Palm Beach Yachts recently took the wraps off its GT50 Express, the first model in a lineup of performance-oriented sport yachts. An open model based on the same hull is scheduled to debut in 2019, and the planned range for the series will include 60- and 70-foot models.
“When I started Palm Beach almost 25 years ago, I had one overarching set of objectives: to design and build the best-performing, most efficient and most beautiful yachts on the water,” said Mark Richards, Palm Beach Motor Yachts founder and CEO. “The GT50 represents a culmination of the best of Palm Beach, and there’s really nothing out there like it today.”
Touched with a bit of Downeast DNA, the GT50 Express is curvy from stem to stern. The sleek, rounded glass that wraps around the main saloon is a reminder that she’s a Palm Beach, while generous tumblehome, an elegant sheer line and a flared bow create the illusion that she’s moving, even at the dock.
A pair of 600-hp Volvo Penta D8 diesels mated to IPS800 pod drives give the GT50 a top speed of 42 knots. According to Palm Beach, at a cruising sweet spot of 35 knots the two diesels burn a combined 40 gallons of fuel per hour.
Belowdecks, accommodations include two staterooms that share a head with an enclosed shower. The forward stateroom has an island berth, while the smaller stateroom—amidships abaft the galley—is ideal for guests or kids. The L-shaped galley is between the two staterooms, to port, and the head is across from it to starboard. Up a level is the main saloon, which has lounge-style seating, the helm and its bucket seats.
Outside, the cockpit has an integrated swim platform for dipping toes into the water, or for taking a swim.
SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 54 feet
BEAM: 14 feet, 8 inches
WEIGHT: 28,660 pounds
DRAFT: 3 feet, 1 inch
HULL TYPE: Modified-V
POWER: Twin 600-hp Volvo Penta D8 diesels w/IPS800
SPEED: 42 knots WOT; 35 knots cruise
TANKAGE: 396 gals. fuel, 132 gals. water, 60 gals. waste
PRICE: $2.2 million
CONTACT: Palm Beach Motor Yachts, (877) 291-4220,
palmbeachmotoryachts.com
This article originally appeared in the November 2018 issue.
(d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src =
'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v2.12'; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));
