- Founded
- 1995
- Headquarters
- Palm Beach, Northern Beaches, Sydney, Australia
- Shipyard location
- —
- Official website
- https://www.palmbeachmotoryachts.com/
Brand Overview
Sydney-born builder of Downeast-styled performance motor yachts, founded in 1995 by ocean-racing sailor and shipwright Mark Richards and owned by Grand Banks Yachts since 2014 — fifteen V-Warp models in the Classic, GT and GT RS series, from the 14.7-metre Palm Beach 42 to the 32.6-metre Palm Beach 107.
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
The about page tells how Mark Richards began sailing at six on Sydney's Northern Beaches, trained as a shipwright at Martin Lewis Shipwrights on Pittwater, raced professionally from the 1986 Columbus Cup, and in 1995, on his father's advice that the best investment he could make was in himself, founded Palm Beach Motor Yachts at Palm Beach, Sydney. The PB38, PB32 and PB50 followed; the PB50 was named Best New Power Boat at the 2010 Newport International Boat Show and the Palm Beach 55 repeated the award in 2011. In 2014 the company was acquired by Grand Banks Yachts Limited, listed in Singapore, with Richards as CEO, chief designer and a major shareholder. Its V-Warp Technology pairs a warped semi-displacement hull with E-glass, epoxy and extensive carbon fibre, which the yard says uses less than half the fuel of comparable boats. The range is the Classic Series (Palm Beach 42, 45, 50, 52, 55, 65, 70, 85 and 107), the GT Series (GT50, GT60, GT70) and the GT RS Series on triple IPS or quad outboards, in sedan, flybridge, extended and skylounge versions — 34 variations by the yard's count. Each model page prints length overall and on deck, beam, half-load displacement, tanks, and speeds, range and draft for the standard and optional engines in both units; sales and service are factory-direct.
Who sails them
Palm Beach owners are experienced sailors and powerboaters, often with a racing background, who want a Downeast-looking yacht with the sheer of a Maine lobster boat that runs fast and burns little, with carbon construction and Volvo Penta IPS joystick handling, and who buy factory-direct to choose galley position, stateroom layout and finish rather than accept a standard boat.
Signature models
The Palm Beach 50 made the brand's name with its 2010 Newport award, the Palm Beach 65 and 70 take the Classic look to 22 and 23 metres, the GT60 is what the yard calls the alpha model of the range, and the newly sold Palm Beach 107, with four Volvo D13 engines on twin IPS 40 drives, is the flagship.
Strengths
Palm Beach is known for V-Warp Technology — a warped semi-displacement hull with a fine entry and minimal transom deadrise, built light in E-glass, epoxy and carbon fibre for a high power-to-weight ratio — fuel use the yard puts at less than half that of similar boats, published figures for every Volvo Penta IPS and shaft option, wide layout customisation, Mark Richards' ocean-racing background, and factory-direct sales and service shared with Grand Banks.
Considerations
Figures are for the standard configuration at half load, with speeds, range and draft changing by engine option (optional engines kept as notes) and range quoted at 21 knots with a stated burn; the PB85 and GT60 RS print displacement as TBA, the GT70, GT70 RS and 107 print no speeds, the GT50 RS names its Mercury Racing 500R outboards without horsepower, the GT70 RS fuel figure differs between gallons and litres, stateroom counts appear only in prose, and galleries load client-side.
Analysis generated 10/17/2026
Part of
Also in the catalogue
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 15
- Length range
- 14.72–32.6 m
- Hull forms
- Motor Monohull 15
- Cabins
- 2–3
Models by this brand
15 models
Classic9
Palm Beach 42
LOA: 14.72 m
Palm Beach 45
LOA: 16 m
Palm Beach 50
LOA: 17.18 m
Palm Beach 52
LOA: 18.45 m
Palm Beach 55
LOA: 19.1 m
Palm Beach 65
LOA: 21.9 m
Palm Beach 70
LOA: 23.24 m
Palm Beach 85
LOA: 27.55 m
Palm Beach 107
LOA: 32.6 m
GT3
History
Palm Beach Motor Yachts traces itself to Mark Richards, who began sailing Manly Juniors at six in Newport, on Sydney's Northern Beaches, was working at the Royal Motor Yacht Club by thirteen, and at sixteen started a boatbuilding apprenticeship at Sydney Technical College, splitting his time with hands-on work at Martin Lewis Shipwrights on Pittwater. His professional career began when he joined Peter Gilmour's crew for the 1986 Columbus Cup. Acting on his father's advice that the best investment he could make was in himself, he founded the company in 1995 at Palm Beach on the Northern Beaches, and its vision of the ultimate yachtsman's powerboat took shape in the Palm Beach 38, the Palm Beach 32 and the Palm Beach 50, which was named Best New Power Boat at the 2010 Newport International Boat Show — a feat the Palm Beach 55 repeated in 2011. The company's V-Warp Technology, a warped semi-displacement hull with extensive carbon fibre drawn from Richards' ocean-racing and shipwright experience, underpins the range. In 2014 Palm Beach was acquired by Grand Banks Yachts Limited, listed on the Singapore Exchange; Richards remains CEO, chief designer and a major shareholder, and the line-up has grown to 34 model variations across the Classic and GT series.
History written frompalmbeachmotoryachts.com/about· Our Ocean Racing DNAread 10/17/2026