Palm Beach Builds a 70

Palm Beach Motor Yachts has announced the construction of its latest model, the 70. The company has already sold two of the sleekly lined Downeast-styled vessels, and looks to sell many more thanks to top-notch aesthetics, low-fuss on board design, a smooth ride and projected performance numbers that should be right in line with the efficient stats Palm Beach is known for.

The 70 is being built in Palm Beach’s cavernous facility in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and is a continuation of the builder’s popular 65, though the 70 enjoys more volume in the amidships master stateroom and in the crew quarters. The changes were in part made due to customer input — something which Palm Beach takes seriously. Says CEO Mark Richards, “We really pride ourselves on listening to our customers and building yachts that make their time on the water more enjoyable. The initial genesis of the 70 came from customer demand, yet we were able to combine these particular requests with our high-standards of performance, hull efficiency, and aesthetics.”

The Palm Beach 70 has the same semi-displacement, warped-hull design that all Palm Beach’s have — it’s a specialty of Richards. The hullform keeps the bow in the water at all times, even as the boat hits top speeds that approach 40 knots. What’s more, the hull’s shape leaves a wake that one might associate with a much smaller boat. The hull also adds extra buoyancy and keeps the draft shallow, at 3 feet, 6 inches with Volvo Penta IPS1350s or 4 feet, 7 inches with straight shafts. With the Volvos, the yacht’s cruise speed is 33 knots.

Due to Palm Beach’s sailing roots — Richards is an accomplished competitive sailor — weight reduction is of paramount concern to the company. As such, there is loads of carbon fiber involved in the yacht’s build. Using this material not only keeps the yacht’s displacement low, it also makes it quite strong, as carbon fiber is one of the strongest materials in the world.

The 70 will come in both an express and flybridge version. Both will have a garage for stowing the tender, as well as a teak swim platform.

The 70 will have an open layout, with large electrical windows in the aft bulkhead that lower to help induce a feeling of continuity between the salon and cockpit. Much of the interior is able to be customized, including the accommodations level. The first hull was built with 4 staterooms and 4 heads.

The Palm Beach 70 will be at the Miami show in 2019, where it will make its U.S. debut.