rest them amd have a backup. The tan carpet in the photo was custom made to fit all soles amd there was a spare! We removed it because we love the teak and it was pristine.

 

[slowgoesit]

Weird that I can't edit a post with no replies. "tank carpet" = tan carpet.

The edit window times out after a short period. I edited your post to say "tan". In future, if you wish to edit a timed out post, use the red triangle "!" tab at the bottom left of the post, and ask a moderator to re-open the edit function for you. Take care,
Trawler Forum Site Team

 

[jim.johnson3570]

Welcome Aboard and congratulations on the upgrade, I have to say that grey hull really stands out and looks very nice I was considering a color in the area for my 42' Ocean Alexander Sedan

 

[Hyperion]

Welcome Aboard and congratulations on the upgrade, I have to say that grey hull really stands out and looks very nice I was considering a color in the area for my 42' Ocean Alexander Sedan

Thanks, The grey is great and gets lot's of thumbs up. The one downside is the PO painted the teak transom but I plan to bring it back to brightwork once I finish the 72 other jobs in the system.