The long, low, lean and unmistakably luxurious Palm Beach GT60 is on display at the big Miami show, running from Feb. 14 through 18.
The new sleek, fast and low-slung motor yacht with its long sheerline and low center of gravity is bound to turn heads everywhere from Malaysia (where it’s built, just outside Singapore) to Monaco and the Herald Plaza docks in Miami. Looks, of course, are one thing; performance is another.
And it’s in performance that the GT60 shows its stuff. The new Palm Beach has the builder’s proprietary V-Warp hull, with a fine entry to slice through waves and a semi-displacement form that reduces drag, adds buoyancy and creates efficiency. It has significant deadrise amidships that flattens out aft for a cushioning effect. And it’s slippery, leaving minimal wake behind.
Standard power is twin 725-hp Volvo IPS950 pod drives that deliver a top speed of 33 knots and a range of 463 nm. Move up to optional 1,000-hp Volvo IPS1350s, and the GT60 tops out at 40 knots and the range climbs to 480 nm.
Palm Beach Motor Yachts are the brainchild of Mark Richards, who launched the first one, a 38, in the city of Palm Beach, about 25 miles north of Sydney, Australia, in 1999. Richards took over Grand Banks in 2014; now the GB Marine Group makes Palm Beach, Grand Banks and Eastbay in its Malaysia factory.
A world-class sailor, Richards has won the grueling Sydney-Hobart ocean race a record nine times. He has used all that experience to produce high-tech, well-balanced yachts that perform well offshore. Richards uses vacuum-fusion techniques and a lot of carbon fiber to keep the boats as light as possible. Carbon-fiber jackshafts run from the pods to the engines, which are mounted amidships to keep the weight balanced.
From my own experience on other Palm Beaches, I can attest that the ride is smooth; you can barely notice when the boat comes up on plane. It’s also solid, quiet and comfortable.
You walk on the GT60 via a large teak swim platform. An L-shaped lounge is across the transom; a bar, fridge and storage are forward. Push a button and the cockpit sole rises up to reveal a RIB underneath; you can launch it easily in minutes.
Push more buttons in the salon to operate the side and aft windows. A massive, one-piece windshield lets in lots of light, and a sun roof lets in more. There’s an L-shaped settee to port; a three-person settee to starboard. A two-person helm seat faces a carbon-fiber helm station to starboard, and a mate’s seat is to port.
The GT60 provides both indoor and outdoor dining and entertaining space. The standard layout has a gourmet galley and two staterooms, with queen berths and en suite heads, below. The master is midships on the starboard side, and the galley is to port. The VIP cabin is in the bow.
Specs.: LOA: 65’1”; Beam: 17’2”; Draft: 3’4”; Disp.: 51,260 lbs.; Fuel: 845 gals.; Water: 251 gals.; Power: 2×725-hp Volvo IPS950 pod drives.
Read more at http://palmbeachmotoryachs.com and see the video below:
