Honouring seven decades of craftsmanship and heritage that have shaped modern passage making at speed.
2025 Grand Banks 62
Grand Banks Yachts is celebrating its 70th Anniversary in 2026, marking seven decades of boatbuilding innovation that has shaped the modern power cruising yacht. The milestone celebration officially kicked off at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, on March 25 launching a seven month global celebration honouring seven decades through global owner events, commemorative storytelling, and special editorial content honouring the company’s remarkable journey, from its beginnings on the Hong Kong waterfront in 1956 to its position today as the leader in long-range cruising performance.
Few boatbuilders can claim a legacy as consequential as Grand Banks. Over seventy years, the company has introduced market-defining designs, pioneered new technologies, and cultivated a devoted global community of owners who value thoughtful craftsmanship and capable yachts built for serious cruising.
“People who know me well know I’m not someone who spends much time looking in the rearview mirror,” said Mark Richards, CEO and Chief Designer of Grand Banks. “But when you reach a milestone like this, it’s worth pausing to recognise the pioneers, craftsmen, designers, and owners who built something truly special. Grand Banks didn’t just build boats, it helped define what long-range cruising could be. The responsibility we carry today is to honour that spirit of innovation while continuing to push forward.”
Founded as American Marine Ltd. in 1956, the company began as a shipwright’s enterprise dedicated to building honest, capable boats. That ethos found its defining expression in 1964 with the introduction of the Grand Banks 36, a cruising yacht that effectively created the production trawler category and established a design genre that would influence generations of passage-making yachts.
Models from 1960’s – 2000’s
1961 Chantyman
1962 Spray
1963 Grand Banks 36 Classic
1965 Grand Banks 42 Diamond Head
1968 Alaskan series
1984 Grand Banks 46 Classic
1993 Eastbay 38 SX
2001 Aleutian Class 64
2003 Eastbay 54
Over the decades that followed, Grand Banks repeatedly pushed boundaries, from introducing the Alaskan raised pilothouse series in 1968, to pioneering the transition from wood to fibreglass construction, to launching the Eastbay line in 1993, which helped define the modern Down East performance cruiser.
When Richards assumed leadership of the company in 2014, he embraced that pioneering DNA as a mandate for the new vision. Drawing on his background as a world champion sailor and shipwright, he led a strategic transformation that reimagined what long-range cruising yachts could achieve in the modern era.
That vision culminated in the Grand Banks 60, introduced in 2017, and the debut of the company’s V-WARP Technology® a design and construction philosophy that delivers remarkable efficiency, performance, and range without compromise. The result is a new generation of Grand Banks yachts capable of long-range cruising at speed while achieving up to 65% greater fuel efficiency than comparable yachts in their class. Today, the Grand Banks and Eastbay portfolios span sixteen models, each reflecting that same commitment to innovation and purposeful design.
Recent models
2017 Grand Banks 60
2019 Grand Banks 54
2022 Grand Banks 85
“Grand Banks has never been about standing still,” Richards added. “From the beginning, this was a company willing to rethink what was possible. Our founders embraced new ideas, new materials, and better ways of building boats. That mindset continues to guide everything we do today.”
The 70th Anniversary celebration will unfold over seven months in honour of seven decades with a number of special initiatives:
Official kickoff at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, where owners and enthusiasts will gather to mark the start of the anniversary year.
A commemorative anniversary edition of the Grand Banks in house magazine, exploring the brand’s history, innovations, and defining yachts.
Owner celebrations across the United States, Australia, and Europe, bringing together the global Grand Banks community.
Curated digital and editorial storytelling highlighting historic milestones, influential designs, and the people who shaped the brand over seven decades.
While the anniversary honours an extraordinary legacy, the company emphasises that the milestone is equally about the future. Looking ahead, Grand Banks is preparing to introduce the next chapter in the evolution of the brand with the forthcoming Grand Banks 70. Currently in development, the new model will build on the brand’s hallmark proven efficiency and performance while introducing refined design, expanded owner customisation, and capabilities aimed squarely at the future of long-range cruising at speed.
For more information, visit www.grandbanks.com
