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Grand Banks Yachts began its journey in 1956 as American Marine, Ltd. Founder Robert J. Newton and his sons, John and Whit, were running a custom boatyard on Junk Bay in Hong Kong, building heavy sailboats and big motor yachts to designs by the world's top marine architects – Sparkman & Stephens, William Garden, Nat Herreshoff, Ray Hunt and others.
In 1962, they commissioned Kenneth Smith, another well-known marine architect, to design Spray – a 36-foot diesel powered cruising boat with humble, workman-like lines. A year later, inspired by Smith’s design, the Newtons left custom yacht building to focus on producing the first of a line of boats that would come to be known as Grand Banks.
Today, this design is recognized around the world as the Grand Banks Heritage Series, an iconic design built first of wood and then, beginning in 1973, of fiberglass at a new factory in Singapore. The design was so successful, in fact that the general styling of the GB was seized by a score of other builders for fleets of look-alike yachts sold under dozens of names. None, through, could match the quality of construction for which Grand Banks is famed.
In 1993, Grand Banks took another traditional boat design – the lobster boat or “Downeast” cruiser – and definitively captured its style and spirit in the launch of the Eastbay Series. With its Ray Hunt design, teak toe rails, dark blue hull with a bright gold stripe – and a powerful pair of diesels underfoot – there was no other boat that combined ageless design and high performance like the Eastbay.
In 2001, many Grand Banks owners were ready to step up to a larger and more luxurious vessel, but weren’t prepared to sacrifice quality. The launch of the Aleutian Series of raised pilothouse yachts delivered with a new level of style and sophistication – along with the seaworthiness boaters have come to expect from a Grand Banks.
In each series, Grand Banks has sought to capture the spirit of a nautical ideal – and combine it with state-of-the-art equipment, meticulous craftsmanship, and superior construction techniques. It is the reason Grand Banks yachts have become such icons around the world, and why they continue to meet the high standards of discerning, demanding boaters today.
Key Milestones
- 1956: Company founded as American Marine Ltd. in Hong Kong by Robert J. Newton and his sons, John and Whit.
- 1962: Kenneth Smith commissioned to design Spray, forerunner to the GB36.
- 1964: Launch of GB36-001. Grand Banks would eventually build 1,141 GB36s before retiring the model in 2003.
- 1965: Launch of GB42-001. More than 1,560 GB42s were built before the model was retired in 2005.
- 1969: GB32-138 is first Grand Banks built new factory in Jurong, Singapore.
- 1973: GB36-366 marks the first time a Grand Banks yacht is built using fiberglass construction.
- 1974: Hong Kong yard closed as Grand Banks ends production of wood-hull yachts.
- 1975: Company acquired by new management team, headed by Chairman and CEO Robert W. Livingston.
- 1984: Launch of GB 46-001, of which nearly 300 have been sold around the world.
- 1987: Company is first traded publicly on the Singapore Stock Exchange. GB42-1000 launched on April 27.
- 1993: Grand Banks launches the 38 Eastbay EX, first of the C.R. Hunt-designed Eastbay Series. Grand Banks eventually added several new Eastbay models in lengths up to 58 feet
- 1995: Grand Banks opens new boatyard in Pasir Gudang, Malaysia, with over 100,000 square feet of space on the factory floor.
- 1999: Grand Banks moves Singapore plant from Jurong to Loyang Crescent.
- 2001: The raised-pilothouse Aleutian Series makes its debut with the 64RP. Over the next four years the Series is expanded to include the 72RP and 59RP models.
- 2005: Grand Banks delivers its final Heritage 42 model, GB42-1560 – the last of what many consider the most popular production cruising yacht in history.
- 2005: Grand Banks launches the first of its next-generation Heritage Series, the 47 Heritage EU.
- 2006: Grand Banks Yachts marks its 50-year anniversary as the Company continues to expand its worldwide network of Authorized Grand Banks Dealers.
- 2007: This was an award-winning year for Grand Banks. The 2006 Grand Tour cruise in celebration of the company's 50-year history won the "Best Cruising Event" award by Motor Boating and Time4 Media. Additionally, Grand Banks was also a recipient of the NMMA's CSI Recognition Award for Excellence in Customer Satisfaction. The new 47 Heritage EU also received a nomination for "European Powerboat of the Year" by the leading European motorboat magazines: Barche a Motore (Italy), Boote (germany), Neptune (France), Swissboat (Switzerland) and Yachtsrevue (Austria).
- 2008: Grand Banks displays its innovation while staying true to its traditional roots by debuting the revolutionary new Heritage 41 model, featuring the new Cummins MerCruiser Diesel Zeus propulsion system.
- 2009: After serving 35 years as the company's CEO, Robert W. Livingston retires. Robert W. Livingston II was selected to assume the role as the company's new CEO.
Registered Office
Grand Banks Yachts Pte Ltd
541 Orchard Road #18-01
Liat Towers
Singapore 238881
Tel: +65 6545-2929
Fax: +65 6733-1527
Click here to email
Corporate Office
Grand Banks Yachts Ltd
2288 West Commodore Way, Suite 200
Seattle, WA 98199 USA
Tel: (206) 352 0116
Fax: (206) 352 1711
Click here to email
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