Do the best things come in smaller packages or is bigger better? Owners looking for an explorer yacht with great volume and the capacity to carry toys and tenders can have it either way with Ocean Alexander’s new Explorer series.
When the yard first conceived its E range, it set out to “masterfully combine world-class engineering with extraordinary design”. These boats are created for owners who seek performance, comfort, and the freedom to explore, and who want to socialise with family and friends while heading off on adventures.
To achieve this their powerful hulls, have a vertical bow to cut through ocean waves and high bulwarks for safety. Sidepower Vector stabilisers keep things steady. While clever design makes the most of every available square metre, indoors and out, providing ample living space and plenty of storage to take on board everything needed for an activity-filled getaway, from scuba equipment to deep-sea fishing kit.
The best things come in smaller packages…
Ocean Alexander teamed up with Evan K Marshall to first pen the exteriors and interiors on the 29.8-metre, 163GT 28E and the yacht premiered at last year’s Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show in Australia.
Floor-to-ceiling glazing offers commanding views from three sides of the main deck saloon, which has a large sectional sofa and dining for 10, and a high-spec galley off to the port side. Full-height glass doors slide open to the main deck aft, where there is more seating outside. Cleverly, the rail here is also made of glass, so as not to impede the view.
This extensive use of glass extends to the 28E’s master cabin on the main deck forward, where a massive, angled window is centred over the bed, in perfect position for falling asleep under the stars. Colours here and throughout the 28E are calming neutrals, with white oak floors and tactile finishes in stone surfaces and soft carpets, while lines are kept neat and modern on the fittings and furniture.
The double and twin cabins on the lower deck are similarly light and airy, plus clever use of space in the forepeak allows for an extra, cosy double, extending total accommodation to 10 guests with three crew.
The upper deck is a game of two halves, with a flybridge and upper deck lounge with a cosy seating arrangement positioned forward inside. Full-width sliding doors provide a connection to an aft deck with spa pool surrounded by sunpads, outdoor sofas, a table for al-fresco meals and a wet bar and custom-made grill. Forward there is further seating in a bow lounge on the main deck and a sunbathing area a few steps above. Design-wise, no area is more or less formal than the next, allowing for flexibility of choice when it comes to deciding where to sip a sundowner, relax with a book or admire the night skies.
Explorer yachts are about exploring, and to that end there’s a room for a 4.8-metre tender and a jetski on the transom deck. Once launched, this becomes a large bathing platform that can be lowered hydraulically to sea level and there’s plenty of room for storing toys in this area so that guests can explore beneath the surface of the water too. Twin 1,650hp MAN V12 engines give a top speed of 19.8 knots with a range of 1,200 nautical miles at ten knots.
…but to some, bigger is better
Building on the success of the 28E and combining it with the best of Ocean Alexander’s 30R model, the 32E, which debuted at the Miami International Boat Show in February. It offers the same standard of performance and design, but in a larger 31.2-metre LOA , 6.7-metre beam, 206GT package aimed at the owner who wants more space on board while making extended voyages in comfort.
Accommodation on the 32E is also for 10 in five cabins – two doubles and two twins on the lower deck forward and massive owner’s suite full-beam forward on the main deck with a room for a full bathtub, separate walk-in shower and twin sinks in the ensuite.
As you’d expect from a series, the onboard facilities are similar, from the main deck saloon seating 10 to dine, the main deck aft seating area that’s ideally suited to cocktails, the upper deck with bar in the upper saloon and spa pool aft, but everything is scaled up. The extra half a metre of beam and 2.4-metres of length mean deck spaces become more generous and rooms get bigger; the impressive frameless windows give even more expansive views and there are extra panels in the floor-to-ceiling glass doors; four people can take a dip in the pool and there’s an even greater choice of places to hang out.
A marked difference for the extended aft platform is the inclusion of a full beach club on the 32E that gives an additional air-conditioned space at the same level as the platform. With a TV and a wet bar, the 32E provides the ultimate cabana experience at the water level for the owner and guests.
The crew accommodation is also larger, and the 32E can carry five crew. Power comes from two larger 2,000hp MAN V12 engines, and increased fuel capacity of 13,500 litres gives a range of 1,400 nautical miles at 10 knots, with a top speed of 21 knots.
Owners of either model become members of Ocean Alexander’s suite of after-sales services, social events such as the annual Rendezvous, and concierge-level attention. To discover more about the 28E or 32E models from Ocean Alexander and the rest of the yard’s fleet, contact the OA team directly via their website here.
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