2008 Grand Banks Grand Banks 59 Aleutian RP

TUSK is a beautiful example of the Grand Banks 59 Aleutian RP (Raised Pilothouse). She has enjoyed single family ownership from new, and a diligent professional skipper has maintained her throughout this ownership. This is truly stunning boat, with superb provenance and a strict schedule of maintenance attended to, with regular lifts at the Berthon shipyard and sensible updates and upgrades carried out to keep her contemporary. Her classic and utterly timeless Grand Banks trawler styling is derived from the Newfoundland sword-fishing boats that ploughed a commercial existence in those most inhospitable waters off the Labrador coastline of Canada’s most Easterly province. Her hull sports a fine upright bow that splays into a massively built hull form with a deep central keel, offering protection to her substantial stern gear and guaranteeing reliable offshore steering in heavier weather, as well as predictable handling in close quarters. During previous sales of sisterships, the 59’s performance under way is highly impressive. Whilst many will cast her as a semi-displacement plugger, with the Caterpillar C18 option, she can really pick up her skirts if needed, and I am sure we saw 26 knots during past sea trials, with a decent load and calm, but not flat, sea state. Thus she is (in my humble opinion) a hybrid. She sits in fact on a semi-planing hull, which I have always regarded the Grand Banks hull form as. So she is super-versatile – enabling big leaps to be bridged with ease, always in the knowledge that her 5300 litres of diesel is going to offer a mighty long range at lower speeds – with a 10 knots cruise speed returning 1000 Nautical Miles plus.. Her gait is exceptionally relaxed, even when the throttles are wide open – and lock-to-lock turns do not engender the normal trawler-style beam-end slouch. The 59 remains resolutely upright, again thanks to the impressive naval architecture of Jim Moran of Sparkman & Stephens and his clever use of the keel to pin her tracking with dart-like precision. And then there is the attention to detail of her interior build. It is simply fabulous, with swathes of perfectly satin-varnished teak set against elegant fittings and well-executed and tasteful soft furnishings. Huge picture windows in that wonderful saloon deck and forward wheelhouse flood her internal spaces with light, and ensure that all-round visibility is as good as it gets. This not only helps with navigating safely in a seaway, but ensures that her crew stay in touch with their surroundings and avoid the spirit-sapping queasiness that some darker, more enclosed trawler cabins can kindle. So – in essence – if you like the idea of a big, safe, incredibly comfortable and uber-capable long range motor yacht – then you really must pay attention to this GB. She is quite superb. TUSK has been a much loved family boat, carrying us comfortably on many great adventures in weather – good and bad. From her home in Bucklers Hard we have been far afield as Scotland and Biscay but many of our happiest memories are on a cold winters day onboard, watching the coming and goings on the river. We have owned her since new and she has been excellently maintained as is evidenced by both the records kept and the condition she is found in. Yachting Magazine – USA “Grand Banks’ new 59 Aleutian RP has all the beauty of a classic trawler, and all the speed of a sport boat … the 59 is well behaved and predictable, at least if you know that this is a 25-knot Grand Banks. As we ran at a variety of speeds and in all sea conditions, I was impressed by the silence … underway, the 59 is well behaved and predictable, at least if you know that this is a 25-knot Grand Banks. As we ran at a variety of speeds and in all sea conditions, I was impressed by the silence … I also realized that there wasn’t one single thing aboard the 59 Aleutian that made it great: It was the orchestrated symphony of small perfections.” PowerBoat & Yachting – USA “Given her top-end sparkle, state-of-the-art design, and cruise-comfy, condo-esque layout, the Grand Banks 59 Aleutian RP is an absolutely modern trawler. In fact, given her trendy personality, you might even say she qualifies as New Age!” Motor Boat & Yachting – UK “A sumptuous long-range pilothouse cruiser … it’s the best of all worlds: a healthy turn of speed, as well as an offshore range and lavish interior boasting three big cabins.”