STEADY THE SHIP
“We believe we have created the most stable 60-foot monohull flybridge in the world,” Grand Banks says of the new model. That might sound hyperbolic, but even classic Grand Banks models were known for stability at sea. for the grand banks 60, I came a long way. Thirty-nine-thousand round-trip air miles to be exact, spread out over a flight to the builder’s factory in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and another to the 50th annual Sydney International Boat Show in Australia, where I put her through her paces. In Malaysia, the Grand Banks brass spoke with acein-the-hole confidence about how the unfinished vessel was going to change the course of Grand Banks’ history — a dramatic statement indeed. In Australia, I found out exactly what they meant. The yacht — flush with carbon fiber and enviable performance data — represents a turning point for the famed trawler manufacturer. And as I cruised the coast just off Sydney’s rugged headlands, I came to a realization: Grand Banks had come a long way too.
As you can see throughout these pages, the sturdy lines that have made Grand Banks an iconic brand for years remain intact. The 60 is, however, a bit sleeker than the classic 42s you grew up watching poke down the Intracoastal Waterway. Her superstructure is ever so slightly more raked, her long bow is less bunched, and her windows are tweaked back just a smidge — but the bones are still there, aesthetically speaking at least.
This yacht’s actual bones, though, the stuff she’s made of, represent one of the more interesting leaps a manufacturer has taken in recent memory. The 60’s superstructure is vinylester-resininfused carbon fiber, versus the builder’s usual use of fiberglass. Mark Richards, founder of Palm Beach Motor Yachts (which Grand Banks acquired in 2014 before naming him CEO) dreamed up the idea. Richards has a serious pedigree in competitive sailing, and his powerboats take cues from that world. The 60 is a case in point: He’s not afraid to put a significant amount of carbon fiber on a boat. (Another example is the 60’s warped-hull design with varying degrees of deadrise and a small keel, but more on that later.)
The decision to use carbon fiber in the yacht’s superstructure created multiple advantages, according to Grand Banks. It lowers the 60’s center of gravity, which keeps the yacht steadier in rolling seas. It also keeps the 60 relatively lightweight: The 66-foot-10inch yacht displaces 63,900 pounds, reducing fuel burn and increasing range. With straight-shaft 900 hp Volvo Penta D13s (725 hp D11s are standard), the yacht cruises at 20 knots and burns a measly 34 gallons per hour. With the optional twin 900 hp Volvo Penta IPS1200s, the 60 can make 2,500 nautical miles at 10 knots. Her trawler heritage is evident.
Grand Banks has not traditionally been known for building speedy vessels, but when I pushed down the throttles and trimmed my test boat in the gently rolling 3s and 4s of the Tasman Sea outside Sydney Harbour, she nudged just past 30 knots to 30.6. Someone standing behind me whooped when the number came up, and I don’t blame him. This was not a sight many yachtsmen thought they’d ever see aboard a Grand Banks. And remember, that 30.6 number was on a hull with those D13s. With the IPS1200s, Grand Banks says it’s seen 36 knots.
Even at top speed, the 60’s ride was smooth and confidence-inducing. And interestingly, the fineentry hull, which Richards perfected at Palm Beach,