American Marine (now Grand
Banks) started a revolution in boating with the introduction
of the "Trawler Yacht". No computer automation
here; based upon traditional workboat lines each boat
was meticulously hand built of wood by Asian shipwrights. The "Trawler
Yacht" proved to be safe, comfortable, economical
and remarkably successful.
The first GB was launched in Hong Kong in 1965.
When "Woodie" production ended in
1973 more than 1400 wooden hulled trawlers had
been produced at American Marine's Hong Kong and Singapore
production facilities. Mahogany hulls, teak decks and
superb joinery of the teak interiors set the standards
for cruising trawlers.
Not all of the Woodies have been well cared for over
the past 30 some odd years but most neglected
Woodies can be returned to nearly new appearance with
some loving work and only modest wood-working abilities. If
you see a Woodie you will probably have trouble distinguishing
her from the newer fiberglass models.
This site provides the most comprehensive registry
of wooden Grand Banks yachts and contains a large amount
of information on GB Woodies. If you are an owner
and have not registered please do so. Registration
is free, lets to show off your boat via photos, and
should you ever desire to sell your boat, list it for
sale at no cost.
If you are a current or prospective owner of a Grand
Banks you will find several informative articles in
the Reading Room section. In
addition to the resources of this site there is also
a Discussion Forum dedicated completely to Grand Banks
yachts which is hosted by the Oxford
Yacht Agency. This is an invaluable service
to Grand Banks owners and contains forums on Cruising,
Specifications, and Repair Questions.
Both current and prospective owners of Grand Banks
will find the site an treasure trove of information.
The largest forum is on Repair Questions and that
forum has evolved over time to include thousands of
postings on questions about Grand Banks. The original
forum is still on-line and available for searches and
reading. |
