46 Grand Banks Europa

Source: David J. Shuler, Sea Magazine

A classic case of doing it right

When most people talk about trawler yachts, the first name that comes to mind is Grand Banks — and for good reason. Grand Banks has been building cruise worthy, semi-displacement boats for the last 36 years.

With their classic, seaworthy lines and warm teak trim, Grand Banks boats always stand out in a crowd. Today, Grand Banks Yachts Ltd. builds a wide range of boats from 33 to 66 feet in length — including not only Grand Banks trawlers, but also Eastbay classic-style express cruisers and the newly reintroduced line of larger Aleutian Class passage-making trawler yachts.

We tested a brand-new Grand Banks 46 Europa, which was recently redesigned. Our test boat was furnished by Stan Miller Yachts of Long Beach, California.

The 46 Europa is built on the same hull as the Grand Banks 46 Classic, but has a flybridge that extends over the aft deck, and covers the walk-around sidedecks. One of the many advantages of this arrangement is the shade that is afforded to the aft deck and the interior of the boat at various times of the day — plus, much more usable space on the flybridge.

As you approach the boat, you will notice that, although it is built on a fiberglass hull, the 46 Europa has the classic planking lines of a wooden hull. That’s not an easy feat to pull off these days.

The 46 Europa has a traditional plumb bow, with hard chines that knock spray out and away from the boat. The transom is covered in teak, and the swim step is more than adequate in size.

When you buy a new Grand Banks, you have a variety of options to choose from. There are different interior layouts, interior and exterior trim packages, engines, auxiliary generators — and the list goes on and on. The Europa we tested had many of these upgrades — so, some of the features on our test boat may not be included on the boat you see at your local dealer.

Our test boat had teak caprails and grabrails, with stainless stanchions and an exterior trim package. Access to the decks is obtained through openings in the rail on both sides, with additional access on the stern. The rubrail that runs close to the caprail not only keeps unwanted scratches and stains off the boat, but also makes the boat easy to board — especially when you’re getting in and out of a dinghy.

As we prepared the boat for our sea trial, I was impressed with the neatly placed electrical/cable/telephone hookup placed in the center of the bulkhead on the aft deck. There is also another setup on the bow, to keep you from having to run cables down the deck. Hawsers are located on the bow, amidships and on the stern, so you can tie off any way you’d like.

Ready for Take-off
We tested the 46 Europa off Huntington Harbour, California. Our test boat was equipped with a pair of 420 hp Caterpillar 3126TA diesels.

We idled down the channel at 5 knots, with very little noise. The full 360 degree view from the teak-trimmed pilothouse, through large sliding windows that enclose the pilothouse and main saloon, gave us a skipper-friendly feeling — like what you experience on a sailboat or a smaller open cockpit boat.

It was a sunny but very hazy day, with the wind at 6 to 8 knots, with no noticeable swell and a 6-inch wind chop. As we neared the harbor entrance, we moved up to the flybridge and powered up.

Being a semi-displacement boat, our test boat responded much faster than I had expected, thanks to its twin 420 hp engines. It planed quickly and easily.

I braced myself for a large wake we were about to encounter from another boat, but we plowed right through it, with no movement from the boat — and I do mean no movement. This boat was as solid-riding as a tank. Even though the conditions we tested in were not rough by any means, we could tell that this boat could handle much worse conditions and be no worse for wear.

Throughout our test, the boat gave us a smooth ride and maneuvered easily. We reached a top speed of 19.6 knots at 2,800 rpm, and we cruised at around 14 knots, at 2,200 rpm.

As we headed back to the harbor, I took the opportunity to look over the flybridge, which has a teak deck with a stainless steel rail surrounding it. On the outside of the rail is a large area that can be used for kayak or water toy storage, which keeps them accessible, yet out of the way.

Our boat’s flybridge was equipped with a set of optional Pompanette helm seats with an L-shaped settee and table on the starboard side, and a straight settee on the port side. There is storage under both settees, and a storage box in front of the aft rail separates the dinghy area from the flybridge. The instrument panel was large enough to add optional electronics, and engine gauges were covered by a clear plexiglass panel.

Access to and from the flybridge is easy and secure, through a large sliding hatch that leads to a set of built-in fiberglass stairs with well-placed rails. An optional freezer was concealed beneath the steps on our test boat.

On the aft deck, there are two sets of hatches. One double set leads to a large storage area in the stern, and the other leads to the engine room.

Before you get to the engine room, you enter a large lazarette. You can turn this area into more storage, a work area or whatever you want. Our test boat had a washer/dryer here and hookups for an optional air-conditioning unit — including through-hull fittings. There is a bulkhead door that separates this area, and it is very easy to get through.

The engine room is well lighted and well ventilated. Our test boat’s 16 kw Northern Lights auxiliary generator was on the starboard side, aft, with its battery forward. On the port side was an 18 gallon Seaward water heater and forward were Aquadrive anti-vibration systems.

The boat’s two 8-D batteries were mounted on the centerline, just below the second access to the engine room: a deck hatch that is next to the steering station in the main saloon. This is ideal for the skipper who likes to periodically make visual engine checks. There was adequate room to get to both sides of the engines, to do any necessary maintenance — and the through-hulls and sea strainers were easy to reach.

Step Inside
We entered the main saloon area from the aft deck through two sliding wooden doors. Thanks to large sliding windows, the main saloon gives all the visibility of being outside.

Our 46 Europa was equipped with a settee on the starboard side that pulls out into a bunk. A large cabinet on the aft end made room for a stereo, video equipment and a small bar with glass storage. An optional ice-maker was provided under the steering station seat.

The port side had an L-shaped settee, with a tri-fold high-low table that helps convert this settee into a double berth. A three-drawer storage cabinet is aft, and both settees have storage beneath.

The steering station — which has a door for access to the deck — has a bench-style seat with a fold-up footrest. It is adjacent to a finely crafted wood captain’s wheel and a fully instrumented helm console with room to mount optional electronics in front and above.

An L-shaped galley, to port, offers ample cabinets running above and below its Corian countertops. Our test boat included a Sharp Carousel microwave/convection oven, a three-burner electric range and oven, a cold-plate refrigerator mounted in the lower cabinets, a large prep area with a pull-out cutting board, a Corian sink with a removable cover and a Grohe faucet. Above the sink, drop-down adjustable dish and glassware storage cabinets keep dinnerware secured and out of the way. In front of the oven, facing aft, there was a handy pull-out trash bin.

Just three teak-covered steps down, we found two staterooms and heads. Our test boat featured a guest cabin with twin berths to port, with a cedar-lined hanging locker between the berths.

Forward, the master stateroom had a king-size center-mounted berth, with storage below it, in front of it and on each side. A cedar-lined walk-in hanging locker, with a vanity and seat, was on the starboard side and a five-drawer storage unit was to port. There is easy access to the anchor locker, through a door at the head of the master berth.

The master head, to port, is accessible from the master stateroom. The guest head is directly across from the guest stateroom, to starboard. Both were outfitted with Corian counters, Corian sinks, Grohe faucets, a Tankwatch system and VacuFlush toilets. Both heads had stand-up showers with folding doors, and large portlights for ventilation.

We found good access to the bilge and tanks through hatches in the companionway.

Grand Banks has earned a great reputation — not only for its classic designs, but also for the quality of workmanship in each of its products. In both respects, the 46 Europa is destined to add to that reputation.

Whether you aspire to travel to faraway ports or just want to explore local cruising waters, the 46 Europa can handle the trip. This boat will definitely appeal to the “wannabe-cruiser” who lives inside every boater.