Browsing: Mark Richards

Cruising Life
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New Video Shows the Changes at Grand Banks, Previews New 60 Flagship

There’ve been a lot of changes at Grand Banks recently, ever since the company acquired Australia’s Palm Beach Yachts and named Mark Richards, the Palm Beach president, as the head of both companies in 2014. Richards, pictured above inspecting the hull of the new Grand Banks 60, is one of the most successful sailboat racers in the world, having won the fear-inducing Sydney-Hobart race a record eight times. At Grand Banks’ factory in Malaysia, he’s used his racing expertise to build high-tech, low-weight, low CG, faster and more fuel-efficient hulls. The flagship 60, with three staterooms and two heads, is…

Cruising Life
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New 32-Knot Grand Banks 60 Flagship Coming This Summer

The new, more contemporary Grand Banks 60 is under construction in the factory in Malaysia, and is due to be launched this summer. The three-stateroom, two-head cruiser will be the flagship of the Grand Banks Heritage fleet, which now tops out at 54 feet. Built under the leadership of Grand Banks (and Palm Beach) CEO Mark Richards, the new 60 also will be stronger and lighter and made with more sophisticated materials than previous models, reflecting Richards’ decades of experience as one of the leading sailboat racers in the world. We don’t have may details yet, but we know the…

Boat Reviews
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Palm Beach 65: Stunning Looks – and Performance

The Newport show will be the U.S. debut of the Palm Beach 65, which is made in the joint Palm Beach/Grand Banks factory in Malaysia. A luxurious – and beautiful – three-stateroom, three-head boat designed by world champion sailor Mark Richards, the Palm Beach 65 can be ordered with Volvo IPS pod drives or with straight shafts. This particular boat is powered by Volvo D-13 900-hp diesels with shaft drives; bow and stern thrusters make maneuvering easy. I tested this boat recently on Long Island Sound and it topped out at 30.2 knots; the ride was remarkable with the bow…

Boat Reviews
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Grand Banks 44 Eastbay SX: A Modern Classic

The beautiful new 44 Eastbay is the first Grand Banks built since the company hired Mark Richards, the world-champion sailor and founder of Palm Beach, the luxury Australian builder, to run the two companies. With its low profile, long sheer, Downeast-style tumblehome and soft lines, the new Eastbay is a more modern vision of a traditional Grand Banks. It also has twin Volvo IPS 600 pod drives to boost its performance to a 30-knot top speed. The boat has a large teak swim platform and an L-shaped settee and aft-facing bench seat in the cockpit. The aft and side windows…

Boat Reviews
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Just Launched Palm Beach 42

Take a look at this just-launched Palm Beach 42, with some of the most graceful lines, not to mention most gorgeous tumblehome, of any boat on the planet. It’s the first new model since Palm Beach Yachts, in Australia, was acquired by Grand Banks Yachts, in Malaysia, in 2014, and it’s heading for the fall boat shows in the U.S. I tested the first Palm Beach to be imported into the U.S. six years ago, and I was knocked out by the thoroughly modern but classic lines, the elegant fit and finish, and the world-class quality of the boat then.…

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