Honouring seven decades of craftsmanship and heritage that have shaped modern passage making at speed.
In 2026, Grand Banks Yachts will celebrate its 70th anniversary, marking seventy years of innovative boatbuilding that has influenced the development of the modern power cruising yacht. The celebration will officially begin at the Palm Beach International Boat Show on March 25, starting a seven-month global event featuring owner gatherings, storytelling, and special editorial content to honor seven decades of the company’s remarkable history—from its origins on the Hong Kong waterfront in 1956 to its current status as a leader in long-range cruising performance.
A well heritage
Few boatbuilders can boast a legacy as impactful as that of Grand Banks. Over more than seventy years, the company has introduced groundbreaking designs, pioneered new technologies, and cultivated a worldwide community of owners who value meticulous craftsmanship and durable 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”.
The history
Founded as American Marine Ltd. in 1956, the company started as a shipwright’s business focused on building honest, capable boats. That ethos reached its defining moment in 1964 with the launch of the Grand Banks 36, a cruising yacht that effectively created the production trawler category and established a design style that would influence generations of passagemaking yachts. Over the decades that followed, Grand Banks repeatedly pushed boundaries, from introducing the Alaskan-raised pilothouse series in 1968 to pioneering the shift from wood to fibreglass construction, and to launching the Eastbay line in 1993, which helped define the modern Down East performance cruiser.
When Richards took over the company in 2014, he embraced that pioneering spirit as a guiding principle 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.
“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 Celebration’s steps
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
- A commemorative anniversary edition of the Grand Banks in-house magazine, exploring the brand’s history, innovations, and defining
- 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
What’s in the future
While the anniversary celebrates an extraordinary legacy, the company highlights that the milestone is equally about the future. Looking ahead, Grand Banks is preparing to introduce the next chapter in the brand’s evolution with the upcoming Grand Banks 70. Currently in development, the new model will build on the brand’s hallmark proven efficiency and performance while introducing refined design, increased owner customisation, and capabilities aimed squarely at the future of long-range cruising at speed.
Grand Banks Yachts timeline
1956 — Company founded as American Marine in Hong Kong by Robert J. Newton and sons, John and Whit
1962 — Ken Smith commissioned to design Spray, forerunner to the GB36 1964 — Launch of 36-001; 1,141 GB36s built before model retirement in 2003
1965 — Launch of 42-001
1968 — Launch of first Alaskan series, the 46 designed by Art DeFever. This was followed by Robert Dorris designed Alaskan 45, 49, 53, and 55.
1969 — 32-138, first GB built in Singapore
1971 — Launch of first Laguna series
1973 — 36-366: first GB built with fiberglass construction
1980 — Introduction of Grand Banks 49-001
1984 — Launch of 46-001; nearly 300 sold globally
1993 — Debut of Eastbay 38 EX
1995 — Opening of Malaysia yard
1996 — The iconic Eastbay 49 is launched to instant success
2001 — Aleutian 64RP debuts, marking raised-pilothouse series
2003 — The Eastbay 54 is launched
2005 — Final 42 hull delivered (42-1560), one of the most iconic yachts in history
2006 — Grand Banks celebrates its 50th anniversary
2009 — Heritage 41 EU introduces planing hulls
2014 — Palm Beach Motor Yachts acquired; Mark Richards appointed CEO
2015 — Eastbay 44 reintroduced with IPS power
2017 — Launch of the next-generation Grand Banks 60
2019 — Debut of the Grand Banks 54
2022 — Debut of Eastbay 60
2022 — Worldwide debut of the Grand Banks 85 flagship
2025 — Debut of Grand Banks 62
2026 — 70 Years of Grand Banks: The Grand Journey Continues
(Grand Banks – 70 years of pioneering long-range cruising yachts – Barchemagazine.com – March 2026)
