Grand Banks Yachts

Take a closer look at the Grand Banks 54. It’s ready to deliver on the full yacht experience in a range of conditions.

For decades, the passagemaking world accepted a simple trade-off: It was either range or speed. Pick one.

Then in 2014 Grand Banks began to prove that through design, engineering, and technology, the two did not have to be mutually exclusive.

The company’s V-Warp Technology® rewrites that assumption from the hull up. A warped form is designed to run efficiently across the entire speed curve, not just at displacement speeds. The result: more range when you need it, more speed when want it, and a running attitude that simply stays the same no matter your speed. This means less energy used and better seakeeping ability.

That's not a compromise. It’s simply continuing 70 years of pioneering boatbuilding and design.

1980
The Little Ship That Could: Grand Banks kicks off the decade with the introduction of go-anywhere Grand Banks 49. With a stand-up engine room, abundant stowage and tankage, the GB49 was designed to go the distance. A total of 126 hulls were built until the model was retired in 1997.

At some point, preparation ends. The lines come off, the inlet opens up, and the passage begins. What you do underway matters just as much as what you did at the dock before leaving.

Here are four tips for when the weather turns while you're out there:

1. In heavy weather, drive the boat.
Dialing in the throttles and handing things to the autopilot is not always the answer in confused, breaking seas. Meet the big rollers at the most advantageous angle and speed. Know your hull's sweet spot, and use it.

2. Keep the crew fed and hydrated.
Hungry or dehydrated crew make poor decisions. Cook the meal before the bad weather arrives. Make the thermos of coffee. Top off the water bottles. A crew that's been taken care of performs and that matters when it's 0300 and the weather hasn't improved.

3. Have a man-overboard plan. A real one.
Know how you'll get someone back aboard, not in theory, but in practice. Standard swim platforms place a recovered crew member dangerously close to props and rudders. Amidships ladder setups keep the person clear and give you better maneuverability. Think through the scenario before you need it.

4. Monitor the VHF. Use it.
Not every vessel runs AIS. Some fishing boats have it switched off. At night, you're looking for lights. When you're uncertain about another vessel's intentions simply call them. That's what the radio is for.

There's no substitute for experience on the water. But the habits of experienced passagemakers can be studied, discussed, and applied. That's what this series is about. Please share any tips that you routinely follow as well. We’ll see you on the water!

As part of sharing our passagemaking tips generated by our in-house team, we wanted to turn to the engineroom. Most offshore incidents build quietly over time. A little debris in the tank here, a hose clamp that worked itself loose there, until the moment you can least afford a problem.

Here are three easy mechanical and equipment checks that belong on every pre-departure list:

1. Change your fuel filters before they need it.
Bad fuel sitting in a tank will make itself known offshore, especially if you are in foul weather. Before departure on a long passage, change your primary and secondary filters. After 24 hours of running, inspect the primaries again. Peace of mind on a long passage is worth the 15 minutes it takes.

2. Tighten hoses, clamps, and fasteners.
Heavy weather works things loose that calm water won't. Going around and checking before departure is also a chance to lay eyes on components and hoses throughout the boat, a discipline that catches problems early.

3. Carry Rescue Tape.
Self-fusing silicone tape has saved a fair number of passages. A pinhole in an exhaust hose or a weeping heat exchanger, among other problems, can all be handled temporarily until you can do the work properly. It costs almost nothing and earns its space aboard every time.

The boats that go far are maintained with the same attention they're built with. That's not coincidence.

More from our passagemaking cruising tips next week. Share this with someone who takes their passages seriously.

1973
A New Era: After nearly 20 years of building wooden boats, Grand Banks embraces fiberglass construction, marking a major evolution while remaining true to our timeless DNA. Grand Banks 36-366 is the first GB built with fiberglass construction.

It often seems that problems occur offshore when you least expect them. That’s why a good boat still requires a lot of prep before a long passage. Preparation isn't a precaution, it's the foundation seamanship is built on.

Here are four things the Grand Banks team believes are worth doing before you leave the dock:

1. Carry an EPIRB. No exceptions.
A 406 MHz unit for the boat, plus a Personal Locator Beacon for every crew member. Keep the registrations current through NOAA. This shouldn’t be viewed as optional equipment.

2. Walk your boat. Every time.
Is the forward shower door lashed? Is the anchor lanyard holding? Any slow weep from an closed hatch? You can't fix what you don't see, and what you don't see offshore has a way of compounding issues.

3. Brief your crew before the lines come off.
Safety gear locations, watch schedules, electronics, the electrical panel, and what to do if something happens to you. Do it before every passage, even with a crew you've cruised with before. Life jackets stowed six months ago may not be in the same place after a cruising season.

4. Examine every thru-hull.
Keep a laminated schematic at the helm. Every crew member should know where they are before they need to know where they are.

Foul weather is not the problem. Unpreparedness is.

We'll share more from our full list of 25 foul weather cruising tips over the coming weeks. Know someone who could use this? Pass it along. And we’d love to hear your tips as well. Please post in the comments below!

1968
Expanding Horizons: The introduction of the wooden Alaskan Raised Pilothouse series brought new levels of capability and comfort, designed for serious passagemaking. The company was one of the early builders of raised pilothouse cruising designs. Innovation has always been part of Grand Banks journey.

1964
An Icon is Born: Hull 36-001 marked the launch of the Grand Banks lineage and was an icon that would define a category and inspire generations of long-range cruisers. Over 1,100 hulls later, its legacy still shapes everything we build.