INFORMATION ON GRAMPIAN 7.9 DISCOVERY BOATS COMPLETED AFTER GRAMPIAN MARINE CLOSED

(Click on thumbnails for larger images)

The Discovery boats completed after Grampian Marine Closed have a number of differences from the "stock" Discovery:

- only one window.  There are a set of Discovery blueprints that show the front smaller windows.  Seems the Seaforth builder never installed them.  (by the way, St.Mary's and Seaforth and Vanastra are all small towns near Sarnia.) 
- It is believed that a person in Seaforth bought the moulds from Grampian and built hulls.  Ken Gehrels is the owner of one of these Discovery boats. The unfinished, bare hull was sold to Bob Carswell in Sarnia in Winter of 1986  . He did all the millwork, installed windows, and put on deck hardware, mast and boom. His bills for screws, teak, fibreglass, foam, cloth, compression post, boom, mast (a mirage 27 mast), sails, etc. are in the possesion of the current owner. Bob launched this boat as Tryst in 1987 but never cruised in it.  Just raced it on Lake Huron for 20 years.  Never connected the head or finished the fresh water plumbing.  Fabric & cushions are as good as new.  It is suspected that no one had ever done an overnight in this craft.

If anyone is interested,  the name, phone number and address of the Seaforth, ON fellow who bought the stuff from the Grampian receiver can be obtained but it is not guaranteed that it is still current.  There is also a brochure which he relabelled "Seaforth Discovery Spaceship 27" instead of "Grampian Discovery Spaceship 7.9."  Everything else in the sales brochure is identical.... except the marketing address, of course.  Helps to put the wraps on the end of the Discovery's history, post-Grampian.

There are some other differences from the "stock" Discovery 7.9's -
             
- Carswell installed a stainless steel compression post

                    
- sink positioned a few inches to the left

           
 - no swinging cover over the stove
        - area for storing dishes configured a wee bit different
        - Isomat boom & mast instead of Klacko

Ken Gehrels has made a number of further changes and improvements to his Discovery:
        

           
- installed electric brakes on the tandem axle trailer

                   
        - built & installed custom folding table

           
        - built & installed custom bi-fold door between head and cabin

           
        - built & installed custom louvered bi-fold door between v-berth and head
        - installed:
                 24 gal holding tank
                 20 gal fresh water tank & pump & faucet
                 smoked lexan companionway hatch cover
                 bulkhead compass & depth gauge & gps, with sun cover
        - plumbed in the head and sink
        - rebuilt electric circuit breaker panel, and restrung wiring, installed 2 batteries
        - renamed the boat to GetAway
        - slopped on a fresh coat of VC-17 bottom coat
        - rebuilt the 9.9 outboard

Thanks to Ken Gehrels for the information and photos
 

BACK