MARLOW VOYAGER YACHTS

Long distance or local cruising will never be the same. The Marlow Voyager 76LR was introduced at the Miami International Boat Show February 2010.

A New Star is on the Horizon – the Marlow Voyager 76LR and her soon to be announced sister ships in larger and smaller versions. Marlow Yachts is introducing a series of new yachts rendering today’s slow and heavy displacement cruisers obsolete in form, function, capability, internal volume and style. This new line with extreme range and capability will compliment the very successful Marlow Explorer lineup, though having slightly lower speed potential.

Today’s long distance voyager is limited to a snail’s pace if ocean crossing is in the cruising plan. Speeds must be kept very low unless circuitous routing to out of the way ports and multiple stops are included. In fact Full Displacement shapes are not the most economical or seaworthy shape available, despite the all knowing dock lore bought and sold. Factually, their contorted lines cause unnecessary wetted surface drag and uncomfortable rolling at anchor, dockside and underway. The new Marlow Voyager range will go where they cannot go in comfort, economy and safety they cannot achieve while exhibiting a style far beyond the high, boxy and cumbersome shapes that is the common design. It makes no sense whatsoever to build a tower of babble (pun intended) that feels as if it too may fall over should the oversized stabilizers fail, while carrying a draft penalty unacceptable for Florida, Caribbean and a lot of other cruising.

Current offshore passage makers rely on grossly oversized stabilizers, pig iron ballast and excessive draft to counter their very high centers of gravity, rendering many of the world’s most exotic port, coves and harbors out of the question, while limiting intercoastal travel to the best maintained sections. At the same time, the extra 3-4 feet of overall height prohibits or restricts many cruises and causes unnecessary delays requiring bridges to be opened. Placing heavy dry exhaust stack systems high in the air not only subjects the occupants to diesel smell and soot but adds an enormous lever arm with its unacceptable weight dramatically reducing natural stability. After sitting a while it is normal for them to belch a load of exhaust soot and rust at first ignition, not a great start.

Their inter island or local cruising times are excessive due to very limited speed potential.  Daylight hours limit passages to a practical distance of 50-70 miles, for an 8-10 hour run, turning modest weekend trips into round the clock watches.

The Marlow Voyager has the ability to cross any ocean nonstop at speeds 30% greater than today’s round bottom, slow, cramped interior volume vessels and offers “Unrestricted Navigation” certificates provided by classification inspections under construction and complete construction-design review by the top governing classification today.  Offering the most prestigious of Inspected Classification, “Unrestricted Navigation” is but one facet of this exciting new breakthrough design. This classification is rare and virtually none of the current crop of offshore cruisers has achieved that status.

Thoroughly proven nonstop ability from West Palm Beach to Gibraltar or San Diego to the Line Islands, the Marlow Voyager will carry their crew in silence, comfort, luxury and speeds not attainable by any other power yacht on earth today under 120’.

Usable onboard volume is as much as 30% greater than today’s compromised offerings yet overall height is typically 15-25% lower than offshore cruisers available today resulting in form stability that is unequaled. This radically improved form stability allows modest stabilization equipment to perform in a far superior manner to overtaxed systems required to dampen heavy rolling so prevalent in today’s typical rounded bottom, slow displacement cruiser. At anchor, comfort is assured by the same enhanced form stability. For those rough Caribbean anchorages a proprietary and redundant passive stabilization system takes over and provides over 50% greater stability and resistance to rolling, without need for electrical or diesel power. The use of solar panels takes advantage of the suns power and reduces the overall generator use.

Boasting nearly seven feet of headroom in her voluminous machinery spaces with an overall height of just over 18’6” to the top of the Command Bridge and a draft of just 5’ the new Voyager from Marlow is able to cruise inland through the Great Loop or non-stop from San Diego to Tahiti.

At the landfall of their choice, these rugged little ships will exhibit ability to routinely do daylight hours passages of more than double the best of today’s passage makers, while providing a ride comfort unattainable elsewhere.

Mechanical details are equal to or greater than typical military vessels but are contained within perhaps the world’s most beautiful and functional exterior. Big ship features such as welded Cupronickel and 316L solid piping in lieu of hoses and clamps, Sea Chests and lack of underwater fittings provide ease of management rarely seen on yachts less than 150’ length.

The gleaming white machinery spaces offer perfect access to all components without gymnastics, while her safety and monitoring systems are the most effective in the industry.

We believe this new series to be the highest technology yacht available today in construction, materials and workmanship.

Over the coming months we will further illuminate the technological advances of the new Voyager Series that will render all today's offshore cruisers obsolete, in range, speed, comfort, safety and style.

The MARLOW VOYAGER CHALLENGE

In the earlier days of yachting, the captains and leaders of the marine industry routinely offered friendly and entertaining challenge to their competitors to engage in public competition, demonstrating their capability to do what their promotional materials proclaimed. It was not unusual for sporting men like Gar Wood, the Dodge Brothers, Richard Bertram, Chris Craft and many others to place their products on public display, proving or disproving the stated superiority of design and capability.  In America’s early yachting years these sporting invitations carried excitement, prestige and even to the losers, a good measure of respect.

In the sailing world, gentlemen like Sir Thomas Lipton, often called the world’s best loser, challenged for the sailing world’s most coveted award. Sir Thomas, of Lipton Tea fame, lost four times, doing his best to wrest the Auld Mug from American grip. Despite that, he is highly respected as a businessman and competitor.

Automobile companies still compete on the race tracks of the world in the adoring public eye, improving the products they sell everyday by lessons learned on the track. But in the world of power yachting, little or no such competition lives, despite wild claims of which the “proof” appears to be a Walter Mitty attitude and good marketing firms, endowed with a bit of license to exaggerate.

Though most companies in the offshore cruiser field advertise great capability to do long distance voyaging, factually few of them can in our opinion, unless they restrict their speed to a mind numbing, turtle like pace of around 6 knots or so - little better than controlled drifting.

At the boat shows we routinely hear the claims of range at ten knots to cross the Atlantic for example on vessels of 60-75’ length. To be candid, we know better, as there is not another cruiser in this size sector, (other than Marlow) that can cross the Atlantic at ten knots. In fact very few can cross it at 6 knots and virtually none at 7.

We hear the nonsense of a GB Aleutian able to leap tall buildings (cruise at ten knots and burn one gallon per mile) and similar “factual data” according to the slick broker from any number of builders. We disagree that it can do anything remotely similar or that it is built to a standard robust enough to attempt such a voyage.

That list would have to include the Nordhaven fleet, as example the new 75 advertised to have a range of over 3000 miles with standard fuel supply at ten knots. Also advertised to have an easy cruising speed of 12 knots in one magazine and 13.5 stated in another.  We respectfully disagree again. We believe that the underwater shape of the 75 (and other sizes) will cause it to run out of fuel in under 700 miles at 12 knots, despite having 4800 gallons aboard, (capacity according to Passagemaker ad April 2009) rendering a simple crossing to Bermuda from the closest point of land out of reach. In that same ad, it was proclaimed to have a cruising range of four thousand miles at modest cruising speed. Advertised as having a top speed of 14.3 knots with Series 60 engines from Detroit Diesel, when subjected to critical review by Power and MotorYacht Magazine two months later, the reality fell far short of the advertising, attaining a maximum speed, lightly loaded in calm seas of just 12 knots and consuming eighty two gallons per hour for a maximum range of just 566 miles as tested.

We absolutely accept that the Nordhavn are robust and seaworthy and understanding that perhaps the vastly different numbers posted under controlled testing were partially due to the early stages of development, we offer Nordhavn a chance to prove the advertising statements of a “3,000 nautical mile range at 10 knots, as advertised in Motor Boating July 2009 and the even higher hurdle of a cruising speed of 13.5 knots and range of 3000 miles at cruising speed published in Yachts International, November 2009.

We don’t think it or any other Nordhavn models will achieve 13.5 knots with any power choice under 2000 horsepower, as it would defy physics to do so. With that horsepower to feed the range would be less than 400 nautical miles.  At 12 knots we think it will run out of fuel well before it can reach Bermuda from Fort Lauderdale, less than one quarter the distance claimed. At about 7 knots it will possibly make Azores from Fort Lauderdale, if it can enjoy a favorable current from the Gulf Stream, is kept moderately loaded and does not encounter bad weather en route.

Power and Motoryacht Magazine tests, using a radar gun GPS and fuel measurement device on MTU Series 60 14 liter diesels rated at 825 hp each, revealed a wide open throttle speed of just 12 knots in calm seas and with very light load. Just over 10 knots speed revealed a fuel burn rate of 32 gallons per hour for a maximum range under very favorable conditions of only 1246 miles. At that speed it would run out of fuel far less than half way to Honolulu from San Diego and about 35% of the distance from Fort Lauderdale to Gibraltar and five hundred miles shy of Azores. Even at a turtle like pace of just over 7 knots, the 75 will run out of fuel 1,000 miles short of Gibraltar according to the controlled tests performed by the prestigious journal, Power and Motoryacht in the June 2009 issue.

Turning to the other possible entrants, Fleming, Ocean Alexander, Outer Reef, Offshore, Grand Banks, Selene, and similar, we offer you the same challenge to join us on a nonstop ocean crossing and are willing to wager that we will arrive days earlier than anyone else. We further believe that most in the above group cannot go at all unless they fill the deck spaces with auxiliary bladder tanks, which are prohibited and the standard of build is greatly enhanced for severe ocean duty.

Only stock yachts are allowed for the challenge. With no additional reinforcements, special preparation or fuel capacity over the published standard.

We believe that we can cross either big pond with the New Marlow Voyager at up to 30-40% faster speed than any of the above cruisers, and when we arrive have the dual flexibility to make daylight hours passages of approximately 200 miles, well over double that of the fastest displacement cruiser. We believe that a scientific analysis conducted with a manometer will reveal that the Marlow Voyager 76 has significantly higher initial and final form stability than any of the above vessels in stock form.

We propose that each entrant post a cash deposit of $50,000 to be held in independent escrow and given to the winner of the event. The winner is then required to host a celebration party for those who make it and then devote 50% of the remaining amount to environmental causes that help protect our marine environment, with the remaining 50% used in a charitable fashion to introduce young men and women to our recreational sport. As example, if Marlow Yachts confidence is justified and proven at sea, we will provide a mobile fleet of Marlow Sprite and Marlow Gypsy dinghies to yacht clubs and other organizations with qualified personnel to teach young men and women how to safely operate a boat in a responsible manner, learning to maneuver, navigate and other requirements for safe boating. They are the future of our business.

Frankly, we can see no losers here, as each independent company can establish the offshore safety credentials of their vessels in the real world, increasing the technology and quality of their offerings to the public.

We can at the same time share in an adventure usually reserved for offshore racing sailors proving our products mettle or the lack of it where the rubber meets the road, or perhaps better put, where the technology meets the sea.

The command bridge has a two seat helm station with an easily accessible array of electronic navigation equipment and controls. A large, comfortable lounge and table easily accommodate friends and family with a refrigerator/icemaker, sink and storage cabinets for snacks underway. The day head, while convenient, is not obvious in its location. The upper deck is equipped with dual davits for lifting the two dinghys and can double as stabilizing mechanisms requiring no power.

The lower deck features four staterooms, one with twin beds, one with upper and lower berths sharing a head, the VIP with a king bed and private head and a large second king master with private head. A galley area in the companionway allows guests to prepare coffee or a snack without going to the main deck. There is a large comfortable crew quarters with microwave, refrigerator/icemaker, table and lounge and full head. Aft of this is the "toy" storage area accessed by a large hydraulic door.

The main deck features a spacious saloon with curved glass front cabinets containing the audio equipment and wet bar; a hidden flat panel TV that can be raised for excellent viewing from any seat; a well appointed u-shaped galley with top of the line appliances; a spectacular master stateroom foreward up three steps with a view of the stars at night and a vista of the sea by day; master head is of natural stone using onyx and granite for a stunning effect.