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Model profile · for Great Loop buyers
Grand Banks 49 Classic
The published record on this model and what owners report, with the
questions worth asking while a boat is still a listing. This page covers the model.
Every boat still needs its own homework.
A capable long-range trawler for the Loop, but a 1983 hull carries costly known age issues (black-iron fuel tanks, teak decks, and tall air draft) that decide the deal.
The Grand Banks 49 Classic is a semi-displacement, teak-decked trawler with a stand-up engine room and very large fuel capacity, which makes it a comfortable, long-range Great Loop platform. A 1983 hull is old enough to carry two model-defining liabilities: original black-iron fuel tanks (epoxy-coated tanks did not arrive until 1995) and teak decks over a wood-cored structure. Engine fit varied over the run: early boats often carried twin Ford Lehman 120s, while many 49s were ordered or repowered with Caterpillar 3208s at various ratings, so the engine on any given hull must be confirmed. Note that much of the deep forum knowledge (fuel tanks, teak decks) comes from the closely-related GB 42/46 and is extrapolated to the 49 on shared construction; the dedicated GB owners' forum went defunct and its archive was lost.
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How to read the tags on this page.
CLAIMstated by one source, not yet confirmed
QUESTIONopen, and settled by looking at the boat itself
CONTEXTbackground on how this model is built or used
Sources are linked where published.
Fuel system
QUESTION
Have the black-iron fuel tanks been inspected or replaced?
Grand Banks did not switch to epoxy-coated fuel tanks until 1995, so a 1983 hull has the vulnerable black-iron tanks. The known failure pattern: salt water intrudes around the fuel-tank deck fittings and sits on the tank tops, corroding them from outside. Replacement is a major job (the tanks must be cut up and removed through the salon sole), making this one of the biggest-ticket issues on the model. Note this pattern is best documented on the GB 42/46 and extrapolated to the 49 on shared construction.
src:
Oxford Yacht Agency; Trawler Forum (GB 42/46)
Your move: Ask for tank inspection records and any replacement date; have the surveyor inspect tank tops and the deck-fitting areas, and price a tank job before committing.
Range & fuel
CLAIM
Very large fuel capacity gives long range at economy speed
The 49 Classic carries diesel in two side tanks of roughly 500 gallons each (~1,000 gal, with one listing showing ~1,035). Published burn from the 49's operating manual runs from ~3.5 GPH at 1200 rpm (~6 kn) up to ~16.5 GPH at 2400 rpm (~11.5 kn), so at displacement/economy speed the boat has more than ample range for the Loop, where fuel stops are frequent. No single authoritative published range figure specific to the 1983 49 was found; these are derived from the manual's burn rates.
src:
GB 49 Classic operating manual (ManualsLib); Curtis Stokes listing
Air draft
CLAIM
Tall flybridge and hardtop make air draft the limiting factor
The 49 is a tall boat; its flybridge, hardtop, mast and antennas are the height-limiting structures and brokerage air-draft figures for the model vary widely from hull to hull. Northern canal routes are the tightest and may require lowering the flybridge enclosure, Bimini and mast/electronics. Some 49s were fitted with flybridge enclosures not designed to fold down or with taller radar antennas, so a listed figure can be wrong.
src:
Trawler Forum
Your move: Measure the actual air draft yourself and identify exactly what folds or comes off. A tennis-ball-on-a-string dropped from a bridge to mark the rail, then noting the highest fixed point, gives a reliable number.
Structure & decks
QUESTION
What is the condition of the teak decks, and are the side windows leaking or showing rot?
These boats have teak decks laid over the structure; leaking teak decks and leaking windows leading to rot are recurring GB issues, and deck leaks are also the path by which salt water reaches and corrodes the fuel tank tops. Recaulking or replacing a teak deck is a major expense, and hidden core or framing rot is harder to price. This is best documented on the GB 42/46 and applied to the 49 on shared construction.
src:
Trawler Forum; Oxford Yacht Agency (GB 42/46)
Your move: Have the surveyor moisture-map the decks and check window frames and bulkheads for rot; ask when the decks were last recaulked or refastened.
Reading the boat
CONTEXT
The dedicated GB owners' forum is gone, so knowledge is now scattered
The independent GB owners' forum (IAGBO) went defunct and its archive was lost, so much accumulated detail is no longer searchable. Current GB discussion lives on Trawler Forum, and much of the deep 49-specific detail is actually GB 42/46 material extrapolated on shared construction.
src:
Trawler Forum
Engines
The engines research is part of the full profile inside the
product. It covers factory options, tested performance and the engine-specific
questions in our members' dossiers, and it travels with every dossier and survey brief
built on this model.
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