Grand Banks 32 Buyer's Guide, the Little Trawler That Burns 2.5 Gallons an Hour

Grand Banks trawlers for sale, and the case for the smallest one

Most people browsing Grand Banks trawlers for sale start with the 36 or the 42. The Grand Banks 32 deserves a look first. It is the smallest of the classic American Marine trawlers, and for a couple it may be the most rational: one engine, one cabin, one head, and fuel burn so low that fill-ups become a once-a-season event.

Soundings' 2014 profile summed up the history in a few lines. The GB32 was in production for three decades, and when the last one was splashed in 1996, 861 had been built. Early boats were wood, with fiberglass taking over in the mid-1970s, and so little changed over the run that from a distance it is hard to tell a well-kept wooden boat from a later fiberglass one.

Ken Smith, designer of record for the early Grand Banks models from 32 to 42 feet, drew the lines. Grand Banks' own retired-model page called the boat the Grand Banks 32 Sedan, which explains the layout: a single-level salon, a cockpit aft, and one cabin forward.

A heavy hull for a small boat

At 17,000 pounds on a 32-foot hull, the GB32 is heavy for its length, and that is the point. Grand Banks described a deep forefoot, hard chine and long keel, a semi-displacement form that is seakindly and keeps going in conditions that send lighter boats home. Soundings' reviewer agreed, calling the hull capable of handling weather that would have other boats heading for port.

The builder's specification lists 31 feet 11.5 inches overall, 30 feet 9 inches on the waterline, an 11-foot-6-inch beam and 3 feet 8 inches of draft, with 250 gallons of fuel and 110 gallons of water. That draft and long keel make the boat at home on the ICW and in thin Bahamas water, while the keel protects the propeller if you misjudge a shoal.

Single-screw handling is straightforward for anyone used to it. Mark Corke, who bought a 1980s GB32 after a lifetime of sailing, wrote that a short burst of throttle kicks the stern around and the long keel keeps the boat from slipping sideways in a crosswind. His boat had a hydraulic stern thruster but no bow thruster, a common and useful retrofit.

One Lehman, 8 knots and 2.5 gallons per hour

Power comes from a single 6-cylinder, naturally aspirated Ford Lehman diesel of either 120 or 135 hp. Soundings put cruise in the 8-knot range at about 2.5 gallons per hour. Photographer Onne van der Wal, who refitted a 1986 GB32 in 2020, reported 8 to 8.5 knots all day in all conditions on the same 2.5 gph, from a Lehman with about 3,000 hours that he said functioned as if newly installed.

Corke ran his boat at about 1,800 rpm, roughly 80 percent of maximum for the 135 Lehman, for 7.5 to 8 knots, and found other owners settled on the same sweet spot. With 250 gallons aboard he estimated a cruising range of more than 1,500 miles.

The Lehman's appeal is simplicity: mechanical, well understood and supported by decades of parts and knowledge. Hinge-up and lift-out panels in the salon sole give good access to the engine, batteries and other machinery, and a single centerline engine makes routine service easy.

• Engine: single Ford Lehman diesel, 120 or 135 hp
• Cruise: about 8 knots at 2.5 gph (Soundings, owner reports)
• Fuel: 250 gallons in twin 125-gallon tanks under the side decks
• Owner-estimated range: more than 1,500 miles at 7.5 to 8 knots

Inside the GB32, teak everywhere

The layout is seamanlike rather than spacious. Instead of pushing the salon out to the hull sides, the GB32 keeps proper walkaround side decks with tall, secure rails, and a short bowsprit forward has room for two anchors.

Early boats had the galley toward the aft end of the salon; later boats moved it forward along the port side, with a deep stainless sink, under-counter refrigerator, oven and cooktop. Propane lives under a flybridge seat so any leak vents overboard. The lower helm sits to starboard with good visibility. Aft of the helm and galley, settees face each other across a drop-leaf table, and Grand Banks noted that the port settee slides out to a berth 3 feet 5 inches wide.

Three steps down forward, the cabin has a V-berth that becomes a huge single berth with the filler in place, and the head to starboard has an electric toilet, a vanity and a curtained shower that drains through a teak grate. Burmese teak parquet soles and joinery are everywhere; Soundings remarked that it was easy to forget the boat was fiberglass.

The Achilles' heel, fuel tanks and teak decks

Every GB32 survey should start with the tanks. Soundings called the fuel tanks the boat's Achilles' heel, with leaks a common topic among owners, and warned that replacing original tanks can be costly and difficult because they are tucked under the side decks. A boat with documented tank replacement is worth paying more for.

The second big item is teak. The cockpit, side decks and flybridge are teak overlaid, and Corke, who inspected many boats on the East Coast, found that some had issues with the teak decking or fuel tanks that would be time-consuming and expensive to fix. Leaking teak decks can wet the core beneath, so a moisture meter and a careful surveyor are essential.

Budget around $10,000 to $25,000 a year for a GB32 depending on slip costs and how much varnish and teak work you do yourself. Fuel is a small line item; maintenance of wood and systems is the big one.

Who the GB32 suits, and who should look at a 36

The GB32 is a couple's boat. Corke and his wife had initially dismissed it as too small and looked at GB36s and 42s from the 1980s, but chose the 32 because it had a sensibly sized cockpit, one head with less to go wrong, and a huge V-berth. They wanted a single engine, quality construction, moderate to heavy displacement, low running costs and a solid reputation, and the 32 ticked every box.

If you regularly cruise with guests, need two heads, or want an aft cabin, step up to a GB36 Classic or Sedan. If you want a boat that two people can run, maintain and afford for years, and you like the look of a proper little ship, the 32 is hard to beat. Designer Pim Dijksman, imagining a modern version for PassageMaker in 2023, said its proportions always spoke to him, and many owners say the same.