|
|
|
Marlow Explorer 72
by Capt. Tom Serio
A Practical Cruiser with Down-Home Beauty
Print This Article
|
Email This Article
When you look at a Marlow Yacht, and in this case the Marlow Explorer 72, you get the distinct sense that not only has David Marlow built a beautiful, practical yacht but he’s done his homework. The eye-catching simulated lapstrake hull (reminiscent of days gone by) and the down-home styling of this yacht aren’t often seen today. But under all the beauty is solid design and engineering.
The Marlow Explorer 72 is a full-function yacht that can easily be operated by a cruising couple (as demonstrated by David and his wife, Barbara, as they picked me up and we headed out for our sea trial) or with minimal crew.
Access from stem to stern is gained by generous sidedecks. A Portuguese bridge protects the pilothouse and accesses the forward seats and anchor gear. The covered aft deck leads to the swim platform and engine room.
More space is gained in the living quarters thanks to a “compact” engine room. With Caterpillar C18 engines able to propel the Marlow 72 to more than 20 knots when needed, larger blocks are not necessary thanks to the hull features and built-in weight savings. A machinery space under the stateroom area sole houses the water heaters, central vacuum, water pumps and filters, piping, cable/electrical runs, and more, keeping these components out of the changing engine room environment and saving space.
In the engine room, centerline fuel and oil filters, sea chest, fuel tank sight tubes, fuel management valves and other regular maintenance items are within easy reach. Access around the engines is accommodated by built-in steps over the stuffing boxes and front of the engine that can be removed for access below. Marlow’s practical side shows with the twin Cummins Onan generator cases, where a portion of the cover panel is cut out and replaced with a clear Lexan window to see the water pump, oil filter, solenoid and more. Nice idea to alleviate the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality.
Main deck access is gained from side boarding gates. Salon access is via twin aft doors. A center coffee table with four drawers on either side is flanked by the outward, slightly curved leather couches. A granite-topped credenza with decorative edging and side cabinets holds the entertainment center and additional storage.
From the ceiling, leather-wrapped grabrails run fore and aft outside the teak-trimmed tray inlay. Matching teak-veneered end tables at the couch hold lamps for a more intimate setting and lighting scheme. The fine craftsmanship all around - especially in the wool-blend carpeting from the Philippines, on the sea latches on cabinets and doors, the Schwepper Germany hardware used on doors and drawers, the custom crystal cabinet, wine cooler and bottle storage, and the wood accents and teak veneers — rivals larger yachts. Marlow mentioned that each yacht’s woodwork can be harvested from a single tree from either Cambodia or Laos. (I saw a photo, and they are huge trees.) This way, grains match better, and through preferential milling techniques, Marlow minimizes the waste of natural resources.
The U-shaped galley is another focal point, as it offers enormous amounts of counter and storage areas and should make any chef drool, even a little. The full counter and backsplash areas are finished in granite with a honeycomb inset underneath to add rigidity while saving weight. The forward backsplash contains a “cutlery locker,” deep and narrow drop-in compartments for silverware and serving utensils.
Galley appliances include Sub-Zero four-drawer refrigerators and two-drawer freezers, a Gaggenau stove top and oven, a Fisher & Paykel dishwasher and dual sinks with a macerator. Six pull-out drawers and several cabinets underneath complement the five overhead cabinets plus additional storage.
Forward of the galley and situated on a raised deck in front of the windshields is the dinette. A U-shaped leather settee that can easily seat six to eight persons surrounds a square teak table. Panoramic views from here add to the boating/dining experience.
To starboard is a small helm station, mainly used for close-quarters maneuvering and getting nearer to the dock lines. It also contains a cabled handheld controller to move around to either side.
Access to all staterooms is down a curved stairway next to the dinette. In the foyer is a stylish bureau that can contain towels for guests, and in the floor there is an access hatch to the aforementioned machinery space.
Aft and down two steps is the full-beam master with a queen berth, six portholes, a hidden 20-inch LCD TV, hinged cabinet doors and a starboard sitting area. To port is a vanity with drawers and bookshelves, a walk-in cedar closet and shoe storage. The head has a simple but elegant design, with twin sinks in granite, a Tecma toilet and bidet, and a shower stall with tray floor for drainage.
The VIP is in the forepeak, complete with a queen-size island berth, two overhead hatches, cedar lockers, drawers, 20-inch LCD TV, and en suite head with a tiled shower stall.
Twin berths adorn the mid-port room with a 15-inch TV, head and shower. Across the way is another stateroom with upper-lower bunks, but no head.
Enter the pilothouse either from a stairway near the galley (inside and protected) or from the aft deck staircase and through the aft pilothouse doors. Large windows wrap all around for great visibility forward and aft. Two Crown seats adorn the L-shaped helm station, with a dashboard large enough for three Raymarine displays and a whole array of Raymarine electronics. An overhead console keeps several ship systems’ switches and breakers, AC/DC metering and alarms in easy sight.
Behind the pilothouse is an aft deck with a generous diamond-pattern nonskid surface (which is found on all non-teak walkways), slightly peaked in the center to allow for water runoff to the side drain channels. An L-shaped settee is to starboard against the pilothouse with a high-low teak table and to port is an Isotherm refrigerator with ice and sink.
Marlow has designed safety into his yachts with waist-high gunnels, formfitting handrails inside and out, and uncluttered sidedecks. Water and dockside power connections can come from the stern or bow, eliminating those long runs of hoses and yellow cords.
Regarding the practical engineering, Marlow has designed ways to allow the interior style to flow throughout, and to keep extraneous weights low to center. Marlow says he builds his yachts “not like a house, but like an airplane.” The outer parts of the yacht — much like an airplane fuselage — are really the skeleton, eliminating the need for weight-bearing walls and bulkheads while giving more freedom to the interior design.
One concept in weight management addresses the anchor chain. With dual anchors and 250 feet of chain, having that weight up on the bow would have an effect on the attitude and stability, not to mention a confined storage area. Marlow designed chain chutes, where the chain is stored belowdecks in dedicated boxes, runs up the chutes out the hawspipe and around the windlass.
Stability is key for yachts, and Marlow doesn’t miss a thing. Our test boat is fitted with two Seakeeper 7000 Gyro Stabilizer units (necessary, as this yacht will be cruising off the English coast).
Underwater is no exception when it comes to design and engineering. The bow thruster port has a teardrop recess running aft of the opening to help minimize drag. Around the stabilizer shaft is an appendage that deflects the water away from the shaft (a point of resistance) and onto the fin.
Marlow also encases the prop shafts in skegs or Velocijet Strut Keels to eliminate the Magnus Effect (basically the effect of a spinning cylinder through a fluid that creates forces perpendicular to the line of motion). The keels help protect the shafts and props from items in the water and hitting ground as well as shaping the water over the keels and into the props. Marlow says the keels are an integral part of the hull construction, and the yacht can sit on the keels with no problem.
Looking for decent fuel consumption in light of high prices? The Explorer 72 drinks only 4.9 gph when running at 9 knots. Marlow likes to commission each new yacht from his Snead Island facility in Florida, to allow new owners to learn their yachts, practice in local waters and enjoy the surroundings for a few days. Since they are turnkey yachts on delivery, Marlow says he builds them right the first time, as it decreases warranty work and makes for happy owners.
To view a video interview and boat tour with company Chairman David Marlow, visit www.seamag.com/marlow.
|
This article first appeared in the February 2010 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
|
|
|
|
