Grand Banks 42 design

by Terry Kimmel of GRAND BANKS 42 MOTOR YACHT TRAWLER ( 15-Sep-2009 )

The Grand Banks 42 was one of the most popular trawlers ever built. It was just over 41' on the waterline and around 50' overall length. These boats are generally larger than today's boats even though the new ones carry larger numbers. Of course, that is all part of marketing! It came with one design for the underbody but three topside designs.  Four designs, if you count the "Sports Cruiser" which was very similar to the "Europa". The most popular topside design was the "Classic". It was also the least expensive. It was relatively roomy inside and had walk-around outsides. Getting to the fly bridge was a challenge. It was OK, if you were young and athletic. We had two "Classics" and only at the dock could my wife make it to the fly bridge with all the food and drinks she started with. The middle priced topside was the "Europa". It is by far the smallest of the 42's. If you did not mind sleeping right on top of your company, it could be considered "cozy". Climbing to the fly bridge was still a challenge, although in recent years the manufacturer understood the problem and moved the stairs to give smaller steps. That helped but did not solve the problem. The third top side design was the "Motor Yacht". It was the most expensive and the largest of the 42's. You could be physically challenged in some way and still make it to the fly bridge. You could even carry food and drinks without a mishap. And if you  got tired climbing the four steps to the aft deck, you could sit down right there on deck chairs. This design gave you the most interior space. It had a authentic queen-size bed in the aft cabin.  A bed you could buy fitted queen-size sheets for even at Wal Mart, if you wanted. No more custom sheets!! It was perhaps the least popular of the designs because of the price. It sold for a few dollars less than the Grand Banks 47 "Classic" and had almost as much room. It was and still is more popular in Europe than the United States. The prices for a "Motor Yacht" in Europe are higher than in the United States. This makes for a GOOD buy on the "Motor Yacht" here. If you are looking for a people friendly trawler that is superbly finished, put the Grand Banks "Motor Yacht" on your must see list of boats to look over and compare.