Maintenance Reduction

Grand Banks Maintenance Reduction – A Prime Example

Here is a perfect example of how Oxford Yacht Agency recently did a total “exterior” maintenance reduction on the 1984 Grand Banks 42 Classic “Compromise”. This was a no-compromise solution to high maintenance on this 35-year-old Grand Banks.

Replacing varnished trim with epoxy and Awlgrip makes a huge reduction in the work require to maintain this boat. Only the top rail and one piece of flybridge trim are varnished on this boat now. The top rail is the easiest varnish job on these boats because there is no masking required. Keeping that up is simple. The other piece of flybridge trim that is varnished is even more simple because it’s so small and no bending over is needed for the job.

The epoxy window treatment is good or up to 10 years.

The first and most important improvement for the integrity of the boat was replacement of the teak decks. In these boats, once the seams and bungs start leaking, it leads to all sorts of problems underneath. Leaking decks can cause fuel tank corrosion and rot in the decks underneath. These are serious structural challenges.

Then new Awlgrip “Moondust” non-skid gives this boat a modern, clean look. It’s like giving it a whole new life. It’s a wash and wear solution for these older Grand Banks boats. The proud owner now has time to enjoy is beautiful boat!

On the forward deck, the transformation is really stark as seen from our Grand Banks maintenance reduction project boat. This look is so clean and modern, compared to the old teak decks. There is zero maintenance to this new deck, and it has zero risk going forward for the proud owner.

Particularly problematic in the older Grand Banks are the teak steps and pads going up to the flybridge. These get a lot of wear with the extra pressure of people going up and down the steps constantly. The steps have plywood underneath and can start to rot and ooze brown goo. When that happens, there is only one solution; replace the steps.

We remove the teak and plywood layers, replace them with fiberglass foam “Penske Board” plus two layers of fiberglass matt. It gets all faired in and painted with Alwgrip “Moondust” nonskid which looks great.

One of the best maintenance reduction projects on this Grand Banks was the varnish removal and Awlgrip painting of the cap rail. On this boat, the top rail was left varnished. This wasn’t a hard decision because that top rail is by far the easiest one to keep varnished properly. There is NO MASKING when you varnish it. Just sand lightly and touch up a couple of coats. If you do this with AllWood, it can last up to 10 years. What could be easier? Yet, you still get the varnished beauty that Grand Banks stands for.

This little trick for the top trim piece around the Grand Banks flybridge is truly a no-maintenance improvement. It’s a piece of hard polymer plastic “color fast” trim, made to GB specs, which will NEVER require painting. The old varnishing of the two trim pieces was an irritation for most Grand Banks owners. Now there is one small varnished trim piece to give it the finished, classic GB look.

On the aft hatch area, the improvement is equally dramatic. The varnished aft hatch rails have been epoxied and painted with Grand Banks White Awlgrip. The top deck is painted with the same Moondust non-skid. It’s a beautiful look, much easier to keep clean, and makes working around the cabin top a lot safer. The cabin top non-skid matching the deck is a really sharp look that the new owner loves to show off.

So, we hope you can see what a small investment can do for making the classic Grand Banks a low maintenance boat while maintaining the very sharp classic look. There is nothing on the exterior of this Grand Banks that’s even close to being beyond the owner’s capability to keep up on a regular basis. A little waxing, a little varnishing, and you have the best-looking Grand Banks in the marina.