42 Classic 1974 vs 1986

The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

Luke2202

Member
Joined
Oct 30, 2024
Messages
8
Location
Florida
My wife and I have been in the market for 42 classic for a while now and have been mostly looking at mid 80's simply because it's the newest we can afford. But I'm curious about the differences if we were to go 10 years older. I know that any boat this old will need thorough inspecting, but I'm trying to get information on changes in design, layout, and common problems.

PS. Regardless of which we end up buying, we know that new fuel tanks and replacing the teak decks with fiberglass are a must.
 
You are getting into the age range that those items may have been done. Replacing fuel tanks on a GB42 is no small job. I have seen where they cut out the hull sides to get access.
 
I bought my 1974 a couple of years ago. New teak decks. Years in covered moorage. Tanks still holding up. I thought it was excellent value, but I am a DIYer.
 
I don't think you'll find much difference between them. 40 years old vs 50 years old, they'll share the same set of problems. Leaks, old engines, old electrical systems, old equipment...and the tanks/decks issues you mentioned already. The 70's boats are less likely to have blisters than the 80's boats.

IMO the real improvements in boat building happened around the turn of the century and the 5-10 years after that. We had enough time with the old boats that we figured out ferrous steel tanks don't last, aluminum tanks shouldn't be encapsulated, holding tanks should be non-metallic, use the right grades of stainless, crevice corrosion is a real issue, wood cored stringers don't last forever, glue teak down instead of screwing it, etc.
 
You are getting into the age range that those items may have been done. Replacing fuel tanks on a GB42 is no small job. I have seen where they cut out the hull sides to get access.
Yeah I've read about this and we've almost exclusively been looking at ones with the tanks already done and definitely not by cutting a whole in the hull.
 
Indeed, check that the tanks have been changed, you don't want to have the old steel tanks, that is just a huge bill waiting to come your way.
Also, check all the wiring. Electricity cables under normal circumstances last about 20 - 30 years. Mine did look ok, but as I found out (after I bought the boat), many just crumbled when handled a bit. As long as you did not touch them they were fine, but the moment you started moving them they fell apart. That was a 30.000 USD bill.
As for the strength of the hull ?
I was told, and I don't know if that is true or not, that back in the 60's and 70's they did not really know how strong GRP was, so they just over engineered the boats. Hull were sometimes even 2 inches thick. Once they figured out that the hulls could be thinner they started to reduce the thickness of the hulls. Does that make them weaker ? Not sure, but I prefer the heavier, thicker, stronger built hulls. When I cut a hole in my hull to mount the stabilizers I measured 1.2 inches in thickness, that gives you confidence in how the boat was build.
 
From the 1970s to the 1980s, with each new model year American Marine introduced some nice if minor refinements to things like galley equipage, optional salon layouts or stern compartment berthing arrangements, etc. I like the newer 42s for those features. But, as others have noted, when considering boats beyond a few years old, what really matters is how well its owner(s) cared for it, rather than how it was built. That's especially true for Grand Banks, whose original build quality was excellent, as good if not better than any production motor cruisers of that vintage. Unless a GB has been faithfully maintained and its critical systems like wiring updated along the way, it has probably aged poorly. Look for a boat that's been continually maintained with the single most important tool to carry on board, an open checkbook.
 
Around 1989 they redesigned the 36 to be wider and installed twin Cummins. Although there are lots of Leymans out there, they are harder to find parts for and don't have as much power, IMHO. Not sure about the 42s, but I know newer models have a centered queen bed instead of a double or single or some other arrangement.
 
I think the change to the 42 with the centered queen (and the step/seat at the aft end of the cabin) is pretty compelling. If you're looking at 80s boats with the tanks and decks already done you're probably near the price range of a 90's boat.
 
I think the change to the 42 with the centered queen (and the step/seat at the aft end of the cabin) is pretty compelling. If you're looking at 80s boats with the tanks and decks already done you're probably near the price range of a 90's boat.
Well we want the split birth. We've realized that on boat, we get better sleep if we have our own beds.
 
We just looked at an '86 and a '74 in the same day. My overall impression is that the '86 had a better build quality when it came to the details like cabinets and hardware. But the biggest difference was design. Although the layouts were identical, the '86 used the space more efficiently. Things like added storage under steps, more space for instruments at the lower helm, etc.
 
The foredeck of the 86 has the washdown and shore power under the windlass, yes?
Another feature I've come to wish that my '80 had.
 
I had the grand daddy of all 42 classic's built by American Marine Ltd., for 15 years I was the proud caretaker of Hull 125, a 1969 model built for Robert & Mildred Newton. It was the only 42 Classic built in the same yard as the Grand Alaskans that Art DeFever designed. It also had larger fuel tanks (800 gallons + a 40 gallon/40" high day tank that I added) and it had a wonderful pair of Detroit 4-53's that thrummed like a pair of classic Triumph motorcycles.
Her name was "Whittler's Dream" and I kept it the same after buying her from a quasi-famous relief carver that traveled the SE USA coast and Bahamas for 25+ years with various girlfriends. She was a woodie and I invested more than $250k in maintaining and improving her to get back pennies on the dollar when we had to let another person take on the responsibility of stewardship of the best 42 Classic ever built.
Many great lessons learned and priceless memories and friendship remain from what may go down as the best years of my life. I now have one thing I will agree with, the year model on FG is way less important when compared to the previous owner(s) reinvestment of maintenance and improvement of critical systems and cosmetic issues. Keep looking until you find THE ONE. Then get in line early because she will have many suitors.
Good Luck and Enjoy the Pursuit of Happiness.
 
The foredeck of the 86 has the washdown and shore power under the windlass, yes?
Another feature I've come to wish that my '80 had.
Yes that was a big difference that I noticed.
1000035630.jpg
1000035472.jpg
 
I had the grand daddy of all 42 classic's built by American Marine Ltd., for 15 years I was the proud caretaker of Hull 125, a 1969 model built for Robert & Mildred Newton. It was the only 42 Classic built in the same yard as the Grand Alaskans that Art DeFever designed. It also had larger fuel tanks (800 gallons + a 40 gallon/40" high day tank that I added) and it had a wonderful pair of Detroit 4-53's that thrummed like a pair of classic Triumph motorcycles.
Her name was "Whittler's Dream" and I kept it the same after buying her from a quasi-famous relief carver that traveled the SE USA coast and Bahamas for 25+ years with various girlfriends. She was a woodie and I invested more than $250k in maintaining and improving her to get back pennies on the dollar when we had to let another person take on the responsibility of stewardship of the best 42 Classic ever built.
Many great lessons learned and priceless memories and friendship remain from what may go down as the best years of my life. I now have one thing I will agree with, the year model on FG is way less important when compared to the previous owner(s) reinvestment of maintenance and improvement of critical systems and cosmetic issues. Keep looking until you find THE ONE. Then get in line early because she will have many suitors.
Good Luck and Enjoy the Pursuit of Happiness.
It's hard to be patient but we will. Thank you
 
In addition to tanks and decks like mentioned earlier, I'd also decide which engines you are looking for. The FL 120's could be considered underpowered depending on how & where you plan to use the boat. In the 80's the 42's got a few more options including Cummins, Perkins, and CAT 3208s. Also, I believe in mid-'89 the 42 got ~ 6" of extra beam and length which facilitated a few different layout options, more room in the forward head, etc. From what I have seen on the market, '89+ boats seem to command a bit of a premium over say an '85-87. The next big jump in price seems to be around '95 ish - of course all predicated on condition, hours, etc.
 
The evolution of the GB42 is characterized by two major changes: timber to fibreglass construction in 1973 and a hull shape redesign in 1989. Along the way there has been a gradual increase in engine power opted for by owners. The early 42s were happy to be pushed along at hull speed (8 -8.5 kts) easily provided by a pair of FL120s, JD404s, GM 4-53s or even a single 6LX Gardner. These relatively low HP engines were reliable, economical and ideally suited to the hull form.
Then came the relentless "need" for more power. We got Cat 3208s, Cummins 6BTs and then turbo and aftercooled versions. More power, less economy, less range, cramped engine rooms all for a couple of extra knots of speed. The hull didn't like being pushed over 9 kts and squats its aft trying to lift over its own bow wave. This culminated with GB changing the hull shape to one more suited to the "go faster boys" in 1989. Now, it's not uncommon to see a couple of 480HP diesels fitted in a later GB42.
You may guess that I personally prefer the displacement mode of travel in an older GB42 and I recommend considering where you need to be on this escalating power spectrum.
 
Around 1989 they redesigned the 36 to be wider and installed twin Cummins. Although there are lots of Leymans out there, they are harder to find parts for and don't have as much power, IMHO. Not sure about the 42s, but I know newer models have a centered queen bed instead of a double or single or some other arrangement.
Lehman parts are easily available. Our last boat had them and I never had to look further than American Diesel.
 
2005 42eu here; they only built four more 42s, all that year. Mine has a single 300 hp JD 6068, which for practical speed and fuel burn and access and maintenance and reliability is just about perfect. Bow and stern thrusters and planning and practice and I can maneuver her just fine. …See many other threads about twin v single. The major thing you give up with a single is redundancy. If you mostly want to go fast buy a boat designed for that, they are everywhere. But for reasonably economical all day comfortable cruising at hull speed ( 8.5 ish knots) or a lil more (9) 300 ish hp is ample. Twin 435 v8s in this hull is silly, IMHO.

There is good advice above, with couple nits: every GB 42 started with steel fuel tanks, and they didn’t change the hull shape after the 89 (ish?) size increase. Same mold for classics and EUs, til the end.

The dreaded tank rust problem is most often caused by water infiltration around the fuel fill on teak decks, which wear down. Have your surveyor check carefully for issues there. Replacement is not a job you want to do or pay for.

They’re great boats. Find one that’s been loved. Good luck!
 
There is good advice above, with couple nits: every GB 42 started with steel fuel tanks, and they didn’t change the hull shape after the 89 (ish?) size increase. Same mold for classics and EUs, til the end.
From my research and observation there certainly was a significant change to hull shape in the GB42 (all variants) around 1989. Not noticeable easily above waterline but the wetted area is much more of a planning hull design. Slightly longer, significantly beamier which carried further aft, flatter hull section aft and chines that rose above the waterline towards the bow. The last feature made for slightly less spray but is noisier in a chop at anchor.
PS Great to know that not all the later model GB42s had massive HP.
 
Yes they made the 42s six inches longer and wider, I thought in 1991, but I don't think they changed the mold/hull again after that, until they released the deeper v 41/43 with pods and a hull window etc... whole different boat.
Like you I’m trying to be fastidious about the tanks!
To OP that second bow picture looks pretty much like mine, except that one has fiberglass decks, which is a plus.
 
One thing to keep in mind for boats older than 30 years is they are much more difficult to finance and insure. So do your homework on that too.
 
There used to be a team based in California that would travel to GBs with ailing fuel tanks. They would cut out the old tanks without any holes in the hull and then install a series of thin tanks stacked up just like pancakes. All this supposedly while not removing the engines.
 
We sold the last 42 built, I don't recall the hull number but it was a Europa It had twin C9 Cats and did 25 knots. Nobody could believe it. It sure wasn't designed for that power/speed even with the 2nd gen hull.

Not a pleasant job, but the tanks can be cut up and removed from inside the boat. The genset has to be moved out of the way for access. Replace each tank with two smaller tanks plumbed together. It's a straightforward but miserable job.
 
Back
Top Bottom