Grand Banks GB54 Review (2018 Edition)

Grand Banks has been making boats since 1964, its most popular boat - the Grand Banks 36 - only stopped being produced in 2005 with a final production run of 1,500 units. The GB54 is a continuation of this legacy but with a new stamp.

The new V-warp hull design is the brainchild of Grand Banks' CEO and former professional sailor Mark Richards. It has a shallow aft section that helps get the boat onto the plane smoothly and quickly but it sharpens dramatically forward to slice through the water, reducing slamming and efficiently slicing through the water. The addition of fin stabilisers (a cost option) helps to reduce roll at cruising speed and when the boat is stationary. 

At the stern, there's a good example of the painted carbon Grand Banks has employed throughout, which looks like real teak but without the high maintenance. This approach on the GB54 is about easy maintenance while retaining that traditional, heritage look. Real wood onboard the 54 is saved for spaces that are not exposed to the elements.

Talking about the wood, the care taken with it is evident when going from the cockpit to the saloon — the wood changes from glossy on the exterior to a satin inside. It's seamless and beautifully done.

Owner focus is a hallmark of Grand Banks, with each boat being made to order. The flybridge is a good example of this and can be tailored with or without a wet bar, or even additional seating if you don't store the tender up there. This customisation extends to the saloon where alternative layouts, like opposing benches and an additional table, create a lovely space for breakfast, card games, or casual drinks. The exterior comes in three different main colours; Flag Blue, Horizon Blue, or GB White, and different colour boot stripes and cove lines but Grand Banks will paint the 54 any colour you want.

In the lower deck, you're met with a world of teak — quite rare these days but done well on the GB54. The layout here has been influenced by the positioning of the machinery, resulting in two cabins instead of the full-beam amidships cabin seen on some rivals. The galley, typically located on the main deck, can also be moved to the lower deck. If you opt for the galley on the lower deck, you sacrifice a cabin but gain a massive living area on the main deck.

The saloon windows drop down on either side to provide natural ventilation so you can avoid relying on air conditioning. The entire space feels incredibly warm, cosy, and welcoming — qualities that are beautifully complemented by practical touches.

Take the ceiling handrail, for instance, which runs almost the full length of the saloon. When the boat is swaying, you can grab on quickly. Also above, the ceiling houses a television that swings down once you undo the catches.

The dinette on the port side has a table that opens up to accommodate more guests, while the L-shaped seating on the starboard side is a nice spot for relaxation. There is an alternative arrangement with opposing benches and another table, but the galley-up configuration has proven more popular, and it's easy to see why.

This layout places the galley opposite the helm, making it incredibly convenient for long passages. You can easily grab a drink or prepare a snack without leaving your watch. Fridge space is under the counter, along with top-notch cooking appliances that make this galley a home-from-home. Given that people will spend a lot of time on these boats, having a galley that’s both functional and welcoming is an important addition.

Forward, the owner's cabin is a real treat. Located right at the bow, it has a spacious ensuite on the port side. Despite being tucked forward, the floor space remains quite generous. Storage is plentiful, essential for those long stints onboard that this liveaboard-style yacht is built for. The bed is nicely proportioned and set at a comfortable height for easy getting in and out of.

While the portholes on either side are small, there is a decent skylight overhead, providing natural ventilation and a splash of natural light. 

The helm has a very comfortable bench in super soft, squishy leather. The split bolster design is a nice touch, so one person can stand while the other sits. There's more teak here, including a nice traditional wheel. 

The upper helm is more simple in look and feel but the ergonomics are spot on. A lot of that is down to the pair if excellent fully adjustable Stidd helm chairs, that are an incredibly comfortable place to while away the hours on longer passages. 

You have the option of IPS or shaft drives, with a top speed of 33 knots when equipped with IPS. But the real headline is its efficiency. Cruising at 21 knots, the GB54 boasts an impressive range of nearly 600nm, thanks to its efficient hull shape. If you're willing to bring the speed down to displacement levels, you’re looking at around 1,000nm of range. This makes the GB54 incredibly flexible, offering a perfect blend of speed and long-distance cruising capability.

The Grand Banks GB54 greets you with a lovely teak transom. But here's the thing: it's not teak at all. This is a painted wood-effect carbon, engineered for easy maintenance. 

You’ve got a fixed bathing platform on this model, but if you're after a transformer platform to launch toys, that's an option too.  The cockpit is very well protected, thanks to a big overhang that doubles as the tender’s home up on the flybridge. This means the cockpit below is perfectly sheltered.

A traditional bench runs across the back of the transom, with plenty of space on either side and in front of the table for gatherings. The table is real wood and varnished to a shine.

There are a couple of fridges in the cockpit, alongside an icemaker and a sink. Good for washing hands or prepping the catch of the day without needing to head inside.

The boat feels incredibly safe and secure, making it easy to move around. There are big boarding gates on both sides, allowing you to disembark directly from the side, rather than having to head down to the bathing platform — useful when moored along a quayside.

Cappings would have traditionally been wood — a nightmare to maintain. Not anymore. The painted surfaces now offer far better resistance to the weather, ensuring they look great with little upkeep.

Moving forward, there are a couple of shallow steps to bring you up to the foredeck level. From there, there are no more steps, making it easier to carry out crewing duties or operate the anchor. The space at the very front is really good, so there's plenty of room to work with lines or anchor operations without feeling cramped.

Flybridge

The journey up to the flybridge is safe and easy as there's a well-designed shallow staircase with plenty to grab onto. This top deck is as flexible as it gets, offering different configurations to suit various needs. Fancy a sofa instead of a wet bar? No problem. Need more seating but don't want the tender up here? Move it to the main deck and convert the space for extra seating or keep it open.

On the boat we saw, there was a layout that has proven to be very popular — a generous amount of seating, two wet bars equipped with a sink and refrigeration on one side, and cooking facilities on the other. 

The flybridge hardtop is a standard feature, which you can enclose with covers. If you’re willing to splash out, a fully enclosed skylounge version is also on offer, Grand Banks will do it for you. The aft deck remains clear, with the tender stowed away thanks to the included crane and covers, all part of the standard package on the GB54. This boat is packed with many standard features that rival brands have as cost options.

To access the engine room, there's a nice, big hatch located in the deck of the cockpit. Then there's a large lazarette that leads into the engine space. This is home to many of the ancillary components  I must mention the headroom here may be a bit restricted, but that’s where the complaints end. The engine room is one of the most beautifully finished spaces I’ve ever stepped into - it even has teak flooring. Sure, there isn't a huge amount of space atop these engines, but inspecting them is incredibly easy. 

The attention to detail, quality of engineering and ease of maintenance in this area is top drawer. There is redundancy, too, with multiples of key components such as filters in case one of them fails when the boat is on passage. There is no dedicated crew space on the GB54 - it's an owner/operator boat - so the fact that the machinery is so easy to look after is a massive plus.

Whether you opt for a shaft drive or IPS, the balance is perfectly maintained. This particular GB54 is on shafts, but if you choose the IPS option, the engines mount on carbon fibre jack shafts to the IPS pods. The clever bit? The engines stay in the same place, ensuring weight balance remains spot on regardless of your choice. It's seriously impressive stuff, proving Grand Banks has put significant thought into every detail.