“The best part of the boat is on the bridge deck where you have the view of everything passing by. So, we put the owner’s stateroom up there on this model, and gave it a private exterior deck,” Boksa said. (He added that it will be no problem to provide owners who prefer a main-deck master with an alternate layout.)

 

Designed to be a true “pocket superyacht”, the Discovery 115 tri-deck explorer boasts many other features and amenities more commonly found in a yacht in the 130-foot range. These include a sun deck with bar and jacuzzi on the flybridge, captain’s stateroom aft of the pilothouse on the bridge deck, unique forward dining salon served by a huge galley on the main deck, and four spacious guest suites on the lower deck. Like its sibling yachts in the Discovery Series, the 115 also has beach club with wet bar, head and hidraulic swim platform.

“The Discovery Series yachts are explorers, so they are wide for their length, which makes them very stable. The large beam – which is 25’6” for the Discovery 115 – also makes for a lot of space inside,” Boksa said.

While interior volume is a design priority for the Discovery Series, Boksa made sure service access was not sacrificed on the 115.

“The main deck has walkaround side decks, and we designed it so the crew can come into the galley from the port side without disturbing the guests in the salon,” he said. On the bridge deck, he continued, “I added steps leading up from the anchor deck on centerline so the crew can run up and access the captain and run down to handle lines, etcetera, without entering the owner’s space.”

In addition to the separate captain’s stateroom, there is an engineer’s cabin aft of the engine room, which allows for the Discover 115 to carry a crew of up to eight people. This provides an extraordinary 8:10 staff-to-guest ratio, extremely rare for a yacht of this size. It also makes the Discovery 115 ideal for charter yacht operations.

“We are designing the Discovery Series for Cheoy Lee to span the size range of the pocket superyacht but still incorporate all the comforts that typically would fit into a much bigger boat,” Boksa summed up.

The post The Eagle’s Nest: Cheoy Lee Announces the Discovery 115 Explorer with Bridge-Deck Owner’s Suite appeared first on Cheoy Lee Yachts.

Q&A with Naval Architect Nick Boksa - Part 2

Cheoy Lee Yachts is proud to introduce the Discovery Series, a new line of yachts combining the range, seaworthiness and reliability of an explorer with a megayacht’s looks, luxury and living space.

 

Downtown Sydney skyline in Australia at twilight

Q: How did your collaboration with Cheoy Lee on the Discovery Series begin?

 

A: My team and I met with Cheoy Lee Shipyards Director B.Y. Lo at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in 2023. We showed him a concept vessel that is an explorer yacht in the 120-foot range. B.Y. was very receptive because Cheoy Lee Yachts was looking for an explorer-type vessel that was both long-range and robust. So, we started with a clean sheet of paper and the idea of designing a series.

 

Q: What was your design goal for the new series?

 

A: The idea was to have transoceanic range in order to get to places that a lot of yachts can’t. Ample space for proper crew, a lot of flexible spaces throughout the vessel, and for the first one, putting what you might find on 150 foot vessel in 127-foot envelope.

 

Q: What is the concept behind the Discovery 127’s exterior profile?

 

A: My team and I do a lot of work on commercial vessels. We looked at offshore supply vessels that have that traditional look to them, that robustness. That’s what I was looking for with the exterior of the Discover 127. You see with a lot of explorer yachts where the pilothouse is pulled way back. They don’t really have good visibility forward. So, I wanted to pull the pilothouse as far forward was practical in order to give the captain proper visibility for operating.

Working our way back, I wanted to put the center gravity of the boat down low, and to bring the weight of the tender down. So, we left an open area on the main deck aft, so you can operate the davit and deploy your tender from there. The idea is this would be a working deck, while the aft end of the bridge deck, where the tender typically is stored, is for casual entertainment.

 

Q: Talk us through your design for the yacht’s interior.

A: It has a five-stateroom layout, with the master suite in the traditional location at the forward end of the main deck. That’s a good, comfortable, private location, which is why I like to keep it there instead of on the deck above. I like to keep the bridge deck aft open for entertainment for the entire group of guests, as I said. It’s the greatest place on the boat, right? The guests will be here watching games on the television or entertaining around the bar. It also has the best visibility all around.

The large main-deck galley is designed for ease of crew operations. It includes a crew lounge (one of two on board) and there is a dumb waiter from lowest deck to the bridge deck so the crew can serve guests on every deck easily. You have a formal dining area next to the galley for easy access, along with a formal salon for where the guests can have cocktails before dinner.

Regarding crew size, the concept is for typical cruising, you might go with a smaller crew, but there’s ample space for up to 10 crew, depending on whether it includes a husband-and-wife team. The crew has good access to the guest areas, but they also can stay private. Unusual for this size of yacht, the captain’s stateroom is on the bridge deck in the traditional spot in order to be able to access the pilothouse at any time. There is also an engineer’s cabin aft of the engine room.

 

Q: Will there be a beach club on the Discovery 127?

 

A: Yes, a large one. The concept there is that the transom opens up and you step in and walk down into the beach club lounge. There would also be a three-stage hydraulic swim platform the crew could lower down into the water.

 

Q: What is the design goal for the hull?

 

A: There has been a strong direction from Cheoy Lee that they would like to have a very stable vessel. It will have a steel hull, and the hull form is a traditional displacement style, with a sharp entry. I wasn’t planning to add a bulb, simply in order to keep construction costs down. At the speeds these types of vessels typically operate and the amount they are used, I think a bulb is not really as necessary as on a container ship, which is at sea most of its life. I added in a spray chime to knock down the bow wave and spray coming up along the hull. Cheoy Lee Shipyards Director BY Lo and I have discussed ways in which the Discovery 127’s hull can be adapted when we add larger vessels to the series.

Our team has not yet completed computational fluid dynamics (CFD) studies on the hull of the 127 yet, but with twin 800-hp Volvo D13 diesel engines, we are estimating a top speed in the 13-knot range, cruising speeds of about 11 or 12 knots, and a long-range speed of about 10 knots. For range, our target is around 4,000 nautical miles.

 

Q: How do you balance functionality, aesthetics and sustainability in a project like this?

 

A: For me, being a merchant mariner, the balance is weighted towards functionality always. It is important to me to first be able to operate the boat and safely at sea. That’s the most important thing. As far as aesthetics, I try to go with a more a robust look, so it gives that influence of power and capability. Sustainability comes through staying abreast of the newest clean technologies and adopting those that are practicable, as well as working to refine the hull form and make it as efficient as possible.

Stay tuned for more on the new Discovery Series from Cheoy Lee!

 

 

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Q&A with Naval Architect Nick Boksa

To develop the new Discovery Series Explorer Yacht line, Cheoy Lee Yachts collaborated with Nick Boksa, PE (professional engineer), president of Boksa Marine Design in Lithia, Florida.

 

A graduate of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy and the University of Michigan with degrees in naval architecture and marine engineering, Nick draws on a wide range of experience in the commercial, military and pleasure marine sectors for his new and refit vessel designs. He has worked for Burger Boat Company, Davis Yachts, and oil-and-gas shipping company OSG America. As a licensed U.S. Coast Guard Third Assistant Engineer, he has managed vessel maintenance and operations for container ships and tankers. He has served as shipyard superintendent and fleet naval architect for ATB tugboats, tank barges and tank ships. He also has held design manager positions for refit, retrofit and new construction projects for pilot boats, crew boats, research vessels, passenger vessels, tugboats, tank barges in addition to production boats and megayachts.

 

In 2003, Nick founded Boksa Marine Design (BMD), which specializes in full-scale design and naval architecture for pleasure, commercial and military vessels from a blank sheet of paper. All Boksa boats are designed, engineered and built to exceed the operational requirements of their unique mission. Nick’s background working with commercial ships as well as yachts makes him the perfect partner for Cheoy Lee.

 

We sat down with Nick to learn more about his career and his vision for yacht design.

 

Q: What inspired you to become a naval architect?

A: I’ve been on boats my entire life. I grew up water skiing on Lake Michigan and when I was a teenager, my parents purchased a home in Florida. I would spend my entire summers living on the boats we owned there. It has been a lifelong love of mine, servicing and operating my family’s boats. I went to the Merchant Marine Academy with the goal of becoming a naval architect.

 

Q: Tell us some early influences that helped to shape your career.

A: My first real job out of school was with Burger Boat Company and my mentor there was Don O’Keefe. We would spend hours looking at photos of old black-and-white sailing vessels, the America’s Cup boats. Don would appreciate things about them you never would consider. This was in the mid-1990s and Burger hadn’t yet transitioned to electronic design, computers, CAD, that kind of thing. So, I had the benefit of working with Don, learning to do everything by hand, manual drafting, manual record-keeping, and building charts by hand. I ended up taking his hand drawings and putting them into CAD as we transitioned to that system, and then taking over and doing a lot of the design work myself. To this day, I still sketch some of my vessel designs on onion-skin paper first, just to set myself up for heights and dimensions before working on them with CAD.

One of my other early influences was reading articles about Tom Fexas – I remember the Cheoy Lee Midnight Lace series he designed in the 1980s. I have been aware of Cheoy Lee ever since I was a child, and so it feels natural to partner with the shipyard now.

 

 

Q: What sets Boksa Marine Design (BMD) apart from other firms in your industry?

A: Many of the people who work here with me also went to the Merchant Marine Academy or other merchant marine schools and we have spent quite a bit of time on ships, from climbing in the bilges and sewage tanks right on through rebuilding engines. So, we have a really good understanding of what it takes to manage, operate, and maintain vessels. My career has gone back and forth between commercial and yacht design and naval architecture, and I like to apply that robustness and that understanding of how to operate commercial vessels to our designs.

 

 

Q: What are some of the most significant projects you’ve worked on at BMD?

A: We often work behind the scenes for U.S. boat builders, providing naval architecture, structural and mechanical engineering support for their projects. I call it “backroom engineering” – it’s not glamorous, but it is necessary. Some of the shipyards we’ve done projects for have included Burger, Christensen, Derecktor, Egg Harbor, Lazzara, Newcastle, Nordhavn, and Broward, Palmer Johnson and Trinity, when they were around. One of the best-known yacht projects we have worked on is the 281-foot M/Y Cakewalk. We did a lot of small engineering and outfitting items for Derecktor on that project.

On the commercial side, we have had the opportunity to provide naval architecture and engineering work for shallow-draft barges, tugboats and a lot of conversion projects. One of our highlighted commercial new construction projects is the J.Arnold Witte, an 85-foot push tug for the lakes.

 

 

Q: How important is safety and regulatory compliance to your designs?

A: They are paramount for me and my team, with our background in commercial vessels. When I was working for the shipping company, we lost one of our tugboats and crew, so safety is always at the front of my mind. It’s extremely important to me not only to design a yacht that meets all the regulatory requirements, but also actually functions as a ship.

 

 

Q: What is your vision of the future of marine design, and how do you see BMD contributing to it?

A: I’ve been advocating for the last five or ten years for what I call “pocket superyachts” – explorer-style yachts in the mid-120-foot range. You can get a lot into a vessel like that and take it to every place in the world you can get to on a superyacht for less cost, and with less damage to the environment.

 

As for BMD, one thing I have done is to transition some of the ownership of the company to my employees in an effort to bring them a feeling of ownership in everything we do. I've seen how it has energized our company in that everybody is contributing in a lot of different ways now. So as far as BMD is concerned, I see it growing quite a lot in the next few years and hopefully contributing to the future of yachting for a long time to come.

 

 

The post Designing Megayachts with a Merchant Marine Mindset appeared first on Cheoy Lee Yachts.

Cheoy Lee Shipyards Is Installing Luxury Interiors Hand-Crafted by Italian Artisans in the First 130 Explorer Yacht

The first Cheoy Lee 130 Explorer yacht is in its final phase of construction at Cheoy Lee Shipyards. The steel hull and aluminum superstructure are complete and the engines and machinery are in place. Now, the luxury custom interiors conceived by Seattle-based designer Sylvia Bolton are being installed inside the vessel.

 

Roberto Lottini and Alice Beldramme of Genesis Interiors

The timelessly elegant furniture and cabinetry for the new 130 Explorer’s interior spaces are being hand-built by the artisans at Genesis Interiors. Founded in Italy in 1994 by yachting industry veteran Roberto Lottini, the company has a long track record of building luxury interiors both for superyachts and upscale residences. Recent examples of yachts with interiors hand-crafted by Genesis include the 350’ charter vessel M/Y Dream and the 113’ Benetti Oasis M/Y Unknown, both World Superyacht Award winners.

 

“Cheoy Lee has always provided the best design and quality to our customers. Genesis Interiors" workmanship aligns with Cheoy Lee’s high standards,” said B.Y. Lo, Cheoy Lee Yachts vice president, North America.

Genesis Interiors developed and patented the innovative Fit-Lock® pressure panel assembly system in 2004. A revolutionary new way to build luxury interiors, Genesis uses Fit-Lock technology to mount a series of panels crafted out of wood, textile, marble, leather or other materials securely to a yacht’s walls, floors and overhead spaces, creating a seamless look.

 

“Genesis’ Fit-Lock system has a tolerance of 6mm (1/4") in all directions, providing more flexibility for installation, and a better fit,” Lo said.

The panels are easily removable, facilitating inspections and maintenance. If one should become damaged, it can be switched out for a new panel.

 

“Every panel is labeled. If the yacht should damage a panel, the crew just tells us which panel it is, and we can ship it to them right away,” said Giacomo Lombardi, Genesis Interiors general manager. “The Fit-Lock system also makes refreshing and refurbishing yacht interiors fast and cost-effective.”

 

The Fit-Lock system has other benefits as well, added Lottini, Genesis Interiors president.

 

 

“The system enables us to apply the finish to each panel in a spray booth before it is installed in the yacht, in order to achieve the highest level of quality,” he said. “You can build the interior at a distance from the shipyard, even using multiple locations to save time. It also allows the interior to be installed at any time during the build.”

 

 

Alice Beldramme, Genesis Interiors designer, used Bolton’s interior design plans to create the engineering templates for the Fit-Lock panels using CAD (Computer Aided Design). Genesis and Cheoy Lee each have an identical set of templates, ensuring that the interior panels will fit perfectly when installed in the yacht at the Cheoy Lee Shipyards.

 

 

Stay tuned for more on the Cheoy Lee 130 Explorer’s interiors in our next blog.

 

The post Building CLY 130 Explorer’s Interiors – Part 1 appeared first on Cheoy Lee Yachts.

Building the Cheoy Lee 130 Explorer’s Interiors Simultaneously in Two Locations Saves Time and Adds Convenience for the Yacht’s Owner

While many new megayachts can take up to three years to build, Cheoy Lee Shipyards offer far shorter construction periods for their new Explorer Series yachts.

 

“One of the questions we are asked often is delivery lead time,” B.Y. Lo, Cheoy Lee Yachts vice president, North America. “To keep build time for a new yacht to 24 months or less, teaming up with Genesis Interiors allows ship construction and interior construction to be done simultaneously.”

Luxury yacht interior builder Genesis Interiors is crafting the interiors for the Cheoy Lee 130 Explorer in two locations – in the yachting meccas of Viareggio, Italy, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The workshop in Italy is building the interiors for the main deck, while the U.S. workshop is tasked with the lower-deck and bridge deck interiors.

 

Although they are on different continents, the two Genesis workshops each have the same state-of-the-art machinery and workflow systems, and their teams work to the same exacting standards. Both employ Italian artisans who draw on skills and experience handed through multiple generations. The Fort Lauderdale shop also has some local workers who honed their skills in South Florida’s busy superyacht repair yards.

 

“Both shops are using the same wood, American Walnut, sourced at the same time from the same place in Italy, to ensure that the interiors are perfectly matched,” said Genesis Interiors Found Roberto Lottini. “All the panels are being made by hand by artisans with the right tools, the right machines and the right experience.”

One of the design goals for the Cheoy Lee 130 Explorer’s interior was to preserve the American Walnut’s grain and texture in the wall panels.

 

 

 “You have to be an artist, not a carpenter, to fit these sheets of wood together and have them fit perfectly,” said Giacomo Lombardi, Genesis Interiors general manager.

 

 

Lottini added, “These interiors are designed not only to be beautiful and sophisticated, but also to be durable when the yacht is voyaging in rough seas.”

 

 

The location of Genesis Interiors’ Fort Lauderdale workshop has an added benefit for the Cheoy Lee 130 Explorer project.

 

 “Their Fort Lauderdale office is just over a mile from Cheoy Lee’s North American headquarters,” Lo said. “An owner can visit regularly to appreciate the quality and the attention to detail. They also can view mockups and approve fabrication before the interiors are shipped to the factory for installation.”  As Lo mentioned, when yacht owners visit the Genesis Interiors workshop, instead of seeing individual panels, they can walk through a full-scale mock-up of the rooms being built for their yacht. “We completely assemble each interior before it is disassembled and painted,” Lombardi explained.

In addition to giving owners a preview of a yacht’s furnishings, the mock-ups also allow them to experience the yacht’s ergonomics in advance and if needed, request small adjustments. Being able to make changes like this before the interior is installed in the yacht saves both time and money.

 

“For example, if an owner wants a shower to be a little larger and you redo the template on the computer, it doesn’t cost much,” Lottini said. “If you have to re-cut the marble itself, on the other hand, it can cost thousands.”

 

 

By early summer of 2023, the superyacht’s lower deck had been completed by Genesis Interiors’ Fort Lauderdale workshop and shipped by sea to Cheoy Lee Shipyards. Work on the bridge deck interior was well under way. The workshop in Viareggio is scheduled to complete the huge main-deck interior by the end of the summer.

 

“By Thanksgiving, everything should be shipped to Cheoy Lee Shipyard. We are ahead of schedule,” Lottini said, adding. “So far everything has been smooth sailing. The Cheoy Lee team is very professional.”

 

 

Please stay tuned for more news of the first Cheoy Lee 130 Explorer, scheduled to launch in early 2024!

 

The post Building CLY 130 Explorer’s Interiors – Part 2 appeared first on Cheoy Lee Yachts.

Exploring the Yacht Classification Societies and Their Benefits

When you embark on a new-build project for a large custom yacht, one of the first things to determine is whether to have the vessel designed and constructed to meet the technical standards of a yacht classification society – known, for short, as “building to class”.

 

Maritime classification societies have been around for hundreds of years. The first one, Lloyd’s Register, takes its name from the London coffee shop where it got its start in 1760. The goal of its founders, who met at Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House on Lombard Street, was to give the commercial shipping industry independently recorded information on the quality of the vessels they were looking to hire or insure. The vessels were surveyed and listed in the Register Book with a rating or classification based on the condition of their hull and equipment. Subscriptions to the Register Book paid for the surveyors’ fees. 

 

In the years that followed, other maritime classification societies were established in countries around the world. And since many of the ships they classified voyaged internationally, Lloyd’s Register and the other societies developed technical standards for their classification that were global in their scope. The societies also began offering testing, inspection and certification services to other industries, such as energy, oil and gas, and agriculture, to name a few.

 

At its core, however, a classification society’s primary role remains to assure a vessel’s quality, safety and seaworthiness.

 

According to E.J.W. de Boer, global yacht segment director, Lloyd’s Register, “Bringing it back to its roots, the role of class is the worldwide implementation of Rules covering:

• Structural strength of the hull and watertight integrity [of] essential parts of hull and appendages,
• Safety and reliability of propulsion and steering systems
• Effectiveness of essential auxiliary systems.”

Over the years, as boating for pleasure rather than solely for commercial purposes gained popularity, some of the classification societies began to offer their services to the yachting industry as well as to merchant maritime fleets. For example, Lloyd’s first Register of Yachts was published in 1878. Today, these class societies work hand in hand with the yachting industry not only to help improve the quality and safety of large luxury yachts, but also to heighten their cyber security, lower their environmental footprints and build more sustainability into the construction process.

 

 

Class vs. Flag

Yacht classification societies are independent from flag states. A flag state is the country or governmental authority under which a yacht, once launched, is registered or licensed, and whose laws and rules it must obey. The flag state is tasked with ensuring that the vessel complies with international and local laws and regulations relating to issues such as safety, labor, taxation and pollution, including those set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

 

 

While class and flag are separate entities, in many cases, they work together to help ensure the safety of a vessel, as well as of the world’s mariners and the waterways they navigate. For example, the Marshall Islands Registry delegates authority to 14 “Recognized Organizations”, including the major yacht classification societies, to perform ship statutory survey and certification services on its behalf.

 

 

The main classification societies serving the international yachting community include the following, in alphabetical order:

 

 

• American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). Founded in the United States in 1862, the American Bureau of Shipping’s stated mission is: “To serve the public interest as well as the needs of our members and clients by promoting the security of life and property, and preserving the natural environment.” ABS provides a range of services to a wide variety of industries, including yachting. To date, over 500 yachts have been ABS-classed, ranging from historical replicas to some of the fastest and most advanced superyachts in the world.

 

 

• Bureau Veritas (BV). Headquartered in France, Bureau Veritas was founded in 1828 to provide up-to-date tracking information about ships and their equipment, making the industry safer. BV now offers training, testing and certification services to many other industries addition to maritime. Continually updating its standards, in November 2022, BV published its NR 500 Rules for the Classification of Yachts with a length not exceeding 100 meters.

 

• China Classification Society (CCS): Founded in 1956, the China Classification Society is headquartered in Beijing, China. With the objective of “Safety, Environmental protection and Creating value for clients and society”, CCS provides services for a range of industries and fields. The society has been authorized by 60 major shipping states or regions, including China, to perform statutory surveys for the ships and offshore installations flying their flags.

 

 

• Det Norske Veritas (DNV). In 1864, Norway’s mutual marine insurance clubs joined together to establish a uniform set of rules and procedures to be used in assessing the risk of underwriting individual vessels. The group aimed to provide, “reliable and uniform classification and taxation of Norwegian ships.” Three years later, a group of 600 ship owners, shipbuilders and insurers gathered in Germany, to found Germanischer Lloyd (GL), a non-profit association based in Hamburg. In 2013, DNV and GL merged to form DNV GL, which was renamed to DNV in 2021.

 

 

• Lloyd’s Register (LR). The oldest maritime registry, Lloyd’s Register still specializes in providing professional services and setting technical standards for the maritime industry. Today, LR is a global operation with more than 70 locations serving clients in 182 countries. Involved with the classification of both sailing and motor yachts for more than 144 years, LR reports that today it is the leading yacht classification society with over 50 percent of the market share. More than 1,200 yachts in the 100-foot-plus range have been built to LR classification to date.

 

• Registrano Italiano Navale (RINA). Established in Genoa, Italy, in 1861, Registrano Italiano Navale registered 340 vessels in its first year. Today, it is an international classification society operating on behalf of 122 flag authorities. RINA’s pillars are technical competence, attention to quality and focus on innovation. Environmentally friendly operation also is a goal. RINA awards a voluntary GREEN PLUS class notation to large yachts that meet its standards for low environmental impact, including carbon emissions.

Prior to starting a new-build project, it is up to the owner to decide which of these classification societies to work with for a new-build project, if any.

“Often the builder, designer and broker will advise the owner on what is most logical for his or her situation,” said Jon Overing, designer of the Cheoy Lee Explorer Series.

 

 

Once selected, the classification society becomes involved in the project from the very beginning.

“The designer has to design the vessel to the class society’s standards. Then, the builder has to build to that design, under the supervision of an inspector on site,” Overing said. 

 

 

The new Cheoy Lee 130 Explorer is built in compliance with Lloyds 100A1 SSC Yacht Mono G6 + LMC, UMS

The yacht’s systems and equipment also are subject to inspection by the class society. These inspections are made at specific milestones during the build, and the yacht must pass a rigorous final survey in order to earn classification status. 

 

Even after the vessel is launched, it must continue to undergo annual inspections, along with a five-year survey, in order to maintain its classification. Naturally, building to class increases cost of a new-build project, but it also adds real value. 

 

Owners who are building yachts solely for their own private use are not required to have the boat built to class. However, there are compelling reasons to do so:

 

• Written assurance of the quality and seaworthiness of the vessel by an independent agency. “You know that what is behind the walls is good. There won’t be any surprises,” Overing said. 

 

• More options for securing insurance coverage for the yacht. In fact, several insurance underwriters operating in the yachting sector refuse to cover vessels that are not built to class.

 

• The ability to offer the yacht for charter, now or in the future. A yacht used for commercial purposes, such as charter operations, must be classfied by one of the major societies. Refitting a non-classed yacht so that it will qualify for classification is generally more expensive than building the yacht to class from the beginning.

 

• Higher resale value. The same quality assurance that building to class provides the original owner also will make the yacht easier to sell, and typically will help it to maintain a higher resale price.  “Working with LR is claimed to add 5 percent value on the resale value of a yacht,” de Boer said.

 

Cheoy Lee Yachts offers all of its customers the option of building their new Cheoy Lee luxury yacht to class, and the major yacht classification societies perform in-person inspections on vessels while they are in build at the shipyard.

 

“All the Cheoy Lee Explorer Series yachts are built to class. I can’t contemplate building a 100-plus-foot yacht, or even a 90-foot boat for that matter, that’s not to class,” Overing said. “It solidifies the checks and balances of a new build.”

 

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The Cheoy Lee Sales & Service Center in Fort Lauderdale is there to support your yacht throughout its life cycle.

Cheoy Lee Yachts values our clients’ time. That’s why we located our North American headquarters conveniently in America’s Yachting Capital – Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The Cheoy Lee Yachts Sales and Service center is located at one of world’s premier yachting facilities – Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center (LMC). This storm-safe, gated, full-service boat yard and marina complex is capable of hauling yachts up to 485 tons and offers deep-water access from the IntraCoastal Waterway and the Atlantic Ocean via the New River. Here, we can meet with you and your team in person to take care of all your vessel’s needs throughout its entire life cycle.

 

Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center

We look forward to welcoming you to the bright and airy Cheoy Lee Sales Office, where our team will show you models and plans for the full Cheoy Lee Yachts luxury motoryacht line, including the 118 Tradition and the new Explorer Series ranging from 107 to 132 feet. Here, we can discuss the details of your yacht’s expert construction and custom interior design in comfort and privacy.

 

During construction of a new Cheoy Lee luxury yacht, our purchasing policy is to source locally based on vessel’s projected home port. For vessels to be delivered to U.S.-based clients, the Fort Lauderdale Sales Office primarily sources parts, materials and components from U.S. manufacturers. This assures not only the smooth handling of any potential component warranty issues but also the availability of spare parts, even after the warranty has expired.

 

Safe Harbor Lauderdale Marine Center

Once the yacht is delivered to its new owner, Cheoy Lee’s after-sale care begins with a full orientation to all its systems and equipment for the crew, assuring that both owner and crew will be comfortable with taking control of their new vessel. We also offer a full range of service work for our clients’ yachts next door at LMC, which puts all the resources of a modern megayacht facility at our disposal. The Cheoy Lee Service Department  has full-time, highly trained technicians on-site, ready to assist clients with all of their yacht’s service and maintenance needs. 

 

Cheoy Lee's offices at LMC Fort Lauderdale

Cheoy Lee’s dedicated team provides clients with excellent service during the yacht’s warranty period, but it does not stop there. Technical support and advice are always there for the owner of a Cheoy Lee luxury yacht – and it does not matter whether you are the first owner or you purchased a pre-loved Cheoy Lee. The Cheoy Lee team will stand by you, assuring a comfortable and smooth operation of your yacht as long as you own the vessel. 

 

Cheoy Lee Yachts’ reputation is built on quality construction and exceptional customer care. Therefore, the best compliments we receive are our repeat clients who have owned multiple Cheoy Lee luxury yachts over the years.

 

All Cheoy Lee yacht and vessel construction takes place at Hin Lee (Zhuhai) Shipyard facility, situated around 45 miles to the west of the Hong Kong.

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Tips for preparing your itinerary and yacht for a voyage to a remote destination.

Explorer yachts are purpose-designed to take their owners on adventures to destinations “off the beaten path”. While they can do everything a traditional motor yacht can do, like transporting you in luxury and comfort to easily accessible cruising grounds in the Caribbean and Mediterranean, they are capable of so much more. With their expansive fuel capacities, efficient propulsion, copious stowage space and seaworthy hull designs, expedition yachts like the Cheoy Lee Explorer Series can help you to fulfill your dreams of voyaging to exotic destinations around the world.

 

Even with a well-built, steel-hulled bluewater yacht such as a Cheoy Lee Explorer, however, a successful long-range voyage to a remote destination takes careful planning and preparation. Here are some tips for getting ready for an adventure in your expedition yacht.

 

Plan well in advance

How far in advance to start planning a voyage depends on your destination. Extremely remote regions have far less infrastructure for yachts than regular “milk run” cruising areas. Capt. John Crupi, who took the 146-foot Cheoy Lee expedition yacht Dorothea III to 70 countries on six continents, began planning for some of the more challenging passages on his yacht’s itinerary up to a year in advance.

 

The success of difficult passages lies in having a ruggedly built and well-equipped yacht, preparedness and the Captain’s knowledge

Consider hiring a weather-routing service

One of the first things to take into consideration is the weather. What is the optimum time of year to take a yacht to your intended destination? For example, the weather in Antarctica is best during summer in the Southern Hemisphere, from November to March, when the temperatures are higher and the days can be up to 24 hours long. Similarly, yachts can only navigate the Northwest Passage through Canada in the Northern Hemisphere’s summer months – and even then, they need to watch out for ice. If your expedition yacht must cross an ocean in order to reach your destination, the best weather window for that passage also must be taken into careful consideration.

 

The availability and accuracy of today’s weather forecasting services makes it easier for captains to avoid dangerous sea conditions and storms

The good news is that today, there are a wide variety of sophisticated weather forecasting tools available for expedition yacht owners and captains to consult when planning a long-range voyage. There are government resources such as the U.S. National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center, both provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). And there are myriad commercial weather apps and websites to choose from that provide both long- and short-range forecasts. 

 

Experienced mariners like Capt. Crupi often will hire a private marine weather-forecasting service to help with route-planning. Some international meteorological services can offer data on typical weather patterns in a destination region at different times of the year. What’s more, these services can provide daily weather forecasts specific to your yacht’s GPS location for the duration of the voyage. These customized reports can help your captain to avert storms and other dangerous climatic conditions while en route.

Keep the itinerary flexible

Even with the best weather resources at your fingertips, however, when planning a voyage to a remote destination, it’s important to add an extra measure of flexibility. Don't commit to a tight itinerary that requires the yacht to be in a certain port on a certain day as you may encounter unexpected delays. While you might be able to make plans to cruise from Portofino to Monaco on a set schedule during summer season in the Med, navigating a passage to the Arctic or Antarctic with the possibility of ice that could keep the yacht in port for a number of days requires a much looser schedule.

Seek first-hand information

Before you set out for a less-frequented destination, such as Southeast Asia or the Amazon River, that does not have the number or level of fuel bunkering services or fresh-food provisioning options that are available in more popular yachting destinations, it’s important to determine in advance where you are going to find them. The best way to begin researching a particular remote destination is to consult with another yacht owner and/or captain who has voyaged there. That way, you will get first-hand information about the infrastructure in the area, as well as insights into both the challenges and the “can’t miss” experiences you will find there.

Yacht agents that specialize in the region where you plan to voyage in your expedition yacht can be another important resource to tap. Not only can they help to arrange services such as fuel bunkering, but they also can provide invaluable aid with travel visas and other required documentation. A yacht agent also can advise you about potential security threats in the area.

Find a satellite  communications provider

Internet connectivity in areas where terrestrial service is spotty or non-existent can be another area of concern for many yacht owners. Today, there are a number of maritime satellite communications companies serving the superyacht community that offer coverage even in the most remote parts of the globe.

 

Satellite communications equipment

Prepare your expedition yacht for self-sufficiency

If you are planning to voyage to a region where few yachts have gone before, it’s important to prepare your expedition yacht to be as self-sufficient as possible. During the planning phase, anticipate any problems you might encounter, such as unstable electrical power, dirty fuel, and rough seas, and equip your yacht to meet them. Its shore power system, fuel-filtration system, watermaker and stabilization system must be equal to any challenges you may face.

Carrying spare parts for the yacht’s vital systems and equipment also can help to make or break a voyage to a remote destination. There may not be a superyacht service yard where you are going. And, unlike in the Med or Caribbean, you might not be able to order a replacement part and have it sent to the yacht via Fedex. Self-sufficiency means your crew will have the parts and skills they need to fix just about anything that might break en route.

If quality provisioning is scarce along your intended itinerary, you also will need to stock the yacht before departure with the food and other supplies you will need for the voyage. It can increase the efficiency of your yacht’s stowage space to make a diagram of where each item will fit on board. This is another area in which the Cheoy Lee Explorer Series excels. The 130 Explorer now under construction, for example, has a full tank deck below the waterline that offers massive dry, refrigerated and freezer stowage.

Preparing for a voyage in an expedition yacht to a remote, untrammeled corner of the globe may be challenging, but if it weren’t, everyone would go there. With careful advance planning and a bit of flexibility, your next yachting adventure will be one you will remember for the rest of your life.

The post Getting Ready for the Adventure of a Lifetime in an Expedition Yacht appeared first on Cheoy Lee Yachts.

Vessels like the Cheoy Lee Explorer Series yachts, which are designed, built and equipped for long-range bluewater voyaging, are the best means of transportation to challenging cruising destinations such as the ones detailed in this blog. These rugged, reliable steel expedition yachts feature a larger fuel capacity than a traditional motor yacht, enabling them to cross oceans and cruise to locations with few or no fuel bunkering options. Their layout incorporates enough storage to hold supplies and provisions for weeks at sea. They are equipped for self-sufficient comfort at anchor in places where no marinas or shore power are available. And what’s more, expedition yachts let owners and guests explore the ends of the Earth while enjoying customized, luxurious accommodations and amenities.

Before you set your sights on one of these far-flung destinations, however, we urge you to consult a yacht agent or logistics coordinator who specializes in the region and can help you and your captain pre-plan your route, acquire the necessary permits, arrange for guides, pilots, fuel bunkering, and provisions, and also for security in areas where it’s recommended (such as polar bear county).

“The further out you go, the more help you need,” said Rob McCallum, founding partner of EYOS Expeditions Ltd., which provides logistical and guide services for remote cruising destinations around the world. 

Here is a list of some of the world’s most unique, uncrowded and spectacular cruising grounds. A voyage by expedition yacht to any of these destinations truly makes for the adventure of a lifetime.

GREENLAND    

The world’s largest island, and part of the Realm of Denmark, Greenland is a remote Arctic destination that is best explored by expedition yacht. “You can only visit most of it by boat or aircraft; there are no roads,” McCallum said, adding, “It’s a place of scenic grandeur.”

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Greenland offers spectacular polar vistas, including icebergs, glaciers and soaring snowclad mountain ranges. Seventy-nine percent of the island is covered by the Greenland Ice Sheet, and it also has a spectacular system of iceberg-studded fjords. Heliskiing is a popular pastime that an expedition company can organize for you. Dogsledding is another unique way to experience Greenland as the natives have done for hundreds of years, and there also are geothermic springs for bathing.

“You can only visit most of  it by boat or aircraft; there are no roads”

In summer, the island and its surrounding waters come alive with wildlife, including polar bears, walrus and whales. Deploying kayaks from your yacht puts you right in the middle of Greenland’s natural wonders. The midnight sun will let you experience more each day.

You also can enjoy cultural exchanges with the Inuit peoples whose ancestors came to Greenland by crossing the Bering Strait. A local guide can arrange for educational opportunities with the Inuit. “To me, it’s always better to go with someone who can communicate effectively with the local people. It opens doors,” McCallum said.

When to Go

Summer is the most popular time to visit Greenland, when the temperatures rise above freezing, allowing parts of the island to live up to its name. The midnight sun typically lasts from late May through late July. Unfortunately, these “white nights” hide another spectacular northern phenomenon, the Northern Lights, which can be seen starting in September.

Permits Required

No special permits are needed beyond clearing customs and immigration.

Fuel Bunkering

Fuel is available in Greenland’s southern towns and fishing ports, where most of the island’s population can be found. 

ALASKA

Since it is a popular destination for cruise ships, it’s natural to assume Alaska is “on the beaten path” for yachts as well. But the cruise ships have set itineraries that are easy to identify and avoid, and these expansive northern cruising grounds offer hundreds of nautical miles of remote, spectacular coastline to explore. “It goes on forever. You could cruise there for four months and not see the same thing twice,” McCallum said.

The scenery is varied but majestic, including craggy coastlines, fir-clad islets, glaciers and fjords. Colorful fishing villages provide both a scenic backdrop and an opportunity to hire a guide and fish for fresh, wild salmon. You can also watch bears catch their own salmon dinner!

Alaska is a great destination for whale-watching in the summer months, from majestic humpbacks to orcas with their distinctive black-and-white coloration. Birdwatching is also outstanding in Alaska, which is home to roughly 30,000 wild bald eagles. Your yacht’s kayaks and tender offer the opportunity get closer to nature.

Everywhere you cruise in Alaska, you will find rich Native American culture, with more than 200 recognized tribes in the state today. Be sure to take advantage of the opportunity to view totem poles and to experience native drumming, singing, and storytelling.

It goes on forever. You could cruise there for four months and not see the same thing twice

When to Go

Late May through mid-September; with the peak months being June through August. Depending on where you cruise, you will experience the midnight sun lighting up your nights during most of this season. 

Permits Required

Alaska requires cruising permits and depending on the size of your vessel, pilotage in some ports. McCallum advises applying for permits at least four months in advance of your cruise, using a yacht logistics company to streamline the process. “By getting a permit, you can get to places other people can’t access,” he said.

Fuel Bunkering

There is fuel and even a few marinas in the larger towns, but, McCallum cautions, “The main towns are few and far between.”

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

Located off the northeastern coast of Australia in Oceania, Papua New Guinea comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, along with a double handful of lush tropical islets. The world’s third largest island nation, it attained independence in 1975.

A true melting pot, Papua New Guinea is one of the most diverse nations on Earth, with more than 850 known languages spoken in the country. It also reportedly is home to numerous “uncontacted tribes”, living in total isolation. Cannibalism is thought to have been practiced by some until quite recently. Guides with knowledge of local tribes and customs can arrange memorable cultural experiences for cruisers here. One of the most amazing is to witness a Baining Fire Dance – a rite of passage for young men.

Papua New Guinea is also a world-class scuba diving destination. It offers miles of pristine coral reefs teeming with life, Pacific atolls and walls, along with the opportunity to dive on wrecks from World War II.

When to Go

The long cruising season lasts from late April through December. “There is a chance of cyclones, but they are rare these days,” said McCallum.

Permits Required

Yachts must provide their intended cruising itinerary and secure a cruising permit for Papua New Guinea, in addition to complying with customs and immigration regulations.

Fuel Bunkering

Fuel is available in various provincial ports throughout the country.

VANAUTU

An archipelago of 88 islands in a remote corner of Melanesia, over 1,100 nautical miles from Australia’s eastern coast, Vanuatu is well worth the voyage to get there. “Every day is wonderful,” McCallum said.

The islands are mountainous, formed by ancient volcanoes. In fact, there are still active volcanoes here you visit with a guide, including Mount Yasur on Tanna Island where, if you are lucky, you can peer into the volcano’s red, smoky heart.

The beaches are beautiful throughout the islands, and the diving is even more spectacular. Vibrant coral reefs, blue holes, and caverns are just a few of the natural splendors that await beneath the surface of the neon-blue ocean. If you are a diver, don’t miss the SS President Coolidge, sunk off the island of Espiritu Santo by a mine during World War II. At 656 feet in length, it is considered to be one of the largest wrecks in the world.  

With the help of a guide well versed in the native language and customs, you can have memorable interactions with the local people, known as the Ni-Vanuatu, or “Ni-Van” for short. One of the world’s most unique native rituals, called “Nagol” or land diving, takes places every Saturday from April to June on Pentecost Island. Local men and boys climb to the top of a 98-foot wooden tower, wrap vines around their ankles and jump off. Land diving is said to have inspired the modern sport of bungee jumping.

When to Go

Cruising season is during the winter months, April through October, when both the temperatures and the chance of rainfall decline. 

Permits Required

Vanuatu strictly enforces its customs and immigration policies for visiting yachts.

Fuel Bunkering

You can find fuel and a marina in Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu, located on the island of Efate. But that’s it for the entire region.

THE GALÁPAGOS

Over 185 years since Charles Darwin first set eyes on the Galápagos, this isolated South American island chain, located about 600 miles off the Pacific coast of Ecuador, is still home to some of the most diverse and unique plant and animal species found anywhere in the world. Galápagos National Park, an UNESCO World Heritage Site, covers about 97 percent of the island chain and offers incredible opportunities for hiking and diving. 

Many visitors come simply to see and photograph species that can only be found in these islands, such as the Galápagos Giant Tortoise and the Blue-Footed Booby. Sport fishing is also popular in the fertile waters around the Galápagos, and it is a world-class scuba diving destination.

There are no marinas in Galápagos National Park, so you will spend all of your time at anchor. However, there are many spectacular anchorages scattered throughout these rugged, mostly volcanic islands. 

When to Go

The Galapagos Islands are a year-round cruising destination. Ocean currents and winds interact to define two seasons: the hot season, generally from January to May, and the cool season, usually from June to December. 

Permits Required

Galápagos National Park has very strict rules and regulations designed to protect the islands’ native diversity and prevent any foreign species from invading them.  

“All vessels with the intention to enter Galápagos must apply for an entry permit called ‘Autografo’ in advance. Once we have obtained the entry permit, we have to apply for an authorization called ‘cruising permit’, which allows you to visit the protected areas of the Galápagos Islands with a specific itinerary assigned. By law, we have to hire a local naturalist guide and provide food and lodging aboard,” said Javier Plúa Rizzo of Yacht Agents Galápagos, which facilitates yacht travel to the islands. He recommends starting the application process at least two months prior to your planned arrival.

Fuel Bunkering

Fuel is limited in the Galápagos, and is managed by an Ecuadorian state-run company. “’Fuel code authorization’ is required for a prices amount of fuel requested. There are barges also available for deliveries if needed,” Rizzo said. 

PATAGONIA

“Ever since Patagonia was discovered 500 years ago, it has been described as untouched, vast, exotic, wild and infinite in its beauty,” said Carlos Miquel, regional director, South American Super Yacht Support (SASYSS), which specializes in organizing yacht travel to Patagonia, Chile and Antarctica.

Extending approximately 1,000 nautical miles from Puerto Montt to Cape Horn, Patagonia offers a wide range of different climate zones and ecosystems. There are a seemingly limitless number of activities to choose from, including flyfishing, kayaking, trekking, and heliskiing. The spectacular scenery ranges from  snowcapped mountain peaks, to volcanoes, fjords and cold jungles. “We divide the itineraries in Northern, Central and Southern Patagonia,” Miquel said. 

One of the most humbling feelings is to land on a beach at an anchorage and perhaps be the first human being that has ever set foot there

The region is mostly uninhabited, and you can often cruise for miles without seeing another yacht. In fact, more than half of Patagonia is protected by national parks. “One of the most humbling feelings is to land on a beach at an anchorage and perhaps be the first human being that has ever set foot there,” he said.

When to Go
Cruising season is from mid-October and until late April. While daily temperatures vary depending on which part of the county you are visiting, they never dip below freezing. Since Patagonia is considered the gateway to Antarctica for yachts, Miquel points out, “This offers a large window of time to squeeze a trip to Antarctica in between.” 

Permits Required
No cruising permits are needed to cruise through Patagonia, but port pilotage is required at major ports. Depending on the vessel’s gross registered tonnage (GRT), a yacht may need to have a Fjord Pilot on board to navigate the Patagonian channels.

Fuel Bunkering

There is fuel available at all major ports in Patagonia. Miquel recommends yachts work with their agent or SASYSS to determine the best locations for bunkering based on the yacht’s range and itinerary. 

ANTARCTICA

“Antarctica was last continent to be discovered, and it is often called the last frontier. Visiting Antarctica is a life-changing experience as visitors will immerse in landscapes and wildlife rarely seen in other parts of the planet,” said Miquel.

Due to Antartica’s extreme climate and terrain, it has never had an indigenous population. So, voyaging there by yacht will put you on the relatively short list of people who have visited the continent since John Davis was the first man to set foot there in 1821. 

Antarctica was last continent to be discovered, and it is often called the last frontier. Visiting Antarctica is a life-changing experience as visitors will immerse in landscapes and wildlife rarely seen in other parts of the planet. 

The few expedition yachts and sailing yachts that visit Antarctica each year typically cruise from Chile to the Antarctic Peninsula, the continent’s northernmost tip. Its towering icebergs and vast, silent landscape are completely awe-inspiring. Nature-lovers also will revel in encounters with huge colonies of penguins, which have no fear of humans, and the huge whales that inhabit these frigid waters. Kayaking here is an otherworldly experience not to be missed.

“Once in Antarctica, there is no local support infrastructure, besides the help you can get from nearby vessels in case of an emergency. Therefore, any trip to Antarctica needs to be planned well ahead of time and with a team of experts,” Miquel said. 

When to Go

The summer months, from late November through mid-February, is the best time to visit Antarctica. “Wildlife will be going through different stages in their reproduction cycles, so if visitors go early, they will see the building of nests and mating period, to then see the hatching and growing of the babies,” Miquel said, adding, “From a navigational point of view, the ice will be more packed early in the season and yachts will be able to cruise and explore further south if they go later during the year.” 

Permits Required

Yachts need an Antarctic Permit to travel to Antarctica which is issued by the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO). “These permits are best obtained with the help of an agent or SASYSS or through an authorized and experienced expedition company,” he said, adding that obtaining Polar Code Certification for your yacht in advance can save time.

Fuel Bunkering

“There are no ports in Antarctica and no bunkering available, unless it is pre-planned and pre-paid to come from Chile. To avoid this unlikely and expensive affair, yachts that go to Antarctica need to have a range of 3,000 nautical miles or more, as bunkering is best done before leaving to and after returning from Antarctica,” said Miquel.

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Most yachts are designed to cruise inland and coastal waterways but in reality, very few are built to voyage the world’s oceans. It is only these bluewater vessels, known as explorer or expedition yachts, that can take you on adventures to the most remote, spectacular, and pristine corners of the globe.

A few decades back, these long-range motoryachts were called “trawlers” after the commercial fishing trawlers they often resembled, topped by enclosed pilothouses that frequently featured reverse-slanted, “North Sea” windshields. But over the years, the trawler yacht category became crowded with “wannabe” boats that only looked like their rugged offshore counterparts. In reality, many of them were unable to venture very far from the coast.

Enter the true explorer yacht – a vessel that is purpose-built to be seaworthy and self-sufficient enough to serve as a luxury platform for oceangoing expeditions that are virtually without limits.

“The whole idea of an expedition yacht is how the owner intends to use his or her boat. We are working on the first Cheoy Lee 107 Explorer project now. It’s a boat capable of going practically anywhere in the world,” said Jon Overing of Overing Yacht Design, the naval architect who collaborated with Cheoy Lee Yachts on its new Explorer Series.

“The whole idea of an expedition yacht is how the owner intends to use his or her boat. We are working on the first Cheoy Lee 107 Explorer project now. It’s a boat capable of going practically anywhere in the world”

What gives an expedition yacht “go-anywhere” capability?

It’s not just one single aspect of the vessel’s design, construction, or outfitting. With the world’s best explorer yachts, it’s the entire package.

“I think any viable explorer yacht has be based on a full-displacement hull. That type of hull makes a better sea boat than a semi-displacement or planing hull … Full displacement hulls also inherently have more volume, and you need more volume to fit the mission profile for an expedition yacht.”

Rugged and reliable:

What to look for in explorer yacht design and construction

• Full-displacement hull

  While many of today’s yacht owners send their vessels to distant ports aboard a commercial ship, the hallmark of a true expedition yacht is to be able to make any voyage on its own hull. “I think any viable explorer yacht has be based on a full-displacement hull. That type of hull makes a better sea boat than a semi-displacement or planing hull,” Overing said, adding, “Full displacement hulls also inherently have more volume, and you need more volume to fit the mission profile for an expedition yacht.”

• Sufficient speed

  Historically, full-displacement vessels tended to be slow through the water, making up in seaworthiness what they lacked in speed. “The image in everyone’s mind was a 10-knot boat, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” Overing said. Today’s full-displacement hull designs, notably our fast-displacement hullform that Overing has developed for the Cheoy Lee Explorer Series.  Overing’s fast-displacement hull combines superior seakeeping, optimum range and efficiency at 9 to 10 knots with the capability of running over 14 knots if needed to avoid a storm or make up time in a tight itinerary. With a speed/length ratio of 1.6 – 1.7, the Overing fast-displacement hulls are capable of well exceeding theoretical hull speed allowing higher speeds if the owner chooses the higher horsepower options.

• Bulbous bow

  A fuel-efficient hull is essential when it comes to ensuring an expedition yacht has the range to cross oceans. Cheoy Lee Yachts Explorer Series yachts feature a bulbous bow, which reduces the hull’s resistance to the water. “When Overing Yacht Design developed their first 50-meter fast-displacement hull in the late 1990s, Overing brought in a bulb expert from MIT to refine their bulb design and tank-tested their fast-displacement hull with and without a bulbous bow. The final bulb design resulted in a resistance drop between 7 and 15 percent depending on speed and load,” Overing said. “If you lower the hull’s resistance, it increases its efficiency. On average, our bulbous bow reduces fuel consumption by 10 percent on our fast-displacement hull. Over the course of a voyage, it adds up.”

• Steel hull

  Steel is the metal of choice for an oceangoing, full-displacement explorer yacht hull because of its weight and strength. While there are plenty of bluewater yachts made of aluminum or fiberglass, those materials are lighter than steel and might require the yacht to carry additional ballast. Steel expedition yachts also withstand impacts from debris in the water better. If the hull should be damaged, however, steel is easier to repair when the yacht is in a remote port that does not have modern yacht service and repair facilities. Cheoy Lee Explorer Series yachts are built with steel hulls and lightweight aluminum superstructures, utilizing both metals to their best advantage.

• Seaworthiness

  When you are voyaging to destinations that are “off the beaten path”, you can’t always find a convenient port to pull into when bad weather threatens. Expedition yachts have to be tough enough to stand up to rough, wind-driven offshore conditions. Cheoy Lee Explorer Yachts have full displacement hulls with rounded bilges that provide a stable, quiet ride even when the going gets tough. Today’s stabilization technology, which includes fixed stabilizers, movable fins, and gyros, provides solutions both while the yacht is at anchor and underway, adding yet another level of comfort.

• Practical profile

  Today’s long-range expedition yachts don’t have to look like commercial fishing trawlers. Modern explorer yachts over 100 feet in LOA are luxury superyachts and their profiles should reflect that aesthetic. “The exterior styling of an explorer yacht doesn’t have to look like a tugboat. It can be modern, classic, traditional – however you want,” said Overing.

Take the Cheoy Lee Explorer Series, for example. These multi-deck yachts sport graceful superstructures that are skillfully wrought in aluminum by Cheoy Lee Shipyard artisans. They feature spacious on-deck gathering areas, including flybridge, bridge and lower aft deck lounges, designed for sunbathing, dining and entertaining. They even boast aft beach clubs that are ideal for launching myriad watersports adventures.

“The exterior styling of an explorer yacht doesn’t have to look like a tugboat. It can be modern, classic, traditional – however you want,”

At the same time, however, expedition yacht design should address the long, rough passages the yacht will frequently face. Typically, these yachts have high bulwarks, full pilothouses and Portuguese bridges designed to protect the yacht from seas breaking on deck. The new Cheoy Lee Explorer 132, which features an aft-pilothouse design is an excellent example of form following function while still displaying an eye-catching profile.

• High-tech construction.

  Designing a seaworthy explorer yacht is only the start of the process. The shipyard also must possess the engineering skills, tools and technology to build a rugged vessel that can go the distance. In constructing its world-class explorer yachts, Cheoy Lee Shipyard draws on 150 years of experience building over 5,200 vessels to date, including thousands of commercial ships that have seen duty all over the world. The shipyard’s expert labor force combines traditional artisanship with state-of-the-art construction techniques, aided by a full suite of high-tech construction machinery, including 4-,5-, and 6-axis CNC machines, water jet plasma cutters, CNC pipe benders, CNC marble working machines, cross-cut granite saws, and much more.

• Classification.

  While private yachts displacing under 500 gross tons do not require certification by any of the international maritime classification societies, yachts operating as charter vessels must be classed. When building an expedition yacht, it’s important for an owner to keep the yacht’s resale value in mind, along with the opportunity to offer it for charter when you are not using the vessel. A yacht’s charter clients, carefully vetted and booked by a professional agent, can help to defray the costs of voyaging to long-range destinations such as the Arctic, Alaska or Antarctica. There are other benefits to building an explorer yacht to classification, such as American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), Lloyd’s, Bureau Veritas (BV) or RINA, as well.

“It’s another system of checks and balances you are bringing into the project. I view it as an insurance policy for the owner,” Overing said, adding, “If you are building a good boat to begin with, there’s not a lot of cost difference in building it to class.” Cheoy Lee Explorer Yachts are available built to Lloyd’s ✠ 100A1 SSC Yacht Mono G6 classification.

• Fuel tankage.

  A transatlantic crossing from New York City to Cornwall, U.K., is 2,880 nautical miles. Any long-range expedition yacht worth its salt should have the tankage to cross an ocean without needing to refuel. Cheoy Lee Shipyard is known for engineering and building fuel tanks for its yachts that combine outstanding capacity with exceptional structural integrity. Even though it is a small expedition yacht, the Cheoy Lee 107 Explorer has a range in excess of 4,000 nautical miles at 10 knots, with a fuel reserve.
  

• Commercial-grade equipment.

  When an expedition yacht is voyaging to regions where yacht service yards and spare parts are few and far between, it is essential for all its ship’s systems and equipment to be ultra-durable and reliable. Cheoy Lee Yachts outfits its Explorer Series vessels with proven commercial-grade machinery that is designed for continuous operation. Redundant systems and equipment are also crucial for an expedition yacht. “All vital systems must have full redundancy,” Overing said.

• Maximized storage.

  For many expedition yacht owners, leaving civilization behind and exploring remote regions is the whole point of having the boat. However, if you are voyaging to a destination with little or no maritime infrastructure, such as Antarctica, you will need to take all your provisions, supplies and spare parts with you. Dry storage, refrigerated storage, and freezer storage beyond what’s available in the galley are all essential features of a well-designed expedition yacht. The Cheoy Lee Explorer 107 and 132, at the upper and lower end of the range, have full tank decks that hold capacious stowage and also allow the crew to transit the whole yacht while staying out of the weather and unseen by the guests.

• Well-laid-out crew areas.

  The captain and crew of a long-range explorer yacht with an itinerary for adventure frequently pull continuous duty like the machinery and equipment on board. They spend weeks under way and at anchor rather than in port, unlike their counterparts who work on coastal cruising yachts in the Med. In order to keep an expedition yacht’s crew efficient, committed and refreshed, their work and leisure spaces should be given equal consideration to the owner and guest areas on board. Keeping this in mind, the Cheoy Lee Explorer Series yachts incorporate spacious crew quarters. In fact, the Cheoy Lee Explorer 107 has a main-deck captain’s cabin that rivals the VIP stateroom in many yachts of the same size.

• Bespoke owner/guest accommodations.

  If you are planning to use your yacht as a platform for voyaging to remote regions where there are no marinas or luxury resort hotels, it’s important to ensure you and your guests will be comfortable onboard. While in the past, some trawler yachts had staterooms that looked more like the scientists’ bunks on an oceanographic research vessel, today’s explorer yachts typically feature luxury owner and guest suites suitable for a superyacht. Interior design experts can help owners to customize their yacht’s inner sanctums to suit their own personal tastes and needs. Cheoy Lee Yachts collaborates with world-renowned yacht interior designers to select the finest woodwork, stone, furnishings, soft goods and other décor items for each interior in its Explorer Yacht Series. The shipyard also will work with an owner’s personal interior designer, if preferred.

• Satellite communications.

  Today, it’s possible to leave civilization behind, yet still remain in touch with home and work, stream videos, and enjoy other entertainment options via VSAT satellite internet service at sea. There are multiple providers in the marketplace offering a wide range of wifi solutions and service plans. Your shipyard can advise you on which cutting-edge VSAT antennas and other communications equipment you need to have on board your expedition yacht to utilize these services.

• Tenders & toys.

  Small boats and water toys can greatly enhance the adventures you pursue on your large expedition yacht. Tenders are not merely a means of transportation from yacht to shore. They also can take you to quiet coves and deserted islands surrounded by serene waters that are too shallow for the mother yacht to navigate. Jet Skis, kayaks, SEABOBs and the like can provide hours of fun in the water for owners and guests.

Have it your way:

Building a new explorer yacht

There are pre-owned expedition yachts on the market today that come in all makes, models, sizes, vintages, and levels of bluewater capability. An owner who elects to purchase a brokerage boat is best advised to develop a mission profile for his or her desired vessel in advance and then choose the boat that ticks off the most boxes on that list. How far do you want to go? How many guests do you want to bring with you? It’s important to determine all your desires and needs before you start shopping for a yacht.

“It’s always a compromise with a pre-owned explorer yacht. It’s someone else’s design for another owner,” said Panu Virtanen, vice president – sales, Cheoy Lee Shipyard North America. He added, “Who built it and how was it built? Does it have maintenance issues? It’s important to find out.”

Use a surveyor with a proven track record to determine whether there are any hidden problems with the pre-owned yacht. And if you decide to go ahead with the purchase, many brokers recommend keeping a budget in reserve to refit the vessel. You may need to update the electronics and stabilizers, and you probably will want to change at least some of the furnishings and the soft goods. The yacht also may need its classification certificate renewed. “That can be an expensive process,” Virtanen cautioned.

Building a new explorer yacht with a reputable shipyard, on the other hand, will ensure you get the vessel that fulfills your individual dreams for global exploration. “You can get exactly what you want,” he said.

The shipyard can help you to put together a team dedicated to designing the best expedition boat for your mission profile, including members of the shipyard’s management, design and engineering teams, the yacht’s naval architect and interior designer, along with your captain, yacht broker, and yacht management company, if you so desire. This “dream team” will be dedicated to creating an explorer yacht that is unique to you.

“There is no ‘perfect boat’, but when you build one, you can come extremely close to getting the explorer yacht that is perfect for you”

Do you want a main-deck master suite with panoramic views so you can see spectacular scenery you when you wake up each morning? Do you want to be able to cook breakfast for your family yourself in an eat-in galley on a sunny Sunday morning? Would you like to be able to soak in a Jacuzzi on the flybridge, watch a film on the foredeck, or fish from the aft deck? Or do you fancy a beach club where you can lounge virtually at eye level with the sea, hop onto a Jet Ski whenever the mood strikes you, and enjoy a cocktail while your yacht’s underwater lights attract an “aquarium” full of exotic fish? “There is no ‘perfect boat’, but when you build one, you can come extremely close to getting the explorer yacht that is perfect for you,” Virtanen said.

Who builds the best explorer yachts?

If you plan to build a new explorer yacht, it’s important to consider working with a shipyard that has a commercial shipbuilding pedigree in addition to a proven reputation for launching high-quality luxury yachts. Longevity, integrity, and family are key factors behind a successful shipyard. Few shipyards around the globe can boast more than 150 years of experience under continuous operation by the same family, like Cheoy Lee.

“Cheoy Lee Shipyard has 150 years of experience in building commercial vessels that operate 24/7 in demanding conditions. That is the philosophy of the commercial side of the company, and it carries over to all the explorer yachts that we build as well.”

It’s also important to research other expedition yachts the shipyard has launched in the past. Have they won awards and voyaged 200,000 nautical miles through most of the world’s oceans in a decade, like the 146’7” Cheoy Lee expedition yacht Dorothea III?

“If you plan to voyage far, you need to be able to rely on your yacht in any conditions anywhere in the world. That experience is what you look for in a shipyard when you are building a true expedition yacht.”

“Cheoy Lee Shipyard has 150 years of experience in building commercial vessels that operate 24/7 in demanding conditions. That is the philosophy of the commercial side of the company, and it carries over to all the explorer yachts that we build as well,” Virtanen said. “If you plan to voyage far, you need to be able to rely on your yacht in any conditions anywhere in the world. That experience is what you look for in a shipyard when you are building a true expedition yacht.”

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