Grand Banks has unveiled the new GB65 Skylounge, the model that expands the yard's successful 60 series. The launch arrives in a symbolic year, the brand's 70th anniversary, a company that helped define the very idea of the long-range yacht.
The series began in 2017, when the Grand Banks 60 showed that a boat built for long passages did not have to trade speed for efficiency. The 54, 62 and 85 followed. Now the 65 Skylounge presents itself as one of the most versatile expressions of the family, a boat designed to act as a long-range cruiser, an expedition platform, an offshore fishing vessel or a family adventure boat.
One boat, many uses
The core idea of the GB65 is the same one Grand Banks CEO and chief designer Mark Richards has championed for years: a passagemaker can cruise fast, comfortably and with low fuel burn, without giving up each owner's way of life at sea.
In practice, that means a boat suited to spending weeks cruising a coastline, diving remote reefs, chasing fish offshore, hosting the family aboard or even serving as a floating office for part of the summer. The design was conceived around that flexibility, and Grand Banks builds each boat to order, tailoring layouts and finishes to the owner's taste.
V-Warp: light, stiff and quiet
At the heart of today's Grand Banks generation is the proprietary V-Warp technology, developed from Richards' background as a shipwright. It is not just about hull shape, but about the combination of form, materials and the build process itself.
The hull is laminated in unidirectional and multi-axial carbon fibre, with a precise resin-to-fibre ratio that yields a structure that is both light and strong. That hull is fused directly to the bulkheads, the deck and the superstructure, giving the whole an unusual stiffness. The design's trademarks are a fine entry at the bow, a graceful curvature amidships and a minimal deadrise at the transom, a combination meant to deliver a smooth, fuel-efficient ride across the whole speed range.
The result shows in the quiet on board. According to the yard, the master stateroom registered just 70 decibels while cruising at 28 knots, close to the level of ordinary conversation, which sits around 64 decibels.
Power and range
Standard power on the 65 is a pair of Volvo D13s of 1,000 horsepower each, on straight shafts, with Twin Disc transmissions. The first 65 Skylounge, however, came fitted with twin Volvo IPS 1350s, also 1,000 horsepower, which push the boat comfortably past the 30-knot mark.
The fuel figures explain the concept. At half load, the GB65 holds a 20-knot cruise while burning around 37 gallons per hour, roughly 140 litres per hour in total. For those who want to go farther, the boat has a range of 2,344 nautical miles cruising easily at 10 knots. It is the translation of the motto Richards repeats: "Less weight, more strength, less fuel burn, more range, more speed and less resistance".
Inside: what changes from the GB60
The most visible difference from the GB60 is in the salon, which gained a little over a metre in length, along with about thirty centimetres more in the cockpit. The 5.84-metre beam opens room for an amidships master stateroom, with a king berth, an en suite and plenty of storage for comfortable living aboard.
A VIP stateroom sits forward, with natural light and ventilation, and the starboard cabin can be configured in several ways: as a multiple-berth cabin with en suite, as an onboard office, or as a utility room with extra refrigeration, a washer-dryer and a large hanging locker. The galley was placed aft, which makes provisioning before departure easy and connects the interior to the cockpit and the outdoor entertaining area once underway.
The Skylounge and the flybridge version
The model's name comes precisely from the Skylounge, the enclosed upper space that can work as a second salon. There is an L-shaped settee, a dining table, refrigeration and a dayhead with a shower, and the settee also doubles as a watch berth for long passages.
The centreline helm forward has good sightlines from two Stidd helm seats and benefits from side and aft windows that open, making the space feel as airy as many flybridge designs. For those who prefer an open-air helm, Grand Banks also offers the 65 in a Flybridge version. Outside, the design follows the brand's signature, with railings and grab rails built in-house at the yard and wide side decks that make moving around safe while docking or underway. The cockpit shifts with the trip, from an elegant entertaining space to a capable offshore fishing platform or a staging base for diving, paddleboards and kayaks.
70 years defining long-range cruising
Grand Banks has been building yachts for nearly seven decades. It was the Grand Banks 36 that helped create the trawler-yacht category, and the Eastbay series that popularised the Downeast-inspired cruiser. Today the yard keeps a portfolio of highly customisable motor yachts known for their efficiency, built in its own factory and supported by sales and service offices in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. The company is publicly traded on the Singapore Stock Exchange.
"Every owner cruises differently," Richards sums up. Some chase marlin, some spend months exploring Alaska's Inside Passage, others anchor with their kids aboard. For him, the yard's role is not to tell owners how to use the boat, but to build one capable of taking the owner wherever their ambitions lead. With the GB65 Skylounge and its Flybridge version, Grand Banks reinforces what it had already been proposing with the 60 series: a modern long-range yacht that is strong, efficient and made to go farther while enjoying every mile of the way.
By: Redação Mundo Mar
Photo: Foto: Cortesia Grand Banks
