How to Choose a Durable Yacht for Travel

Those planning to sail to inhospitable places usually have a clear idea of what is required from the yacht that will take them there. In the case of Jean-François Delvoye, head designer of the Boreal series, the vision of the ideal boat was one that was highly robust, durable and versatile.

Jean-François says: "I wanted to build a strong but easy-to-handle boat, with good volume and comfort at sea and at anchor. The yacht had to be easy to use and maintain. On such a boat you would feel at ease both in a quiet harbor and in the Polynesian lagoons."

Yacht Boréal 70

Like most long-distance yachts, the Boreal is a product designed to meet the needs of those who prefer to look beyond what can be offered at a much lower price. However, all these adjectives come down to one thing: the yacht must be durable.

This article is adapted from Will Bruton's article on Yachting World entitled "Buying a 'Bulletproof' Yacht".

Choosing a yacht is not always obvious

Not all strong and durable boats are made of metal. Whatever hull material the shipyard chooses, the stronger the yacht is planned to be, the more material will be used in the construction. Naturally, metal is stronger than fiberglass, but with proper care, fiberglass can last for decades.

Ben Sutcliffe-Davies is a yacht surveyor with over 20 years' experience and a first-class boat builder. He was looking for durability and strength when buying his own yacht, as well as a boat that would be easy to maintain. You would think that as a yacht surveyor and engineer, the benefits of metal would be obvious.

Ketch Alpa Nautica 42

Ben shares: “When it came to my own boat, I was looking for something that had a lot of interesting design features that are hard to find in a modern yacht, and that had good performance. My choice fell on the Alpa Nautica 42 from Sparkman & Stephens. It is a ketch built from very thick solid laminate.”

"Internally, the frames are physically connected to the hull. The boat is over 43 years old and is still structurally sound. Although it is probably not a fashionable boat, it has good sailing characteristics and I think it is one of the strongest and most durable yachts I have ever seen," he says.

Some of the old design techniques are still used today by various shipyards to achieve optimum hull strength. These include one-piece hulls with keels, where the keel is an integral part of the hull rather than bolted on; increased hull weight; and reduction of interior volumes in favor of seaworthiness and speed. 

This approach is in stark contrast to modern cruising yachts, which are aimed at maximum comfort for the yachtsman and crew. When it comes to very durable yachts, we usually don’t mean the most comfortable and presentable boats.

Building a Durable Yacht and Catamaran

Unable to find a boat he liked, Dick Beaumont decided to build his own perfect yacht, which led to the creation of an entire brand. Dick says, “I flew to the Düsseldorf Boat Show to find the right boat. However, in the process I realized that there was nothing on the market that I could take on a long-distance cruise in.”

“While researching, I remembered the people from Taiwan who were building yachts like the Tayana 58, which I owned at the time. Then Kevin Dibley, a New Zealand yacht builder and architect, joined my project. That’s how the Kraken Yachts brand was born.”

Yacht Kraken 50

According to Dick, Kraken's client base has proven to be quite specific: "As it turns out, more than half of our clients are engineers, including yacht engineers. Perhaps this is not surprising, because when they come to us, we start discussing yachts with design and drawings, focusing on details that ordinary cruisers are not so interested in. Everything that is hidden under the outer skin, the location of the frames, the keel - all this becomes the subject of our discussions."

The Kraken Yachts shipyard decided to follow the path of not the most popular technological solutions. One of the striking features of the shipyard's yachts is the completely sealed keels without bolts and other fasteners, which are a full-fledged part of the hull.

Multihulls and other multihulls

Brian Trautman spent 15 years cruising on what had long been considered the poster child for rugged cruising, the Amel Super Maramu, a 16m ketch. However, growing his family and a desire to take longer cruises led Brian to build his own rugged catamaran.

Ketch Amel Super Maramu

Lately, more and more “expedition” catamarans have appeared, which are very similar to their monohull brothers. The similarities lie in the approach to hull construction and materials. Brian’s catamaran, Devos 2.0, is no exception. Among the similarities between Devos 2.0 and expedition monohulls, it is worth highlighting:

• reinforced steering wheels;
• watertight bulkheads;
• mini-keels.

Devos 2.0’s naval architecture was the work of naval architect David de Villiers. David describes his creation as follows: “Devos 2.0’s origins lie in an aluminium catamaran with an unusual multihull ketch rig that I designed in 2009. It’s not a racing catamaran, but it meets all Lloyd’s Register sailing yacht standards, so it’s a robust multihull that will take a lot of abuse.” 

Special emphasis in the design of Devos 2.0 was placed on autonomy - the main feature of any boat and catamaran for long-distance travel. On board the cat are large solar panels, hybrid electric motors, impressive batteries.

What to look for when choosing a yacht for travel?

Above we learned the stories of three yachtsmen who, in one way or another, realized their needs for a boat for long trips and cruises. What is worth taking away from them:

• Sometimes the perfect boat does not exist - and you will have to turn to architects for help, pay for the entire construction process yourself. This is neither a plus nor a minus, just one of the possible options that requires a lot of time and resources.
• Long-distance travel and cruises are not the same thing. What is a rational choice for one may seem uncomfortable to another. Cruisers focus on comfort, and expedition yachts on reliability and autonomy. It is important to answer yourself honestly: are you ready for a change in lifestyle or are charter flights enough for you?
• A proven model or an attempt to create an ideal - it is often safer (and cheaper) to choose a yacht model that has been proven by generations of yachtsmen than to build something from scratch. This will save not only money, but also nerves.
• A strong yacht ≠ comfortable - the IMOCA 60 series of boats are quite strong and durable, but it is difficult to call them an ideal solution for cruising. Find your balance between reliability and convenience, because the yacht should suit your goals and lifestyle.

New video on Interparus channel

The Dusseldorf Boat Show is one of the main events in the world of yachting. In the new video we will show and tell you about the most interesting equipment that we saw at the exhibition😎

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15.02.2025