Browsing: Mark Richards

Cruising Life
By

Palm Beach To Launch New Fast and Elegant GT50 Open at Miami Show

The new, striking Palm Beach GT50 Open, with its low lines, long sheer and elegant tumblehome, will make its U.S. debut at the Miami Yacht Show, running from Feb. 14 through 18. It comes on the heels of the successful introduction of the Palm Beach GT50 Salon Express, which was named Best New Powerboat at the Newport International Boat Show last September; the judges said the beautiful, fast and light new Palm Beach yacht was just plan “sexy.” Palm Beach developed the new GT series after it found a void in the high-performance market – a luxurious cruiser with a…

Boat Reviews
By

New Grand Banks 52: A Long-Range, Smooth-Running, High-Tech Cruiser

Grand Banks just announced that they are building a new 52, a long-range cruiser with a high-tech, slippery, 30-knot hull that will be launched at the Newport, Rhode Island, boat show next September. The GB 52 will be the latest in the newly reinvigorated Grand Banks lineup, coming after the Grand Banks 60 and Grand Banks 60 Skylounge. Mark Richards, the company’s president and CEO, made the announcement at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. “The 52 will combine weight reduction, strength and a low vertical center of gravity,” he said. “Of course, efficiency doesn’t matter without comfort, so we…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

On Watch

Newport Show Opens with More Great Looking – and More Powerful – Boats than Ever Before By Peter A. Janssen The Newport show, the first of the fall boat show season, just opened, with more boats than ever before and, to my mind, more great-looking and great-performing boats than ever before. The brand-new Palm Beach 50GT, for example, just launched for the show, is boating eye-candy writ large, with a head-turning sapphire blue hull, low profile, drop-dead gorgeous tumblehome and curves everywhere. The fact that it tops out a 42 knots, driven by twin 600-hp Volvo IPS800s, is just icing…

Boat Reviews
By

Palm Beach Launches New Line of Elegant, Head-Turning Performance Yachts

Palm Beach has just launched a new GT series of elegant, fuel-efficient, high performance and head-turning yachts. Indeed, take a look at the wraparound windshield, the low profile, the long sheer line and the gorgeous tumblehome that would do a Down East boat proud, all on hull number one of the new Palm Beach GT50 Express. That boat will have its world debut at the Newport International Boat Show, starting Sept. 13, while other models in the series, going up to 70-footer, will follow. Palm Beach said it developed the GT series after finding a void in the high-performance motor…

Cruising Life
By

72 Boats Cruise Up to Puget Sound Grand Banks Owners Association Rendezvous in Roche Harbor

Some 72 boats, and 200 owners, guests and sponsors turned out for the Puget Sound Grand Banks Owners Association rendezvous at Roche Harbor in the San Juan Islands, one of the most successful events the organization has ever held. This year the rendezvous had a Jimmy Buffett theme, and during the course of the rendezvous most people managed to tackle a margarita or two and enjoy a Cheeseburger in Paradise lunch. Almost everyone attended the workshops, seminars, dinners, dances and cooking demos. Even an early-morning BOGA (boat yoga) session was popular. The weather was great, and the Grand Banks owners…

Boat Reviews
By

Palm Beach Motor Yachts Announces New Flagship 70 with Same Beautiful Lines but More Room Inside

Palm Beach just started building its new flagship, a Palm Beach 70, at its factory in Malaysia. The new 70 is scheduled to be launched later this year, and the company has already sold the first two hulls. The Palm Beach lineup now has six models, from 42 to 65 feet. The new 70 will have more interior volume than the 65, particularly in the midships master stateroom and the other guest staterooms, although the company emphasizes that the boat’s interior can be completely customized to fit the individual owner’s desires. One of the first hulls features four staterooms and…

Boat Reviews
By

New Eastbay 44, a Success in the U.S., Is Being Introduced to Europe at Boot Dusseldorf

Grand Banks is introducing its iconic Downeast-styled Eastbay 44 to the European market on Jan. 21 at Boot Dusseldorf, one of the largest boat shows in the world. The Eastbay 44 has been shown in the U.S. for the past year, amid rave reviews. With its low profile, long sheer, and typical Downeast tumblehome, the new 44 – the first Grand Banks built since Mark Richards, the founder of Palm Beach Yachts, was hired to run both companies – is a thoroughly contemporary version of a traditional Grand Banks. It has all the teak, world-class fit-and-finish and classic lines of…

On Watch with Peter Janssen
By

On Watch

We Test the New Grand Banks 60: Fast and Smooth with Some Very Long Legs By Peter A. Janssen This is all you need to know about the gorgeous, all-new Grand Banks 60, the flagship of the legendary builder’s fleet: As we were cruising down Long Island Sound at 24 knots a few days ago, the ride was so smooth, so quiet and so comfortable, that Sue Weisman, the owner’s wife who had just spent a busy day provisioning her new boat, went below to take a shower. She emerged 15 minutes later, smiling and happy. No fuss, no muss,…

Boat Reviews
By

We Test the New Grand Banks 60: Fast and Smooth with Some Very Long Legs

This is all you need to know about the gorgeous, all-new Grand Banks 60, the flagship of the legendary builder’s fleet: As we were cruising down Long Island Sound at 24 knots a few days ago, the ride was so smooth, so quiet and so comfortable, that Sue Weisman, the owner’s wife who had just spent a busy day provisioning her new boat, went below to take a shower. She emerged 15 minutes later, smiling and happy. No fuss, no muss, no problems. A hot refreshing shower, just like home, at 24 knots. Don’t try this on many boats. “This…

Cruising Life
By

First Look at Video of 31-Knot Grand Banks 60 in Australia

The long-awaited new Grand Banks 60 just turned in an impressive 31-knot top speed running along the Surfers Paradise coastline after its worldwide introduction at the Sanctuary Cove boat show in Australia. Dialing back to a comfortable cruising speed, the boat has a range of 2,000 nm. The three-stateroom, two-head cruiser, the new flagship of the Grand Banks Heritage fleet, will be launched in the U.S. at the Newport, Rhode Island, boat show in September. Powered by twin 900-hp Volvo diesels, this new beauty is stronger and lighter than previous Grand Banks, as a result of Grand Banks (and Palm…

1 2 3