A hi-tech construction, like that of the competition sailboats, with speeds of up to 36 knots and ranges of 2,000 miles, for the new 20-metre shipyard in Malaysia Grand Banks.
The beauty and strength of the Grand Banks is their ability to sail thousands of miles, in every sea. Grand Banks 60, the most recent arrival on the European market, is no exception. On board there is a great deal of technology in absolutely classic lines. The design and construction diktat was to build a boat that was rigid, light and efficient, quality, the last one, largely the result of the first two, but not only.
Grand Banks 60: this is how it is built
The main deck, deck and superstructure are made of infusion on a sandwich made of multi-axial carbon fibre skins and expanded PVC core, to which are added reinforcement areas with Corecell core in areas of specific application. Vinylester and epoxy resin is supported by reinforcement panels anchored to a grid structure. A construction technique that is more likely to be found in high performance sailing yachts than is common in motor boats.
So the new trawler made in Malaysia with the two 800 hp Volvo D13 engines, supplied as standard, can navigate up to 31 knots maximum speed, and can choose between the fast cruising speed at 25 knots (with the rev counter that stops at 2,020 rpm) or point to long range navigation if it keeps the log at 10 knots: at that point, they state from the shipyard, the available range reaches 2,000 miles. But if these numbers still do not satisfy, the owner can choose the optional Volvo IPS1200 900 hp each for a top speed of 36 knots.
Obviously, certain performances are not only the result of the construction materials, but also of the geometry applied to the hull which, as Mark Richards, the company’s CEO, states: “It marks a change in this sector”, because, unlike semi-displacement hulls, “it cuts off water instead of moving it”.
Grand Banks 60, long-range boat
Her nature as a long-haul yacht is also evident from her external appearance with a well-protected flybridge, passageways and cockpit sheltered from the walls that rise with a significant bulwark and from the overhang of the fly. The topicality of the project is further highlighted by the now inevitable walled windows, to serve the owner’s cabin, and along the entire perimeter of the superstructure, to the advantage of the saloon, kitchen and internal wheelhouse: unthinkable, in 2019, to have a boat whose interiors are poorly lit and substantially separated from the surrounding environment. For the night there are three cabins, with the VIP at the bow of the same size as the owner and two bathrooms.
