GrandBanks Liveaboard Adventure
- Thread starter yvr2ams
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone who enjoys boating.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Russell Clifton
Guru
Our Hurricane heater is 65K BTU. How well it heats your boat depends a lot on how well the installation was thought out. You need to have heat outlets spread out thru out the boat. We have 3 separate zones we can heat and each is controlled by it's own thermostat. So we can heat the salon/wheel house area, the master stateroom/ master head area/ the guest stateroom/guest head, or the whole boat. Today it is snowing and has been in the lower teens all week but we can keep the boat at 70 degrees if we want to.
Having hot water running thru lines that are routed thru lockers and under floors also will add a little heat to those areas. It would be more except all our lines have insulation on them to help keep the water hot while it is being pumped thru out the boat.
Also with hydronic heat you can plumb it into the hot water tank so you can heat your domestic water. Also it is plumbed into both main engines to keep them warm. Right now it is probably 60 degrees in the engine room, and nice and dry.
It uses 0.45 gallons per hour of diesel fuel and is plumbed into the main tanks for the boat, in our case we hold 1000 gallons of fuel.
Having hot water running thru lines that are routed thru lockers and under floors also will add a little heat to those areas. It would be more except all our lines have insulation on them to help keep the water hot while it is being pumped thru out the boat.
Also with hydronic heat you can plumb it into the hot water tank so you can heat your domestic water. Also it is plumbed into both main engines to keep them warm. Right now it is probably 60 degrees in the engine room, and nice and dry.
It uses 0.45 gallons per hour of diesel fuel and is plumbed into the main tanks for the boat, in our case we hold 1000 gallons of fuel.
tiltrider1
Guru
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2017
- Messages
- 4,958
- Location
- Pacific North West
- Vessel Name
- AZZURRA
- Vessel Make
- Ocean Alexander 54
A properly sized diesel hydronic heater will cook you right out of the boat, even on the coldest days here in the NW. while espar and webasto are not my favorite from a maintenance stand point, they do make plenty of heat. This week end my heat pumps just couldn’t keep up with the cold and the wind. I ran the hurricane all weekend and kept the boat a balmy 74 degrees. Today temps are back to 32 degrees and no wind so I am back to the heat pumps. If I only had one source of heat it would be a diesel hydronic system.
chartervet
Member
GB 46 Liveaboard
The writer above gives good advice. Call Scott Blake at NW Explorations in Bellingham. He and partner lived aboard 46's here for a considerable time; in addition, he's the GB guru in these parts. (360) 676-1248.
BTW, the "high maintenance" comment probably refers to teak, but if you're a liveaboard, that's no big deal, a DIY project that you can take pride in.
The writer above gives good advice. Call Scott Blake at NW Explorations in Bellingham. He and partner lived aboard 46's here for a considerable time; in addition, he's the GB guru in these parts. (360) 676-1248.
BTW, the "high maintenance" comment probably refers to teak, but if you're a liveaboard, that's no big deal, a DIY project that you can take pride in.
Wifey B: A bit like polishing the silverware to some.
We were friends with an 80+ year old woman and she delighted still in sitting with her housekeeper and polishing all the silverware and she had tons of it. She found great pleasure in it though and found it to be a true statement of refinement and grace in entertaining. 
Ken E.
Guru
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2016
- Messages
- 2,004
- Location
- United States
- Vessel Name
- Hatt Trick
- Vessel Make
- 45' Hatteras Convertible
+1 on Chartervet's endorsement of Scott Blake at NWX. Very knowledgeable on GB's and a no-BS kind of guy.
Comodave
Moderator Emeritus
- Joined
- Jul 2, 2015
- Messages
- 22,417
- Location
- Au Gres, MI
- Vessel Name
- Black Dog
- Vessel Make
- Formula 41PC
Have another comment to add, I am currently recaulking and refinishing my teak deck. What a miserable job. I have reefed out 600’ of caulk, sanded the joints and am now sanding the very thick buildup of varnish on the teak. Never again will I do this and I love working on my boat. My back and knees will need a long time to recover from this abuse. If you are looking at Grand Banks with teak decks, I would recommend having a lot of money to pay someone to do this work if needed, or be young so your back and knees won’t hurt so bad. Something to think about when buying a boat with a lot of teak. Fortunately my boat only has teak decks on the sundeck and not all over.
Bryant
Guru
- Joined
- Jul 10, 2016
- Messages
- 629
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Sakura Perdido
- Vessel Make
- Grand Banks 36 Classic
Are we crazy
I have a 1984 GB 36 Classic. They are great boats but they require constant attention and a lot of care and upkeep, and you are looking at a big one. The older models also require a lot of refit and replacement but that's true of all older boats. One thing I would consider, if it hasn't already been done, is to remove the teak decks and glass and paint the deck. Mine was done that way and it saves a lot of headaches and work. I know a lot of GB owners look at this as heresy but trust me, you will have enough to keep you busy without leaky teak decks to maintain. Just my opinion. Having said all of that, I love our GB. We are going to Singapore this Spring (where ours was built) and then taking a day trip up into Malaysia to visit the current yard for a tour.
Sorry, I can't speak to the live aboard situation there but it's getting harder and harder to find marinas here in the states that allow live aboard as well. Good luck.
I have a 1984 GB 36 Classic. They are great boats but they require constant attention and a lot of care and upkeep, and you are looking at a big one. The older models also require a lot of refit and replacement but that's true of all older boats. One thing I would consider, if it hasn't already been done, is to remove the teak decks and glass and paint the deck. Mine was done that way and it saves a lot of headaches and work. I know a lot of GB owners look at this as heresy but trust me, you will have enough to keep you busy without leaky teak decks to maintain. Just my opinion. Having said all of that, I love our GB. We are going to Singapore this Spring (where ours was built) and then taking a day trip up into Malaysia to visit the current yard for a tour.
Sorry, I can't speak to the live aboard situation there but it's getting harder and harder to find marinas here in the states that allow live aboard as well. Good luck.
South of Heaven
Guru
- Joined
- May 11, 2017
- Messages
- 1,167
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Slow Lane
- Vessel Make
- 2005 Silverton 35 Motoryacht
Crazy? On a 46 foot Grand Banks?? Gosh,no! I've been living fulltime on my Camano 31 since last October.
Welcome aboard.
Welcome aboard.
hmason
Guru
- Joined
- Aug 9, 2013
- Messages
- 2,828
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Lucky Lucky
- Vessel Make
- Pacific Mariner 65
Just completed upgrades and repairs to Magic. Among the upgrades we have removed all teak handrails and replaced with stainless steel. We also removed the teak decks, other than the cockpit and fly bridge and had them glassed and coated with non-skid using all materials and colors/patterns supplied by Grand Banks. All the work was done by Grand Banks at their new headquarters and service facility in Stuart FL. Soon Magic will be for sale as we plan to go bigger to suit our growing flock of grand kids. Stay tuned.
tiltrider1
Guru
- Joined
- Aug 2, 2017
- Messages
- 4,958
- Location
- Pacific North West
- Vessel Name
- AZZURRA
- Vessel Make
- Ocean Alexander 54
High maintenance referred to the Eapar & Webasto heaters. I am not down on them. I prefer the IRT Hurricane because of its simplicity but they are much bigger in size. If you don’t have the space then you need to look at the Wallace, espar or webasto.
When it comes to heat, I give all four of these manufacturers an A+. Cost, longevity and maintenance is a different issue. I would never walk from a boat because it had one of these heaters in it.
FF
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 12, 2007
- Messages
- 22,552
"Liveaboards require constant electricity (either 120 VAC or 12 VDC ) to run refrigerators and possibly AC / heat."
Mostly if air cond is required.
It is not hard to outfit a boat to be independant , and live on the hook,
OIL fired range for cold times ,mostly propane for cooking and domestic hot water solar will take care of LED lighting and entertainment , DC RV TV , AM_FM car radio , both with remote ..
Still need a marina to take black water , get fresh water ,park your car and perhaps handle your mail. A very small shallow slip would handle an all weather dink like a Boston Whaler.
No need for a noisemaker , unless you require conditioned air.
Mostly if air cond is required.
It is not hard to outfit a boat to be independant , and live on the hook,
OIL fired range for cold times ,mostly propane for cooking and domestic hot water solar will take care of LED lighting and entertainment , DC RV TV , AM_FM car radio , both with remote ..
Still need a marina to take black water , get fresh water ,park your car and perhaps handle your mail. A very small shallow slip would handle an all weather dink like a Boston Whaler.
No need for a noisemaker , unless you require conditioned air.
Last edited:
