DECEMBER 2024

The 911 of the Sea

Palm Beach’s new GT50 RS will do for yachtsmen what Porsche does for car enthusiasts. Read that again.

Palm Beach chief Mark Richards is known for his zealous enthusiasm for all the boats his company builds. But it’s easy to tell when speaking with him that the GT50 RS is something that holds a special place in his heart. “I say this with no exaggeration, this boat is going to be the Porsche 911 of the boating world,” he says with the clear-eyed conviction of a man who knows what he is talking about.

A car enthusiast himself, Mark Richards has long toyed with the idea of producing a yacht that would match the legendary 911’s reputation for performance, comfort, and all-around high quality. And while all Palm Beach Motor Yachts' are known for comfort and quality, what they lacked to make the comparison complete was eye-popping speed numbers—until now.

The GT50 RS slated to debut in spring 2025 has quadruple 500-horsepower Mercurys hanging off its tail end. These beastly motors pack a proper wallop, and will have this Palm Beach rocketing across the water’s surface at speeds up to 65 mph, while cruising efficiently at 57 mph. “Americans in particular might be used to speeds like that with a center console,” says Mark Richards, “but here’s the beautiful thing: with the GT50 RS, you’re totally enclosed, it’s super quiet, it’s a smooth ride, and the wind isn’t going to whip anybody’s hair into a mess on the way out to dinner.”

Riding in exceptional comfort at near poker-run speeds is a very rare quality for a boat to have, and one that will certainly prove tantalizing as the model readies for market. Just imagine a sea trial where you shove off from a South Florida dock, make a one-hour trip to Bimini for lunch, and make it back to America before the afternoon is even over. And you can do that all in the peace and quiet of an enclosed cabin, with no need for sunscreen, and riding on a hull that splits a nasty chop like scissors gliding through wrapping paper.

But it’s not only at speed where this Palm Beach’s extra comfort comes in handy. If you take an open boat to the sandbar and the weather changes, you’re more or less out of luck. But with the GT50 RS, you just head inside and keep the party going until the sun pokes its head out again. And with the outboard engines offering a shallow draft, nearly any sandbar becomes a welcoming venue.

This boat’s interior will be like nothing in its class. Directly inspired by Porsche GT interiors, the seating, detailing, and stitching will be at a level that puts the competition to shame. Matte-black carbon fiber and Alcantara surfaces throughout add to the feeling of high-class adventure that the GT50 RS oozes. “Even the toilets are carbon fiber,” Richards likes to remind people with a chuckle.

With a starting price of $2.75 million, the GT50 RS is likely to be a runaway success once she makes her debut. And she’ll also be setting the table for her big sister, a GT60 RS that is currently under development. Each of these boats is uniquely positioned to make a massive dent in the market by offering a combination of comfort and performance that until now was more likely to be seen on the Autobahn than the Atlantic Ocean.

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