Heesen Teams Up With Winch Design On Explorer Superyacht Concept

I may be a bit biased but, I believe there is nothing—not a house, or a plane, or even a private island—that’s more exclusive than a superyacht. Of course, there are many obvious reasons I make this claim. And I know I’m not going out on a limb by stating the obvious.

However, what you may not know is: Tiers of exclusivity exist, even within the hyper-exclusive club of superyacht owners, that are delineated not simply by how big or how opulent the yachts are (although bigger comes with inherent bragging rights!), but by simply where the yachts are capable of going safely. And what once-in-a-lifetime experiences owners can enjoy when they visit the most remote places on earth—in the lap of superyacht luxury, of course.

Of course, the idea that the ultimate luxury comes to those who go where no one else can go is not new. The late Paul Allen’s 414-foot long Octopus and other, recently designed, purpose-built explorer yachts have paved the way for a whole host of new yacht designs to bring billionaires to the ends of the earth.

In fact, there are more than a few new explorer yachts that are nearing completion as I write these words. But none are quite like the new explorer yacht concept the Dutch superyacht shipbuilders at Heesen and the English designers at Winch Design announced at the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

Aptly called Xventure, this new range of Heesen yachts are designed to operate in harsh conditions while also trying to limit their environmental impact. Xventure’s optional hybrid propulsion system delivers reduced fuel consumption and exceptionally low noise and vibration levels. She also conforms to the latest Tier III exhaust and pollution emission regulations to reduce her footprint.

At 187-feet-long, Xventure offers an unusually high interior volume, copious floor-to-ceiling windows, and a full-beam owners suite. Xventure is also designed with a glass-ceiling on the observation deck and a swimming pool forward.

And since explorer yachts must be able to carry special equipment (in addition to special guests!), one of Xventure’s key design features is the numerous vehicles, tenders and aircraft (helicopter, large tender, jet skis and/or submarine, etc.) the this relatively small superyacht yacht can carry. It has an extra tall tender garage that can accommodate a 37-foot-long Intrepid 375 Sports fishing boat as well as a 26-foot-long Beachlander RIB.

These are unusually large tenders designed to allow guests to move to and from shore in great comfort and variable weather conditions. They are also ideal for carrying extensive gear required for local expeditions. And there’s room to store plenty of personal watercraft, scuba diving and fishing equipment, and another 14-foot-long crew tender too.

And then again, is an expedition yacht really and expedition yacht if it can’t launch heli-ops? Xventure is designed with a helideck that can accommodate an Airbus H135 helicopter so an owner can visit remote areas for heli-skiing or heli-fishing almost as easy as it is to fly from the airport in Nice to a yacht in Monaco.

Almost.

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