Specifications
| Length Overall |
88' - 9" 27.04 m |
|---|---|
| Beam |
20' 7" 6.29 m |
| Dry Weight |
221,365 lbs. 100,500 kg |
| Draft |
3' 9" – 4' 2" 1.15 – 1.25 m |
| Fuel Capacity |
2,186 gallons 8,274 L |
| Water Capacity |
660 gallons 2,498 L |
Engine Options
| Std. Power |
Twin MAN® V12 1650HP |
|---|
Captain's Report
Ocean Alexander 27E: Debuting at FLIBS
By Capt. Steve Larivee
Ocean Alexander has launched a new line of cruising yacht that has the capabilities to bring mega-yacht capabilities to a new set of yacht buyers. As the boomer generation ages out of the industry, millennials are coming aboard with a new set of standards and desires. Ocean Alexander has met the demands with its new Explorer Series, and your chance to see it in person is coming up at the end of the month in Ft. Lauderdale.
Overview
Ocean Alexander reached out to its longtime design collaborator Evan K. Marshall to draw up plans for its new line of cruising yachts, the Explorer Series. The first of the lineup not only has the cruising legs for distant horizons, she can carry a multitude of water toys along with her thanks to a newly designed aft platform. With a draft of only 4’2” (1.25 m), owners will be hard pressed to find destinations that she cannot access.
Features Highlights
Platform
The aft platform is one of the major highlights of this new yacht. Not only is this aft toy storage area vast, measuring in at nearly 224.96 sq. ft. (20.9 sq. m) with the mezzanine deck, but launch and retrieval can be done with a standard portside crane or by completely submerging the entire platform. Even with the water toys lined up, there’s still plenty of room to move about the deck. The simple fact that this yacht is designed to carry a number of watercraft is a testament that she’s meant to explore the vast reaches of the globe and not just casually pass by.
Exterior Gatherings
The cockpit is accessed by a dual set of curving stairs to both sides of the aft deck. It is here that in true OA style, a large aft-facing lounge welcomes guests to the first of many entertainment venues throughout this yacht and gives unprecedented views through the glass partition just aft. With her symmetrical layout, wide sidedecks progress forward to an expansive forward-facing bow lounge behind a large sunpad.
If not content to settle for just relaxing in the sun, the bridge deck offers yet another exterior gathering area, only this time it includes not only an enormous forward wraparound aft-lounge, but a wet bar and grill.
Bridge Deck Layout
Interior
If the exterior didn’t convey to anyone that this yacht has a fresh and modern look, the interior will remove all doubts. Thanks to a generous 20’7” (6.29 m) beam, the 27E takes a page from the OA Revolution Series’ success and creates an interior that is at once spacious and functional.
From the aft bridge deck, there’s a sky lounge just ahead that converts the entertainment to more climate-controlled luxury. Opposing seating consists of an L-shaped settee across from two free-standing chairs.
Down on the main deck, the massive salon is just abaft the formal dining room for eight, both located on a single level. Extremely large windows, perhaps better classified as glass walls, pour natural light into this main deck and the design stylings keep the luxury feel intact as we move about.
Further forward, the galley is hidden behind a door and includes a separate access to the skylounge via another staircase to the port side. An informal dining area is to port in the form of an L-shaped settee with the day head located just abaft.
Accommodations
Part of what keeps the interior spaces so large is the decision to put all four staterooms, including the master, on the lower deck. Interestingly, every cabin still maintains the roominess that OA is so well known for. While customizations abound, hull #1 features a forward VIP with a queen-sized berth mounted at an angle to the starboard bulkhead, a sitting area to port and an ensuite. Just abaft, twin cabins, each with its own ensuite, flank the companionway leading aft to the master stateroom.
The master suite is amidships and includes a king-sized berth and another sitting area. This stateroom also includes two ensuites so there’s no fighting for space when both owners are getting ready for an exciting day on the water.
Technical Spaces
As this is a new launch, we haven’t tested her performance capabilities yet, but the builder says she has a range of 2100 nautical miles thanks to a pair of 1650-hp MAN engines and an enormous fuel capacity of 2,186 gallons (8,274 L). That puts her just within reach of the Azores from Hamilton, Bermuda for a refueling stop, and then onward to Gibraltar for cruising the Med. Anticipating generous electrical demands of the next generation of customers, OA fitted the 27E with dual 32kW generators.
Built entirely of fiberglass, the 27E stays true to explorer yacht tradition with a shallow draft of just 4’2” (1.25 m) allowing not only access to many harbors that traditional deep draft aluminum or steel-hulled yachts would find inaccessible, but she can also cuddle up to some of the more exotic beaches around the globe.
Observations
Ocean Alexander never does anything piecemeal. This yacht has been in the gestation period for years before the first drop of hardener was mixed with resin. As such, many of the little details that haunt a new build have been worked out from the onset. With her design stylings and attitude towards exploration and long-range, this new yacht may very well set the standard for explorer yachts for the next generation.
