Grand Banks 32 Sedan

As soon as I sell my 1981 49' Banks, I would like to find a 32' Banks. My worry is at 6'3" and 240 pounds, can I get into and out of engine space and will the V berth give me enough room to sleep? I have not been inside of a 32' to find out. Please give me your view. Or do I need a 36'? Thanks mates.

Ron,

Yes to both.

V berth length along the sides is the same as a king size bed.

The entire galley floor removes for ER access.

Why are you selling the 49?

Bob

I am afraid my body is not made as well as the Grand Banks. I need new knees and at 74, the 49' is just too much to properly maintain. The 32' GB would be great for my wife and I to putz around the coastal waters of Florida. Thanks for the info.

Too bad we are on opposite coasts!

The 32 is a great boat, we live ours. There is a fella in Maine with a no flybridge 32 similar to Ebbtide. No idea if she's for sale though.

Bob

I've been considering a Grand Banks too, and the 36 seems to be a better hull and can run for shelter at 12kts with twin 135 lehman or 16kts with the turbo 210hp Cummins or Ford's . it weighs 12tons versus 9.5 for the 32'.

Is the 32' a semi-d displacement hull like the 36, and what speed can it Max out at?

Ron T said:

I am afraid my body is not made as well as the Grand Banks. I need new knees and at 74, the 49' is just too much to properly maintain. The 32' GB would be great for my wife and I to putz around the coastal waters of Florida. Thanks for the info.

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My physical profile is about the same as yours except a few inches taller and a few pounds heavier. And I just had a total knee replacement and still in recovery. The engine room issues and degradation of the knee are main reasons we sold our Taiwanese Tub after a short ownership. We have kind of been straddling the fence post about getting another big boat but if we do so, it will probably be a Great Harbour TT35 which is an outboard powered trawler with great fuel economy and no engine room. There will be some climbing into the lazarette to change Racors and storage items but we think it will be manageable. Getting on and off the boat might be a little more challenging. You might want to consider it as we think it will be a great coastal and river boat.

We own a 32 GB and its located in Jacksonville Beach, if you are around the area stop by and take a look. I'm 6'3" 275 I sleep in the V-berth but I don't move much so we rarely put the center piece in place. Now the getting around the engine room for basic needs no problem.

Great Boat we love it, we have spent some money getting it up to speed but truly feel that its worth it.

I will be in Jax during the holiday season so PM me if you want to meet up. We would love to show you around.

I don't have a problem with the V-berth, though I may be an inch or two shorter than you. Getting into the engine space is difficult. I can just squeeze behind the engine to get down into the space between the fuel tanks and above the stuffing box to check the transmission oil level or adjust the drip on the stuffing box. To check the engine oil, I plant my feet in the forward berth deck, or on the first step, and lay on my stomach to reach the dipstick. I've noticed that some versions of the GB32 have other hatch arrangements, but mine only has the two main engine hatches.

Rustybarge said:

I've been considering a Grand Banks too, and the 36 seems to be a better hull and can run for shelter at 12kts with twin 135 lehman or 16kts with the turbo 210hp Cummins or Ford's . it weighs 12tons versus 9.5 for the 32'.

Is the 32' a semi-d displacement hull like the 36, and what speed can it Max out at?

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The old GB hulls are all SD capable of speeds well over hull speed but are heavy boats and require much fuel burning to get near 12 knots. But given the power they should deliver.
The 32 was nearly always a single FL and I belive their top end is about 10. Bob will be back w the real deal shortly I’ll bet.

There were a few twins made with 2 - 4 cylinder engines but they are thankfully rare. There are some challenges to the engine room but if laid out properly, all areas are accessible. Great boats, remember you are just a caretaker for the next owner, they go on forever. A bit too much teak for my liking (it cured me of wood on boats forever) but very pretty boats if you are prepared to maintain them. No issues with the v-berth, I slept very well in there. A bit noisy from the anchor rode in a blow, though...

Rusty,

Flat calm, slack tide, no wind, clean bottom, 4 blade prop, 2400 RPM, I can get 9.7 knots.
Normal cruise is 1650 RPM @ 7.8 knots. That extra 750 RPM burns a lot of fuel and makes a lot of noise for very little gain.

Bob

Thank you all for your replies. I have settled on a 32 Banks. Thinking about moving battery boxes to lazzeret area. Time will tell. Thanks again. Ron T

Great choice Ron! Several folks have relocated the batteries, not sure if it is a benefit since that is about the only real storage on a 32.

Bob Cofer said:

Rusty,

Flat calm, slack tide, no wind, clean bottom, 4 blade prop, 2400 RPM, I can get 9.7 knots.
Normal cruise is 1650 RPM @ 7.8 knots. That extra 750 RPM burns a lot of fuel and makes a lot of noise for very little gain.

Bob

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Bob Cofer, may i ask size/pitch of your 4 blade prop?

Michigan 24 x 16

Geez Bob, that wheel is pretty pink...I hope that's just the photo???

Just the photo.

Did she come w a three or four blade Bob?
From GB.

Originally with a 3 blade, one of the PO's changed to a very slightly over-propped 4 blade.

Q on 3-blade vs. 4-blade props

Bob Cofer said:

Originally with a 3 blade, one of the PO's changed to a very slightly over-propped 4 blade.

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Bob, thanks for info, I've asked you same question on GB facebook & here. Your comment is exactly info I am looking for. What engine have you? I have Lehman 120 with 3-blade prop, 23"x16 pitch which performs well but I feel has excessive vibration. Some say going to 4-blade reduces vibration. Others say 4 blade increases drag, thus reducing speed. Grand Banks themselves, in their American Marine News newsletters in the early years, twice included a prop chart. For the Lehman 120 they say 4 blade prop, 24x14. However, in other discussion over the years, they say that is over-propped! I have no spare and need one for cruising so considering moving to a 4-blade. Appreciate any advice!

The number of blades has no bearing on whether or not the engine is "over-propped." Pitch and diameter only have that effect. The more blades, the smoother but the less efficient, unless you have one of those scimitar bladed wheels like they used to put on nuclear submarines, not too likely. I had a four-bladed wheel on my '32 (595) and she was underpropped when I got her, Osborne Propeller changed the pitch and stopped some "singing" that I had. Three or 4 blades is fine, just get it balanced and trued and consult others for the WOT RPM you need, I've forgotten.

A 24x15 would be just about right for Ebbtide. We can reach 2500 rpm at WOT. 2800 rpm is spec according to the late Mr. Smith.

Schmidty,
Three blades are better unless you have so much power that a three blade becomes overloaded from insufficent blade area. Not likely w a 120 FL. Maybe though if you had a 3-1 gear.

The four blade prop in this situation will have too much blade area and require a very low pitch. The low pitch dosn't move much water but provides a high surface area that adds too much drag.

A smaller dia 4 blade could be smoother giving greater prop clearance and reducing the hydraulic pounding on the bottom of the boat. Otherwise a four blade has no decernable amount of reduced vibration. The smaller dia. 4 blade will be less efficient.

Bob I thought 2500 was WOT (properly loaded) in gear.
2800 would likely be out of gear w no load.

Xsbank,
The load on a prop is dependent on pitch X dia but blade area has a large effect also. So the basic variables are pitch, dia and blade area. With the same blades a 4 blade has much greater area than a 3 blade.

I was in a 32 GB on Ft Myers Beach a few weeks ago. Very nice boat. It's listed for sale on Yachtworld art $99K. Im 6'2" and I had no problem in the salon and cabin. Easy to get in and out of the berth also with teak grab bars above the berth.

I think part of the issue of getting around the Grand Banks 32 'engine room' is where all the peripherals (battery boxes, water heater etc) are located. If these things are not in the way or if they can be moved such that they are not in the way I think you'll find you have fairly good access to the engine. I keep a couple of rubber pads on hand to make it a bit more comfortable and also you can add a movable step right over the transmission area to help get in and out of the engine.

Reel Grace said:

I was in a 32 GB on Ft Myers Beach a few weeks ago. Very nice boat. It's listed for sale on Yachtworld art $99K. Im 6'2" and I had no problem in the salon and cabin. Easy to get in and out of the berth also with teak grab bars above the berth.

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I find the GB 32 to be one of the sharpest of the GB fleet but without an exit next to the helm it makes it kind of out of the question.

Port Tack said:

I find the GB 32 to be one of the sharpest of the GB fleet but without an exit next to the helm it makes it kind of out of the question.

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simple to ad a steering station on back deck. Way handier than trying to exit side door and moor

Sailor of Fortune said:

simple to ad a steering station on back deck. Way handier than trying to exit side door and moor

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You have caught my interest with that. The GB 32 was always one of my favorite boats but I, too, took it off the list (I think) due to no helm door and often being single-handed. (Why couldn't they just have put a skinny/short door!).

But I didn't know you could easily add another helm with the "chain" (or whatever you officially call that) steering (chains run around the side and then go up to helms). I know you can't speak to specific details necessarily, but is it in general easily doable with that type of system?

That would be very interesting.

Or, now that I think about it, are you envisioning a jog lever on an autopilot for steering? I had thought of that, and liked the idea, but then saw a number of people saying it wasn't quick/good enough for docking (I don't have any more detail than that). I'd be happy to find out differently (I seem to always like various sedan cruisers with no helm door )

My 5'7" height frequently hits my head on a 42-foot GB's deck doors. Blessed are my port and starboard deck-level pilothouse Dutch doors.