Photo: Grant Maughan
Sometimes, life presents you with choices. When it comes to choosing between pure luxury and maximum efficiency at sea, the world’s richest don’t have to choose at all. That’s what superyacht explorers are for.
This relatively new type of watercraft comes to blur the lines between luxury superyachts and highly-competent explorer ships, blending the main features of each in a new, mighty package with incredible range, plenty of exploring gear, and the same kind of luxury and fancy amenities the one-percenters of the world have grown accustomed to.
Superyacht explorers are superyachts in essence, wearing explorer clothes. More aggressive in styling due to their partly-utilitarian function, they offer the proverbial best of both worlds, which explains why they’ve been gaining popularity to such an impressive extent in recent years. If one multi-millionaire or billionaire is on the market right now, Grant Maughan has an enticing proposition in this sense.
It’s called Project EvO and it’s a solid example of what makes superyacht explorers such a coveted rich man’s toy: with a total length of 262 feet (80 meters) and a beam of 55 feet (17 meters), it is designed as the perfect “go-anywhere machine,” as Maughan says. As for why we should care about what Maughan has to say, it’s because of his impressive experience as a longtime seafarer, freelance yacht captain (including on similar vessels), and part-time yacht designer.
Project EvO is his most recent project, based on the idea that, if money is not an issue, you can have a boat that has absolutely every feature you could possible want. This includes a helicopter landing pad, hangar and fueling station, two pools with sizable lounge areas, various outdoor relaxation and entertainment areas, and exploring gear wherever you look. That last part is not literal, but the vessel is rendered with generous side garages that are packed to the brim with tenders and water toys.
If the two pools – one outdoor, the other one indoor– somehow failed to impress you, there’s also an open-air, completely private lounge right at the bow of the ship, a glass house on the main deck, and a crow’s nest on the main mast. How’s that for getting the best seat in the (floating) house, from which to take in the spectacular views?
Project EvO exists only in CGI form for the time being, but as with other studies of this kind, it could become real if the right person came along, with the willingness and ability to spend many millions of dollars on such a vessel. Maughan imagines it with diesel-electric propulsion and a “large [interior] volume” that would appeal to those not willing to ditch the lavish lifestyle they’re used to, even when they’re exploring the most remote parts of the world.
Superyacht explorers are superyachts in essence, wearing explorer clothes. More aggressive in styling due to their partly-utilitarian function, they offer the proverbial best of both worlds, which explains why they’ve been gaining popularity to such an impressive extent in recent years. If one multi-millionaire or billionaire is on the market right now, Grant Maughan has an enticing proposition in this sense.
It’s called Project EvO and it’s a solid example of what makes superyacht explorers such a coveted rich man’s toy: with a total length of 262 feet (80 meters) and a beam of 55 feet (17 meters), it is designed as the perfect “go-anywhere machine,” as Maughan says. As for why we should care about what Maughan has to say, it’s because of his impressive experience as a longtime seafarer, freelance yacht captain (including on similar vessels), and part-time yacht designer.
Project EvO is his most recent project, based on the idea that, if money is not an issue, you can have a boat that has absolutely every feature you could possible want. This includes a helicopter landing pad, hangar and fueling station, two pools with sizable lounge areas, various outdoor relaxation and entertainment areas, and exploring gear wherever you look. That last part is not literal, but the vessel is rendered with generous side garages that are packed to the brim with tenders and water toys.
If the two pools – one outdoor, the other one indoor– somehow failed to impress you, there’s also an open-air, completely private lounge right at the bow of the ship, a glass house on the main deck, and a crow’s nest on the main mast. How’s that for getting the best seat in the (floating) house, from which to take in the spectacular views?
Project EvO exists only in CGI form for the time being, but as with other studies of this kind, it could become real if the right person came along, with the willingness and ability to spend many millions of dollars on such a vessel. Maughan imagines it with diesel-electric propulsion and a “large [interior] volume” that would appeal to those not willing to ditch the lavish lifestyle they’re used to, even when they’re exploring the most remote parts of the world.
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