1987 46' Grand Banks ... new owner

Hello:
A seasoned boater/sailor, dad, and professional mariner, recently divorced, so I decided to ditch the Manhattan apartment, buy a boat, and live on "Slow Poke" for a while. Summers in Boothbay Region Maine and (God Help Me!) fall - winter - spring in NYC "in the wet".

A new adventure begins. I Look forward to hearing from you all.

Welcome, I liveaboard 9 months of the year on the upper Mississippi, I don't enjoy winter on my boat in this area so I go home where it's more comfortable. Good luck on living aboard, as long as the boat is prepared and has adequate heating system you should be fine. I don't like the long walk to the shower house and no water to fill my tank are the biggest problems for me. If you have a water source, a pump out available or the shower house is less than a quarter mile walk in sub freezing weather and there is no "polar vortex" you may get thru relatively comfortable.


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Beautiful 46' GB Classic. GB are the best to live on board, I think.

Boothbay's cool, I grew up not far away.
But where you going to dock in Bloomberg's shithole, opps, I mean NYC, LOL? We had to base out of Chelsea piers last summer and it was horrid, rocky, rolly, no shore power, only occasional potable water, all the floating trash gravitated around the boats, disgusting!!
Whenever we got the chance (guests away) we'd move over to Liberty Landing on the Jersey side, sheltered and had services, only cross back when we had to.

A great boat for you! I have watched this model GB 46 1986 and looked at the fuel consumption rate of 6-8 knots. Does anyone know this, engines 2 x volvo penta tmd70 306hv.

I can't tell for GB 46' with twins Volvo. Mine is GB 42' twins Caterpillar 3116 , 300 hp each.
I burn 5 US gallons for both, at 1600 RPM, 9.7 knots, hull very clean.
Hope that would help.

New member too! I'd post a photo but it would be of a ghost ship or a profile of me which you don't need or want. Yes, I'm boatless in Florida!

Why would showers be an issue on a boat with water access, a hot water heater and two showers? In Florida we have such amenities. Even a pool. Even the water comes out of the ground hot at least until the snow comes in a few decades. But showers will not be an issue for me by then!

I have been looking at 49' Gulfstreams but it dawned on me that virtually all have hard roof over aft and the bow doesn't look very appealing for laying out. I do love their interior layout though, especially with home furniture, full refrigerator, size of the first two staterooms and the 3rd usable as office. But, where is the sun?

So I started looking at GB. What is headroom in salon? Critical for me at 6'2". I was 6'4" before six back surgeries. Can the built-in coach be easily removed? The bad back requires more of a reclining setup.

The photos of engine room access look problematic. What is it like?

Opinions as to live aboard and 8 knots on ICW with bad back? (I actually started looking at motor yachts but was convinced to change my focus to trawlers). Was also told that Gulfstreams are not well constructed. The ones I've seen look beautiful and they all have 3-4K hrs on them. Lots of long voyages so how bad can they be if they still look great and survive a general survey and engine survey?

Social Background similar to Richard - need a change. No boating experience.
But is this the right change? Always anticipated boating but law school, work, etc. got in the way. Even practiced maritime law if that counts?!?

Social background similar to Richard - need a change. But a novice. Always intended on boating but law school and the practice got in the way. Now retired.

Chuck

Gulfstar. Michelin didn't sell props for Gulfstreams.

There is only one way to tell if this is right for you and that's to do it and to do it properly and get a comfortable boat capable of doing what you want to accomplish ,whether that is cruise offshore or intracoastal or harbour sit.

Congratulations on a sweet ride!
Be sure to sign up at Grand Banks Owner's Resources if you haven't already done so.

omc said:

I can't tell for GB 46' with twins Volvo. Mine is GB 42' twins Caterpillar 3116 , 300 hp each.
I burn 5 US gallons for both, at 1600 RPM, 9.7 knots, hull very clean.
Hope that would help.

Click to expand...

10 gph for 10 knots?

....5 gph

hello again!
loving life onboard my Grand Banks.
a question:
I am a single 52 yr old guy live-aboard in Metro NYC ("in the wet" at Newport Marina in Jersey City). My work rotation is 28 days on then 28 days off so I'm gone half the time - really "gone" since I'm in the US Merchant Marine. Right now (while I'm in the South Atlantic at work) my 46’ Grand Banks is in the marina w shore power hooked up (running the reefer, freezer, and keeping the batteries charged, no heat or air conditioning). As it gets colder over the next few months I'm going to put a plastic cover on the vessel. There are a few other live-aboards there all winter as well; but before I ask them for advice, I'd like your opinions as to how best to care for the vessel given that I will be away half the time during the "hard freezes" we have late December through early March. I'll be next to a guy with two huge bubblers keeping the ice away. One thought (from my Chief Engineer onboard my ship) is to fill the fuel tanks w winter diesel (treated as well), drain all the fresh water out of the vessel (incl somehow getting it out of the 2 x fresh water pumps), then just walk away and leave it unheated (maybe one 100 watt drop light in the engine room - my idea), then when I return in 28 days heat it up.... then 28 days later do the same thing.

I looked at diesel heaters but I am not comfortable running that while I'm away - and they seem like $$$ overkill given my needs and schedule and budget and future plans (when my last kiddo finishes school here in 7 years, I'll no longer be tied to these Northern winters... summer in Maine (family place) and winter in FLA.)

My primary concerns are: 1. seacocks freezing, popping off, and catastrophically flooding the vessel, 2. fresh water freezing in hidden pockets and damaging equipment, 3. the cold damage to my equipment (assuming we'll have another very cold winter - which I think we will) ie engines? lube oil? vacuflush system? holding tank bacteria?

any comments or suggestion you have would be appreciated.

a picture from my transit south from Boothbay to NYC

Nice, safe travels!

Richard,

I keep thermostat controlled electric heaters on in mine during the winter, but I'm close if the power goes out. For the seacocks, you can close them, pull the hoses, and then drop a bit of antifreeze down. Hook the hoses back up and then you only need to open the seacock when you get back.