Grand Banks celebrates 70 years of pioneering long-range cruising yachts
by Grand Banks Yachts 16 Mar 11:19 PDT
2022 GB85 © Onne van der Wal
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 will officially kick off at the Palm Beach International Boat Show, on March 25 launching a seven-month global celebration honoring seven decades through global owner events, commemorative storytelling, and special editorial content honoring 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 recognize 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 honor 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 passagemaking yachts.
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 fiberglass 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.
"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 honor 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 honors an extraordinary legacy, the company emphasizes 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 customization, and capabilities aimed squarely at the future of long-range cruising at speed.