Celebrating its 40th anniversary, the Palm Beach International Boat Show - PBIBS for short - is all set to be the most-successful ever.
Kicking off this week (March 24-27), this hugely-popular show fills the waterfront along downtown West Palm Beach’s Flagler Drive with everything from paddleboards to 200-foot-plus superyachts.
If you’re in search of sunshine, warm temps and plenty of palm trees, you’ll want to head to Florida. And to whet your appetite, here’s our selection of eight of the top newcomers debuting at the 2022 Palm Beach Boat Show.
Benetti 63m 11:11
The Palm Beach Boat Show makes a natural stop-off for pricey superyachts looking for a new owner.
Which is why the stunning 206-foot Benetti 11.11 has a slip booked and brokers Y.CO at the ready to hand out glossy brochures showing the $71 million asking price.
Owned by British real estate mogul Nick Candy, 11.11 will be the biggest and most-expensive boat at the 2022 Palm Beach boat show. By far.
Read more about the 63m Benetti 11:11
Grand Banks GB85
Grand Banks has come a long way since the days of its salty, trawler-style 36 and 42-footers favored by the eight-knot go-slow crowd, as this new Grand Banks GB85 proves…
These days, with accomplished Aussie yachtsman and designer Mark Richards at the company helm, the latest Grand Banks 54 and 60 models are sleek, sexy, high-speed luxury cruisers built using the latest tech and most advanced materials.
The Malaysian builder’s latest offering is this mighty GB85 flagship, Grand Banks‘ biggest yacht to date.
Read more about the Grand Banks GB85
Outer Reef 900
When a super-loyal repeat customer tells you his new 70-foot Outer Reef is just a little on the small side, and a 90-footer would suit his family needs much better, what are you going to do?
The answer: Build it. Which is exactly what the Taiwanese yard did, creating the brand new Outer Reef 900 Motoryacht, the yard’s biggest offering to date, and the new flagship of its bluewater X Class explorer range.
Making its global debut at the 2022 Palm Beach Boat Show, the new US owner will be on hand to spray the Champagne, christen this world-girder Julianne and start planning his long-distance adventures.
Read more about the Outer Reef 900
Princess V50
Not content with launching the brand new X80 at the start of the year, Princess Yachts has replaced the ageing V50 with an all-new model that has a new hull and deck and boasts more powerful IPS engines than the previous version.
The Princess V50 is a core boat for the Plymouth yard and this latest version has had a going over from Princess’s own design team with input from Olesinski and Pininfarina to bring it bang up to date with the latest Princess design language.
The topsides are even cleaner than before with no cowlings on the aft haunches and one long knife-shaped hull window that is striking in profile but should also deliver nice dollops of natural light into the two-cabin interior.
Read more about the Princess V50
Sailfish 316 DC
Dual console fast fishing boats tend to get overshadowed by their easier to walk around center-console brethren.
But Georgia-based Sailfish Boats has had big success with its 245 and 276 DC models. So for this year’s Palm Beach boat show, the builder is unveiling a new flagship dual console, the 30-foot Sailfish 316 DC.
Part of the appeal? That towering windshield and sturdy, oversize hardtop offers plenty of protection from the wind and sun for family members less enthusiastic about handling a rod.
Read more about the Sailfish 316 DC
Sirena 68
The Sirena 68 we toured in the above video from the 2021 Cannes Yachting Festival was sporting the bigger of the two engine options – twin 1,000hp Volvo Penta D13s, which give a top speed of 28 knots.
However, it’s the modest fuel burn rate of 38lph at 10 knots combined with its 5,250-litre tank capacity that will be more relevant to most owners. Factor in a Category A RCD rating and you can really make the most of its claimed 1,200mile cruising range.
Sleek profile and huge carbon-fibre and glass sunroof give a sportier, more open feel to the Predator 65
Sunseeker Predator 65
Sharing its hull and layout with the Sunseeker 65 Sport Yacht, but without that model’s minimalist sportsbridge, the Sunseeker Predator 65 makes for an even sleeker, sportier-looking craft.
In its place is a vast carbon-fibre and glass sunroof that slides back to leave a large opening over the main deck helm and living area for a truly open-yacht vibe.
Despite the appeal of the Sport Yacht’s innovative supercar-style Skyhelm, Sunseeker says there is a loyal following out there that still prefers the purer profile and single-level living of the Predator version. It expects both models to sell in roughly equal numbers.
Read more about the Sunseeker Predator 65
Westport W112 TinTin
Splashed late last year, the 122-foot TinTin from American builder Westport Yachts, should have been cruising the Caribbean right now with its new owners.
But a sudden change of plans will see the gleaming Westport parked at the 2022 Palm Beach Boat Show with a “For Sale” sign on the rail and a $17.5 million asking price through brokers Fraser Yachts.
The mini-superyacht is the latest in Westport’s hugely-popular W112 series. Introduced in 1994, no fewer than 65 examples have been built, making it arguably the most successful superyacht design ever.
