Palm Beach Motor Yachts launched their next flagship—the high-performance, high-tech GT60—at the Miami Yacht Show (February 13-17) at Sea Isle Marina on Biscayne Bay.
This new creation from the mind of yacht designer and CEO Mark Richards displays all the power, unmatched efficiency and smooth-running capabilities for which all Palm Beach models are known, but the GT Series brings additional contemporary styling cues and no-holds-barred top-end performance.
“On the water the GT60 follows closely in the footsteps of the previously launched GT50. Both yachts prove that our build practices and engineering know-how results in a vessel that is at once stylish, luxurious, and has a performance curve that is unmatched in the industry,” says Richards. “No doubt the performance can be attributed directly to our weight-saving advanced construction techniques, including vacuum-infused carbon fiber in the deck and superstructure. This weight reduction and strength of our acclaimed performance-hull design sets the GT60 apart.”
In stateside sea trials last week near the company’s U.S. headquarters in Stuart, Florida, the new GT60 reached speeds exceeding 40 knots at wide open throttle on its twin Volvo IPS 1350 powerplants. Where the GT60 truly shines is in fuel efficiency that sees only 75 gallons per hour (combined, or roughly 37.5 per engine) operating at speeds of 35 knots. The calculated range would allow owners to travel from Miami to Nassau, Bahamas, in just over 5 hours, burning less than 42% of the total fuel reserves.
“The GT60 is an absolute dream result, that our team worked tirelessly on perfecting over the past 12 months. To have such a beautiful boat wrapped around a twin engine system, that outperforms similar sized competing products that use three engines—or twice the horsepower—is a truly remarkable achievement.” said Richards. The GT60 debuting in Miami is running twin Volvo IPS 1350s, with a total output of 2,000hp.
The material choices, and their placement in the GT60’s construction means that the boat has a naturally low center of gravity to aid performance, while the warped semi-displacement hull design takes cues from racing yachts to deliver a soft and stable ride at all speeds. Palm Beach then takes engineering several steps further to ensure perfect balance, running carbon fiber jackshafts from the pods to the mid-mounted engines, ensuring the bulk weight of the blocks are centered and low.
The GT60 features an enormous single-piece curved glass windshield, large electric side and aft windows in the salon, and full-beam entertaining spaces in both the salon and cockpit. The layouts are practical and modern, while still retaining the true nautical feel of a cruising yacht.
As with all Palm Beach Motor Yachts, customers can expect to enjoy the ability to customize the layouts and available options to ensure their high-performance GT60 is perfectly tailored to their individual needs and desires.
