Now here’s a boat with a great attitude. Take a look at the running surface of the new Grand Banks 85 flagship on its maiden sea trial near Singapore (click on the link below for a short video). With its sharp bow and patented V-Warp hull, the boat is running almost flat, and leaving very little wake behind.
All that’s due to the influence of Mark Richards, the world-class sailor (he’s won the grueling Sydney-Hobart race a record nine times) who’s the CEO of Grand Banks and its sister company, Palm Beach Motoryachts. Richards believes in high-tech solutions to boat-building, resulting in light-weight, low center of gravity, slippery and highly efficient hulls.
After the sea trial, Richards was more than pleased. “We had one primary objective above all when we started the 85,” he said. “To deliver the most fuel-efficient, long-range cruiser of this size in the world. Period. It is incredibly exciting to tick this box right out of the gate on what is not yet even the official sea trial.”
Hull number one of the 85 is powered by twin 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350 pod drives. It has a half load displacement of 108,000 pounds and a fuel capacity of 2,650 gallons. The sea trial confirmed Richards’ belief that the boat has a range of 1,000 nm at 21 knots.
Grand Banks has invested in a test pool in its factory in Malaysia, just outside Singapore, but the company tested the V-Warp hull form at the Australian Maritime College in Tasmania. The warped hull has a V forward and then flattens out for a cushioning effect aft.
From his racing experience, Richards focuses on wetted surface, running attitude, and reducing the energy required to move the boat through the water. Less weight and a slippery surface require less power to move the boat, and the hull form is designed to run fairly flat without having to push a lot of water out of the way.
On the 85, the entire deck and superstructure have fully infused carbon fiber to keep weight down. All bulkheads and fixed furniture are structurally bonded to the hull for strength and stability.
For cruising comfort, the 85 comes with a climate-controlled Skylounge or an open flybridge. Interior options include a full-beam (22 feet) master stateroom, or four staterooms that can sleep as many as nine people. There also are crew quarters with a separate galley and head for privacy. Read more at http://grandbanks.com and see the video here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/axreymmdj055rcj/GB85%20sea%20trials.MOV?dl=0
