Grand Banks 36 Sedan, the Single-Level Version of a Trawler Legend

Grand Banks 36 for sale, start by knowing which version you are looking at

Search Grand Banks 36 for sale and you will see the same name on boats that live very differently. The GB36 was offered as the Classic, with separate forward and aft cabins, and as the Sedan and Europa, which drop the aft cabin in favor of a single-level salon that opens straight onto the cockpit. There was also a Motor Yacht version. Same hull, different lives.

The Sedan is the right GB36 for people who spend their time in the salon and cockpit rather than in bunks. Soundings, in a 1998 profile republished by Grand Banks, described the Sedan and Europa as offering more usable interior room, with a sedan-like single-level deck for the salon and aft cockpit joined by a large door, and a choice of one large stateroom or two smaller ones forward. The Europa is the version with the flybridge deck extended to overhang the side and aft decks.

In the same piece, a Connecticut broker said the classic two-cabin layout outsold the other versions by as much as five or six to one. That is why Sedans are less common on the brokerage market today, and why you need to read listings carefully: many are titled simply Grand Banks 36.

The boat that built Grand Banks

Grand Banks began life as American Marine in Hong Kong in 1956, founded by Robert J. Newton and his sons John and Whit. Power & Motoryacht's history of the GB36 explains that the first 36, a wooden prototype, was commissioned in 1962 and launched a year later, and its success persuaded the company to abandon custom building and concentrate on a production line of 36s that blended workboat looks, a seaworthy hull, efficient diesel power and yacht-level interiors.

Ken Smith was the designer of record for all the early Grand Banks models from 32 to 42 feet. The first production GB36 came down the ways in 1965, and the hulls were planked in Philippine mahogany until the Singapore yard switched to heavy fiberglass construction in 1973 and 1974. Power & Motoryacht and Soundings both put the final count at 1,141 hulls when the line was retired in 2003.

That run, nearly four decades on essentially one design, is why the GB36 is often called the boat that created the recreational trawler market. It also means parts knowledge, owner forums and experienced surveyors are easy to find.

The Sedan layout, room by room

Step from the cockpit through the large door and the Sedan salon opens up on one level. The interior described by Soundings puts an L-shaped dinette and the galley to port, with two armchairs and built-in storage to starboard. The inside helm stays to starboard, where it has always been on the GB36.

Forward and down, the two-cabin Sedan plan has a forward cabin with a large V-berth, a portside cabin with upper and lower single berths, and a single head to starboard with a separate shower stall. Owners who rarely carry guests often prefer the one-cabin version, which gives a bigger owners' stateroom.

What you give up is the Classic's private aft cabin with its own head and its hatch to the aft deck. What you gain is a cockpit at salon level, a single big living space and easier movement for anyone with bad knees. For liveaboards and couples who host friends for dinner, that is a good trade.

Ken Smith's hull, sharp forward and hard aft

The GB36 rides a semi-displacement hull with a sharp entry, a near-plumb bow with a gently curved upper profile, nicely flared topsides, a full-length keel protecting the propeller and rudder, and hard chines aft that damp pitching and rolling. That combination makes it efficient at trawler speed and willing to go somewhat faster with more power.

Beginning with the 1988 model year, Grand Banks lengthened and widened the GB36 by about 6 inches to add living room. The late specification sheet lists 36 feet 10 inches overall, 35 feet 2 inches on the waterline, a 12-foot-8-inch beam, 4 feet of draft and a displacement of about 26,000 pounds, with 400 gallons of fuel and 140 gallons of water. Earlier boats are slightly smaller, so check the actual dimensions of any boat you are pricing a slip for.

Single Lehman or twin diesels, how the GB36 performs

Single Ford Lehman diesels were the standard power until about 1982, with a sprinkling of John Deere and other makes. Cummins and Caterpillar diesels went into roughly half of Grand Banks built between 1982 and 1989 and became dominant after that. Twin-engine boats were ordered less often but are not rare.

Soundings reported that single-engine boats cruise efficiently at 8 to 9 knots on about 3 gallons per hour, with top speeds of 10 to 11 knots at around 12 gph. A GB36 with twin 210 hp diesels cruises at about 9 to 10 knots on 6 gph and tops out at 14 to 15 knots burning about 22 gph, and the hull runs cleanly at those speeds rather than plowing. A 2024 Yachting brokerage listing for a 1980 Classic with a single 135 hp Lehman quoted a 7-knot cruise and 8.5 knots top.

Which to buy depends on how you cruise. A single Lehman is the definition of simple and frugal, and parts and expertise are everywhere. Twins add redundancy and maneuverability at the dock, and allow a faster passage when weather or tides demand it, at the cost of more maintenance and a more crowded engine room.

• Single engine: 8 to 9 knots at about 3 gph, 10 to 11 knots top at about 12 gph
• Twin 210 hp: 9 to 10 knots at about 6 gph, 14 to 15 knots top at about 22 gph
• Fuel 400 gallons on late fiberglass boats
• Draft about 4 feet, good for the ICW, Bahamas and Great Loop

Teak decks, tanks and the true cost of a classic

Budget roughly $15,000 to $35,000 a year to keep a GB36 Sedan in good order, depending on slip costs, how much teak you maintain yourself and whether the boat has one engine or two. The big swing items are teak deck replacement, varnish, fuel tanks and engine work, and any one of them can cost more than a year of normal maintenance.

Wooden boats from before 1973 are a separate category. Plenty are still cruising, but they need a surveyor who knows wooden hulls and an owner prepared for ongoing woodwork. Most buyers will be happier with a fiberglass boat from 1974 on.

How GB36 values hold up

Grand Banks 36s have always held their value well. In 1998 a broker told Soundings that GB36 prices had risen as much as 10 percent over the previous couple of years and that demand remained strong, quoting typical values from $80,000 for late-1970s fiberglass boats to $250,000 and up for mid-1990s boats at that time. Those figures are a reminder that the best GB36s were never cheap.

Today the market is more spread out. Neglected boats with tired teak, original tanks and high-hour engines can be found cheaply, while refitted Sedans with repowers, new tanks and modern electronics command a strong premium. Our 2026 estimates run from about $35,000 for an early wooden or project boat to about $220,000 for an exceptional late fiberglass example.