Top 5 reasons to buy an expedition yacht

A yacht as a house on the water or as a venue for entertainment is a relatively new phenomenon

The original purpose of having a boat was passion for the sea, for exploring the unknown and discovering a lot of exciting things – including oneself. Many are eager to feel like a real sea dog rather than just a passenger on board a comfortable boat. But what is most precious is that expedition yachts are capable of offering you both. 

Depending on the size, ordinary cruising yachts can offer a level of comfort varying from "acceptable" to incredibly high. However, they are not capable of going on a long voyage far from the civilization and yachting infrastructure: they have to replenish fuel, water and food supplies and need well-equipped marinas. And even if the yacht can boast a high level of autonomy, her technical characteristics do not always allow her to cope with extreme weather conditions. 

So, what can explorer yachts offer to those who have discovered the spirit of adventure? 

#1| Explorers are capable of travelling enourmous distances autonomously 

An explorer boat has a huge fuel capacity and consumes it efficiently. She is equipped with watermakers to replenish water supplies; large stowage spaces and fridges for food supplies, as well as lots of other systems that can make her “an island” in the ocean for days.  

But one shouldn’t think that an expedition yacht has got to be huge. Yes, it is true that one of the world’s most famous explorer yachts, the 126-metre Octopus, is capable of covering 12000 nautical miles (over 20000 kilometers) without refuelling. But, for instance, a far more modestly sized Bering B72, which is 22 meters long has a range of 4000 nautical miles. 

#2| Opportunity to see the most amazing spots of the planet 

Such an impressive range makes it possible to reach the locations that just can’t be accesses in any other way. Those, where there are no ports, no airports, but often strict environmental restrictions. Or the conditions that are so severe that an ordinary yacht should not even try taking chances. While the steel-hulled explorer boats are capable of travelling in the broken ice and withstanding huge waves. 

Alaska, Antarctica, the Galapagos Islands, atolls of the Pacific Ocean… There are a lot of places in the world, where tourism is almost impossible, but explorer yachts can give their owners amazing opportunities.

#3| Scientific expeditions and treasure hunts

You can feel like a real researcher on board an expedition yacht and bring real benefits to science, studying rare animals and birds, exploring the underwater world, searching for shipwrecks and lost treasure. Many of the explorer yachts were initially designed with a research function in mind, or can be refitted for the scientific expeditions later. What matters most is that such yachts have a huge potential not only in terms of autonomy, but also their ability to carry a lot of various equipment on board. 

#4| Great comfort and safety in the wilderness 

Purely scientific and research boats can rarely offer great comfort, let alone luxury, whereas explorer yachts are not so different from their cruising “sisters” in this respect.

There can be anything that a yacht can accommodate. And although explorer boats used to look brutal like trawlers, now they have become similar to cruising yachts even on the outside. There are quite a few elegant projects on the market today. And taking into account the fact that anything might happen on a long journey, large explorers now feature real medical centres and have relevant professionals on board, which is a highly unlikely option for a cruising yacht. 

#5| You can take any of your “toys” on board 

Explorer yachts are really capacious. They have a lot of deck space and garages for storing any equipment. Not only tenders, jet skis and other water toys, but ATVs and cars for land trips, mini submarines, diving and deep-sea fishing equipment, and, certainly helicopters, which are not just a means of transport and entertainment, but an important element of safety far away from civilization.