Explorer yachts, by nature, have always tended to look like ships. That’s not in any way a criticism, as the whole point of the explorer is to head to the horizon with as much kit as possible. Look at Kleven’s Ulysses; she has enough room to house (among plenty of other toys) a Bell 429 helicopter, two 14-metre RIBS and U21, a 21-metre foiling catamaran. That’s an impossible amount of toys for a superyacht to carry without a shadow vessel, but what if you want an explorer that has the looks of mini superyacht more than that of a big fishing trawler? Well, that’s where Numarine’s 32XP comes in.
Turkey’s Numarine does not do boring. Any shipyard that offers a bright orange hull from the factory can only be seen as adventurous, and the hull and superstructure of hull number one of the 32XP series, named Marla, certainly lives up to the open-minded vision of Chairman, Omer Malaz. The 32’s lines are bold, strong and angular, with a beautiful bow swage line that sweeps down towards the waterline leading the eye back towards the stern and in turn creating what can only be described as a sporty look: remember, this is a long-range explorer.
Possibly the most eye catching design aspect is the execution of the hull glazing. Instead of the usual portholes and vertical glass, on the 32 we find asymmetric shapes cut through with a strip of silver.
You don’t need a second glance to see that this is a Numarine; designer Cal Yalman – who’s responsible for the shipyard’s designs – has done a sterling job in creating a distinctive, rugged and powerful look.
Yalman also penned the interior, which like all Numarines is totally customisable. For Marla, the Owner worked with the design team on the choice of design, fabrics and materials, as well as the physical layout. Here in the main salon you can spot a number of well-known names spread over the 48 square metre living space. Missoni Home, B&B Italia and Tom Dixon are all represented adding a subtle and cool ambience, which in some ways contrast with the exuberant interior. Wooden slating above the dining table changes the pace of the interior design while also visually separating the area from the lounge.
Forward is the lobby with the staircase to port and starboard and where you would often find a day head, there is a gym. It’s a great use of space, and one that totally suits the ethos of the explorer.
Forward is not the Owner’s suite as you would expect. Instead we have a spacious VIP cabin. This full-beam suite covers 30 square metres and is equipped with an en suite, a shower and a bathtub.
There’s a respectable 85 square metres of living space down here.
Principal Dimensions | |
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Length Overall | 32.64 m |
Waterline length at full load | 31 m |
Beam | 8.00 m |
Depth D abt | 3.9 m |
Displacement light ship | 240 tonnes |
Displacement full load | 255 tonnes |
Displacement half load | 240 tonnes |
Fuel Capacity | 29,000 L inc. Day Tanks |
Fresh water capacity | 3,000 L |
Black water capacity | 2,000 L |
Grey water capacity | 2,000 L |
Slude/Dirty Oil Tankage | 500 L |
Draft | 2.12 m |
International Gross Tonnage | under 300 GT |
Hull Material | Steel |
Engines and Performance | |
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Engines | CAT C18 ACERT C 715bhp @2100rpm |
Max speed | 14 knots |
Cruising speed | 12 knots |
Economic Speed | 8.4 knots |
Generators | 2 X 60Kw, 1 x 22Kw |
Max range @ cruising | 4000 nm |
Down below, the crew (of which there are five) occupy the forepeak, which, thanks to the 32’s rounded hull is actually quite spacious. The Numarine’s guests have a choice of two VIP cabins amidships and a pair of double cabins forward. All come with en suites and overall, there’s a respectable 85 square metres of living space down here.
Now here’s an area that is very much explorer. A quick hop up the stairs brings you into the upper deck foyer. Forward is the wheelhouse and aft is the entrance to the Owner’s suite. Here, the full beam amidships location makes the most of the glazing, which flows in through the port, starboard and aft windows. To take advantage of the lighter theme, white is used liberally to create a noticeably natural space.
Aft is the deck area. Here you would expect to find a second dining table and chairs, but this is an explorer, so instead you’ll find Marla’s 9-metre RIB and two PWCs.
It’s a genuinely open area and should the sun’s rays get too much, a pair of biminis can be erected to keep the UV at bay.
Up top, the flybridge offers guests 60 square metres of entertainment space. Set under the radar arch is the 12-person dining table, with the sunpads aft and the second helm forward. It’s a genuinely open area and should the sun’s rays get too much, a pair of biminis can be erected to keep the UV at bay.
There is a unique bonus for the majority of the XPs toys being housed on the upper deck and that’s the amount of space given to the beach club. Here, where you would expect to find the garage, there is instead plenty of room for guests to dive, swim, or relax on the L-shaped sofa that is set deeply into the transom.
Two CAT C18 ACERT C engines (rated at 715hp each) propel the XP up to a top speed of 14 knots, with cruise speed only two knots slower. However, it’s the nine knot economic speed that can see the Numarine travel up to 4000 nautical miles. This is proper explorer territory and that’s not all. One of our biggest frustrations with the industry is NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness), which Numarine has aced thanks to its collaboration with the Silent Line Group, run by Sjaak van Cappellen. To help the guests sleep during navigation, the cabins are ‘disconnected’ from the superstructure, something found on much larger superyachts. It’s this type of innovation and attention to detail that makes the 32 XP such an intriguing explorer.