Grand Banks 65 Skylounge

The revitalization of the iconic Grand Banks brand under the leadership of famous racing sailor and Palm Beach Motoryachts founder Mark Richards has been fun to watch. (See GB62 Onboard, and GB85 Onboard) When I was offered a chance to test the Grand Banks 65 Skylounge, I jumped at the opportunity to run this new boat and quickly hopped on a plane.

Arriving at Grand Banks Stuart, their Florida customer care, commissioning, and service center, I was impressed with the progress. I last visited this facility several years ago while delivering a Palm Beach 55 and subsequent improvements were noticeable. A plethora of Grand Banks and Palm Beach Motoryachts were tied up along the bulkheads adjacent to the well-kept buildings. Others were hauled out in the yard getting pampered, some in covered sheds. In addition to the renovated yard and office building, a considerable amount of adjacent real estate has now become part of the complex. This includes a new customer focused center they call the yacht club where the new Grand Banks 65 Skylounge was tied up awaiting our test.

Before we headed out for the sea trial, I made my way through the boat to familiarize myself with the layout. Keep in mind that Grand Banks offers a considerable amount of customization, so many details can be changed to suit each owner’s needs. As Richards says, “We build boats with customers, not for customers.”

On this Grand Banks 65, the large teak clad cockpit is fully covered by the skylounge above and features a long lounge seat aft with a high-gloss varnished table inlaid with the GB logo. Compared to the GB 60, which has many similarities, the GB 65 cockpit and lazarette beneath it gain about a foot, the salon has an extra 4′ of room, and the skylounge is 2′ bigger. In the cockpit, additional seats face aft and sit alongside a cabinet with a Garmin MFD screen and controls for aft docking.

A teak and glass door provides entry to the salon where the galley abuts the cockpit. I like this aft galley setup, and the window that lowers to connect the inside area directly to the cockpit when desired. There are wide counters for meal prep and serving, an electric cooktop, oven, and deep sink. The galley also has overhead and cabinet storage, plus a tall pull-out pantry next to a full-size upright refrigerator-freezer. While the exterior of the boat has faux strakes and teak accents that give it a rich connection to the traditional roots of Grand Banks, the interior décor on our test boat is contemporary featuring contrasting walnut cabinetry with flowing stone surfaces and plush fabrics on the lounge seats and chairs. It really looks sharp and clean but not too sterile.

I appreciate the nautical touches in the cabin like an overhead handle that runs down the center of the salon ceiling, which will be welcome in offshore conditions. I measured this at 6’6″, so unless you are an NBA star, you don’t have to worry about hitting your head on it either. The salon features a slightly raised lounge with a table in front of the galley and twin comfortable swiveling chairs opposite. To starboard a stylish floating staircase leads up to the enclosed skylounge. A full lower helm station with a door to the side deck is in front of the stairs which adds convenience when docking, especially when single or short-handed.

Below decks there are three cabins and three heads. The owner’s cabin has an athwartships king size island bed, a convenient full-length closet with double doors, additional drawer storage, and a substantial private head and shower. Forward is a VIP cabin with a Queen Island bed and an adjacent head that also acts as the main level day head. The third cabin is perhaps the most interesting. You enter through the foyer and on our test boat there was a counter and laundry station although this can also be configured as two over under berths. Once inside the door it opens up aft and you step down into a unique extra cabin. While the ceiling heights vary slightly overhead at just under 6’ I didn’t bump my head anywhere. There is a full-size double bed here and steps lead up into a head with a shower. Kids or teens will love this cabin, and it is perfectly adequate for an adult couple, whilst not quite as luxurious as the other more open cabins. Personally, I kind of like the coziness of it and because it is lower in the boat it should remain comfortable even in a seaway when cruising offshore.

I made my way up to the skylounge as we headed out through a labyrinth of twisting river canals that lead from Grand Banks Stuart to the main waterways that lead past the city to the St. Lucie Inlet where we would performance test the boat. I have been through here before and it always reminds me of Disney’s Jungle Cruise with dense foliage covering both sides and hairpin turns in the waterway. You almost expect to see an animatronic elephant rear up along the shoreline. It is a unique area where mangroves and vegetation protect both boats and some very nice houses tucked in along the way.

While you can order the GB 65 with an open flybridge, the enclosed, climate-controlled skylounge is pretty spectacular. Spanning the full beam of the boat, you not only get a comfortable spot with twin adjustable Stidd helm seats to drive the boat from, but you get another large cabin. The skylounge on our test boat had an L shaped lounge that can be set up with a pull-out double bed. There is also a table which is great for entertaining or for enjoying a quiet meal or game of cards, and there is a head with a shower. I particularly like having a head up here. Not only does that make this more viable as an alternate/extra sleeping cabin but the proximity when running the boat is important. I have been on many flybridge boats where to access the nearest head you have to traverse two sets of stairs to the lower cabin level. This is not ideal for a man in his 60s like me, especially when watch standing. The day head up here is also convenient when entertaining on the aft deck which has counter space and can be equipped with a wet bar, fridge and BBQ. That open back deck is also large enough to store and launch a tender. Our test boat carried a 12’ AB ALX aluminum RIB with a 25HP Yamaha outboard and a Steelhead ES1,000lb davit. The sole of the back deck was gray painted nonskid, but it can be teak or a teak facsimile. This area affords some outdoor space, and sun if you want it, as does a substantial sunpad on the bow, but since it was 90°F and very humid the refuge of the skylounge was welcoming.

Grand Banks Hull Form

Like all newer Grand Banks models, the 65 Skylounge uses their proprietary V‐WARP Technology in the hull. This hull form features a narrow forward entry that cleaves the water, which then flows back along the contoured hull as it curves and flattens aft. There are no hard chines, strakes, or tunnels to impede or alter water flow. At the transom, the deadrise is only 6°-8°, and this relatively flat aft area has benefits. The inherent buoyancy aft helps the boat maintain stability particularly in a following sea. Remember that Palm Beach 55 I mentioned delivering? On that trip, we encountered extremely rough conditions when heading down to Florida from Long Island Sound, including large following seas for part of the trip. The V-WARP® hull on that boat, which has a similar design to the Grand Banks 65 hull, allowed us not only to maintain tracking but also to cut through waves without slamming. Our GB 65 test boat has optional Volvo Penta IPS 1350 pod drives and the low deadrise aft helps optimize the performance of this drive system. Pods are typically mounted flat to the hull, so if there is a lot of deadrise where they protrude, they angle out. On the Grand Banks 65 they remain relatively horizontal, which improves performance and handling.

Modern High-Tech Materials and Construction.

Richards is a racing sailor, so he is keenly aware that in addition to the shape of the hull, weight effects performance. When he took over as CEO of Grand Banks in 2014, they were known for quality construction, but to optimize the performance of his V-WARP® hull form, he wanted to make the boats just as strong but lighter. He introduced vacuum infusion to deliver precise resin-to-E-Glass ratios and control weight. Using unidirectional and multi-axial fibers and reinforcing high-load structural areas with Carbon fiber adds further strength. Carbon fiber and the extensive use of composite coring materials above the waterline and in the decks and superstructure increases rigidity and reduces weight, especially aloft, which improves both strength and efficiency.

Our Test

Having worked our way from the protected riverfront facility, we now head out the St. Lucie inlet into the Atlantic. It was a hot muggy day with only a light breeze and small waves, although rain was forecast for later. The helm in the Grand Banks 65 Skylounge is well laid out with the wheel, instruments and throttles easily accessible. The windshield is divided into three panels with mullions between them, but the angles of the panels and the placement of the helm chairs maintain good visibility even in the starboard danger zone where you owe crossing boats right of way. The twin Garmin MFDs and prominent compass are also easy to see.

In the comfortable, Air-conditioned skylounge, we began our performance test by running through the RPM range on reciprocal courses. True to its design, the Grand Banks 65 Skylounge delivered exceptional performance and efficiency. At 22 knots, we had a calculated range of 641 nautical miles using a 10% fuel reserve, which means over 29 hours of running even at that speed. Going faster, at 2100rpm and 78% load, we averaged 27 knots using 74 gph (gallons per hour), which yielded a range of over 500 nautical miles. The boat likes to go fast or at least I liked to drive it fast, and she was remarkably quiet and smooth running at all speeds. Even wide open we barely cracked 70dB which is really nice because you can have a pleasant conversation while running or enjoy some music from the stereo system. This isn’t just because the helm is so far from the engines, the boat is well insulated as my sound reading in the owner’s cabin at 26knots was only 71dB. As for passage making capabilities, this is still a Grand Banks. At 10knots range is 1,750 nautical miles which gives you 7 days of continuous operation to find your destination.

To gauge handling, I took hard turns at 27 knots, and the boat leaned a gentle 3° into the turns, and without throttling up we only lost a few knots of speed. I performed figure eights, and the boat seemed balanced when turning in both directions, but the way the IPS was set you could only loop around in 4-5 boat lengths. This probably is how it should be set, which creates a nice even turn but not the super tight turn that I typically try to force boats into when testing. The performance is lively and for fun we ran a series of 0-25knot sprints which I timed on my stopwatch from the moment we started moving to when we hit 25kn on the Garmin and we averaged a sprightly 13.35 seconds. The company captain on board was laughing at me for drag racing what is a considerable boat at over 71’ overall and 74,207 lbs.

Just as we finished our test, we could see the forecast rain rolling in, so we headed back. I stayed on the helm, weaving S-turns on the way, the Grand Banks 65 Skylounge is simply fun to drive. Lightning flashed in the distance, and loud thunder clapped as rain started pounding down on us as we made our way in. It was nice to be snug in the skylounge, and visibility remained reasonable through the wiper-equipped windshields even in the heavy deluge. I am glad I made the trip to Florida as the Grand Banks 65 Skylounge is a boat worth checking out.

https://www.grandbanks.com/models/gb65

Pricing Available Upon Reques

Grand Banks 65 Skylounge Specifications

LOA: 71′ 10″ / 21.9 M
Length On Deck: 65′ / 19.8 M
Beam: 19′ 2″ / 5.84 M
Draft: 4′ 4″ / 1.34 M
Air draft/Bridge Clearance: 21′ / 6.4 M
Displacement: 74,207 LBS / 33,660 KG
Fuel Capacity (Diesel): 1,532 GAL 5,800 L
Freshwater Capacity: 290 GAL 1,100 L
Blackwater Capacity: 79 GAL 300 L
Standard Generator: 2x Fischer Panda 15,000i 12kW /60Hz
Optional Generator (as tested): Northern Lights 20kW / 50Hz
Standard Power: 2x Volvo Penta D13 Shafts @ 900hp
Optional Power (as tested): 2x Volvo Penta D13 IPS 1350 @1,000hp
Advanced Composite Construction: Infused Hull w E-glass and Vinylester Resin. Deck, superstructure, hardtop liner, and internal structural bulkheads use Carbon Fiber and composite coring above the waterline for weight reduction and added strength/rigidity.

Best4Boats Performance Snapshot

Grand Banks 65 Skylounge w 2X Volvo Penta D13 IPS 1,350 @ 1,000hp each

Performance Data Analysis – Grand Banks 65 Skylounge

2X Volvo Penta D13 IPS 1,350 @ 1,000hp each
Test based on two way averages of reciprocal course

Arnie Hammerman Publisher

Boats and the ocean define my life. From teaching sailing to captaining yachts, marine publishing, and marketing, I’ve spent decades sharing seafaring tales. At Best4Boats, adventure awaits—welcome aboard!

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