What I miss

C

c-ness

New member
We've had our Grand Banks 32 for a couple of months now, and I thought that I would post a few observations.

What we miss about our TC24:

1. The simplicity of all the systems
2. The ability to do most of the maintenance ourselves
3. The shallow draft
4. Economy of running the boat
5. Ability to run fast when we needed to do so

Some things we don't miss so much:

1. Being OC, the need to flush engines after each use
2. Doing the "dance" when cooking dinner
3. Not having a fly bridge when cruising along
4. Not having a stand up v-berth
5. Ok, I'm weird on this one, but I find the single diesel easier to handle than the twin outboards. I guess that I'm just not coordinated enough to handle twin engines
 
Every boat change means pros and cons. Something to be said for more room and amenities. Also something to be said for trailerability. For a stay-in-the-water kinda boat, your GB would be way up there on my short list.

Enjoying the transition? :D

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Jay, everything is a trade off! For us, the mobility of a trailerable boat will always outweigh the pros of a bigger boat! San Juans this month, Lake Powell next month, the Great Loop next year, and so on! But I totally understand the appeal of the amenities of you GB too! That is the great thing, different strokes for different folks!
 
It will grow on you. Every boat is a compromise and you just pick what is more important to you and go with that, and minimize the rest.

The single diesel vs the TC244 twin OB's.... it'll be a while before you can spin that 32' in it's own length :lol:

Enjoy the time on the water, and enjoy all the new amenities. Enjoy all the great places. Enjoy the scenery. That's what any boat is for, right? Enjoy.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon

JC_Lately_SleepyC_Flat_Blue_055.highlight.jpg
 
This would be a generalization, but true for some:

The appeal of having a larger boat like a trawler, where everything is already aboard, waiting, and moored in a slip, versus a trailerable boat, probably gets greater as we get older.

While we're younger and more mobile, the trailerable boat will win out because of it's flexibility and grater range of destinations available.

But when your personal mobility becomes compromised, that floating, mobile, home away from home that doesn't require a certain amount of scrambling about to make it work, gains appeal as the last resort in one's boating career.

And before you bombard me with incoming, I know there are still lots of older trailerable boat guys and gals, right here on this site with their reported adventures to prove it.

I'm just saying the larger trawler style boats can be more appealing to as one gets older and less mobile. (At least that's the way my life seems to be going.)

Good Boating!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Good post, Joe.

Economists talk of 'opportunity cost'. Now, cost to an economist often comes with a dollar sign, and there's nothing wrong with that. They would say, we don't have an infinite number of dollars -- so every dollar spent, means we have lost the 'opportunity' to spend it on something else.

But, as boaters, costs don't just involve dollars. As you say, creature comforts or ability to trailer and experience more waterways, etc. are 'costs' -- and costs that increase for all of us as we advance in age.

So, each of us must weigh the opportunities gained or lost by all the 'costs' of boat size and transportability. That's part of the fun of life -- deciding for ourselves what we most desire from the opportunities we have. The critical part, we believe, is not to let the 'culture' over-influence us -- WE make the decision for our needs and desires. WE make, take, or lose the opportunities -- and we are so fortunate to have the ability and privilege to make those choices.

Trawler vs. smaller cruiser -- one engine vs. two -- 25 vs. 22 vs. 16 -- there are opportunity costs, both plus and minus, in each choice -- and WE DECIDE!

Lucky us!
 
El and Bill":2t5nbgvl said:
Trawler vs. smaller cruiser -- one engine vs. two -- 25 vs. 22 vs. 16 -- there are opportunity costs, both plus and minus, in each choice -- and WE DECIDE!

Lucky us!
Click to expand...

So true! Both the concept of the various "costs" and the fact that we (those of us who do) are lucky to have the choices to make. This is sort of the opposite of the question people often ask about "What is the best...." There rarely is a single "best," of course, but just the best choice for the person at the time, given the givens. I also find it more interesting to discuss the latter vs. trying to determine "the best" in a sort of vacuum.

Even more fun is discussing these kinds of things in camp chairs around a fire, but the forum is a great virtual approximation :thup

Sunbeam :hot
 
A major turning point for us was when we realized we were doing most all of our cruising at 8 knots. And the second major point was when we realized we couldn't take/have the whole family (the kids left town after high school then returned recently with spouses and children) on our CD-22. I agree wholeheartedly with C-Ness on the pros and cons.

In 10 years we used our CD-22 450 times. We've been out 40 times since purchasing the Camano 31 in June of 2012.

Both boats suited our lifestyle at the times we owned them.
 
We are making the transition nicely. Unlike Jim and Pat, we realized that trailering was not for us. We like day cruises and shorter trips to the San Juan islands. We also have come to enjoy just visiting the boat in its slip. It's very relaxing to us and because there are several live-aboards around us, we have met some new and interesting friends. The best part for us, though, is the ability to have more friends on board. We also feel it is a bit safer with the grandkid because he has more room in the salon to entertain himself.

Like Chuckpacific we find that we use the GB more than the TC. The boat is in its slip ready whenever we are. In a perfect world we'd own both the GB and a C-dory. I could single hand the C-dory and use it for fishing and cruise with friends and family on the GB. Money is the only obstacle!
 
There are a few "compromise boats" which offer a lot of what the Grand Banks 32 and the C Dory type have to offer. My favorite of the bunch is the David Gerr designed North West Cruiser:
http://www.gerrmarine.com/images/boat_images/power/gerr34seabright/gerr34seabrightB.GIF

This is a trailerable (8'6" beam) boat which can be pulled by a large pickup. It can be outboard powered, although David has a small diesel in this version. I had corresponded with him about a motor sailor version a few years ago, and have a set of plans for the power inboard version. Unfortunately I am too old to build it--but if I was younger and knowing what I know now, probably would have built one about 14 years ago...

We looked at larger trawlers (again--we have had 42, 34, & 30 footers in the past) a few years ago--and on the way home bought the current 42 foot RV for a few bucks less--and then drag a boat along with us--either the C Dory 22 or the Caracal-gives another option...The trawlers were just too complex for us to deal with, even though we love them--and boats like the Rangers etc.
 
I guess we are the lucky ones. Our options are limited by our relatively meager resources and abilities. There is no way we could afford a slip anywhere near Seattle, so a trailerable boat, without bottom paint, that can be towed by a 4 cylinder car is it for us. We still take our visitors on boating excursions, but it is usually on an Argosy cruise boat. We do visit Alaska by water about every other year, but it's always on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship. In the alternate years,we road trip to National Parks in our Ford hybrid, "camping" in inexpensive motels. But, if anybody has a waterfront house and would be willing to have our 16 footer tied up to their dock, I just might spring for bottom paint. In the meantime we are pretty darn happy with things the way they are.
 
Ah, yes... the secret to boating happiness: loving what you have! :D

Mark might recall this Hawaiian saying: Two ways to success - make more, want less. 8) With boats, you can have too big or too small... best to find just right.
 
Marty you are my hero. You have the plan already worked out for where I hope to be in about 3 years. Except for living in Seattle. :wink:

For now, the 22 is the right size. Considerations for other sizes are possible.

Harvey
SleepyC:moon
 
Handling -- from what I have observed, the bigger boats with more weight and displacement are easier to handle then C-Dory's and our Marinaut. Our boats have such a shallow draft, and so much superstructure above the water to include full canvasbacks, that essentially our boats are one big sail. They are leafs on the water.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I have a lot to learn in docking our class of boat, which in my opinion takes far more skill then piloting a heavy boat with bow thrusters. The corner was turned for me last year when I had to approach the wrong side of a dock with 25+mph crosswinds blowing us away from it. Normally, one would go to the other side of the dock and let the wind bring you gently toward it, but there was no space on that side. So I slowly approached the dock from the wrong side at a 45 degree angle, and just at the right time, turned the wheel hard over and gave one short burst of thrust. The boat lost its speed and came to a complete stop parallel to the dock only a few inches away. What a beautiful dock, albeit it was a lot of luck for a novice. The knowledge to perform this maneuver came from Captain Lampman (Les's Dad) who essentially instructed me that many people don't realize that to slow or stop a boat requires a turn of the wheel and a quick burst of thrust.

So while there are some configurations that make it easier to maneuver, regardless of the configuration, knowledge and practice are the definitive factors.

Rich
 
I do find that the bigger displacement helps. But I'm careful when approaching a dock because at more than 20,000 pounds, I don't want to hit anything at speed. Using back and fill, I can spin the boat in its own length. I also like separate levers for the throttle and the transmission. With the twin Yamahas on our TC, it was easy to over throttle when making a turn.
 
Jay, If you are happy with your choice, and it sure sounds like you are, that is all that matters! Hope to cross wakes in the not too distant future somewhere out of Squalicum!
 
Thanks Pat! We are happy, and we will certainly see you on the water. How many days to retirement? Or, have you stopped counting. When I was in the Navy, we had terms for how "short" someone was. Are you short?
 
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