Frequently Asked Questions

Please see the Frequently Asked Questions below. Contact Us for more info.

Q: What is Buy  Explorer Yachts  .com?
A: Buy Explorer Yachts .com is dedicated to the sale of existing vessels, design and construction of semi custom and custom, full displacement Trawlers, Explorer mega yachts and Expedition type vessels 80' and above. This site is also dedicated to the education of buyers and professionals in the yachting industry about the myriad of options in price, features, and quality available to them and a resource to assist in understanding the rules, regulations and societies such as MCA and ABS that have become critical in design, operation and future resale value of these vessels.

Q: Who are you and what is your background?
A: I am a mega yacht broker in Fort Lauderdale Florida with 17 years of experience in sales, new construction and 18 years as a captain. Please see My Bio for additional information.

Q: What are Shadow Yachts and how are they different from explorer yachts?
A:Shadow Yachts is a term coined to describe what in Naval military terms would be named a "Support Vessel". Instead of carrying ammunition and other military hardware they carry large tenders, motorcycles, cars, jet skies, submarines and other toys that the primary vessel does not want aboard or does not have space for. Some of the elements they may have in common with their naval cousins are that they may carry extra fuel (bunkering vessel), extra food supplies, work shops, parts and any other number of support items. Any of these can be included in the inventory or design criteria of Shadow Yachts.

Q: Are you restricted in what yards, designers or vessels you can work with?
A: NO, though there are particular yards and designers shown on this site we are not restricted in any way. The object is to find the right combination for each client, from high-end Dutch yards to commercial yards that have the facilities to produce a quality vessel with either a mega yacht level interior finish or a home-style interior.

Over the last 17 years, I have taken the time to visit and inspect shipyards all over the world, recently returning form inspecting yards in Europe, China, Brazil and New Zealand. I also spent time searching out lesser know yacht yards and commercial yards that have built mega yachts or are capable of making the transition. I inspected half a dozen yards in the US Gulf of Mexico area from Texas to the Florida border and found several that have the capabilities and motivation to be involved in building Explorer yachts. "One of the key elements I look for in a yard is a high degree of personal pride in the product that the yard puts out, whether work boats or yachts and their willingness to work with a team of professionals to improve their product and create a vessel of high standard at reasonable value." This has proved to be very successful with the South American yards I have worked with.

Q: I always hear "You get what you pay for". I want a safe, reliable yacht but I do not want to dedicate a FORTUNE to it. Is this possible?
A: There is a certain amount of truth to that quote. You will pay a lot more for the final top 10% in quality and you stand a high chance of getting every pennies worth. However with knowledgeable assistance you can pay less and get more. If you do not want or need that final 10% it is possible to get "more then what you paid for" in relationship to others.

Q: In your opening statement you mention "full displacement vessels". Why is this important, what is the difference from a semi displacement vessel and is one better then the other?
A: Both types of vessels are equally GOOD for their intended use. If you intend to travel only in protected and semi protected waters "coastwise" and want to go faster then what the water line length will allow, semi displacement is for you. If, however you want a long-range offshore vessel designed to handle demanding conditions then full displacement is the only choice.

Q: What is the best material for a long-range trawler/explorer yacht?
A: Steel, aluminum, fiberglass and all of its derivatives all have advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, a steel hull offers the best all-round qualities. Low cost of construction, excellent abrasion resistance, ease of repair (newly developed coatings greatly decrease maintenance), durability, and high resistance to impact damage are only a few of these qualities. You will need to explore the links and information offered on this site and then we can discuss what is best suited to your needs.

Q: If I want to build a boat, why should I use a broker when I can go straight to a yard or a designer?
A: This is not a simple question to answer; it is as complex as successfully designing and building a quality yacht. The short answer is, when you go direct to a yard you almost always end up with the boat the yard wants to build, not the yacht you want. A good designer is part of a team, you want his efforts directed at the design issues and not at organizing and directing the team. He is going to pick the shipyard that is best for him and often does not consider practical issues and resale into his thinking.

A broker brings a wide variety of experience to the table for negotiating build contracts, refining specifications, insuring future resale value and the ability to present the bid package to qualified builders world wide to name just a few key points. My hope is when you have finished exploring this site and the information available through the links, you will come to your own conclusion why you should have a knowledgeable broker by your side.

Q: What is the Explorer Yacht Links Page for?
A: The Links Page is for the use of the visitors of this site as a useful resource. You will find exceptional links to sites for adventure yachts components, boat services, clasification societies, online weather and other sites of interest. These linked sites aid the viewer in the decision making processes in equipment and services needed by an explorer yacht and the ongoing running of the vessel.

New Owner Inace Yachts FAQ
Here are some additional FAQs sent by one of my clients that I spent some time with at INACE YACHTS SHIPYARD. It is important to note that these are questions he asked of me and my answers as he understood them.

1. Is "explorer yachting" the right thing for me?

Obviously, this is anyone's decision and taste. But if you like seeing places you would otherwise never get to, and if you like to see them while avoiding mass tourism, airline flights and hotels, this is a wonderful way of getting around the world in style and luxury.

2. Can I handle a boat like this with my wife?

A large and comfortable boat requires some work and maintenance, and it depends on you how much of that you want to handle yourself. As an experienced skipper, you and your wife will be able to run the boat, although on longer cruises you may want to have some additional crew members for watches. Without experience, you would want to have an experienced captain for the first couple of years and then decide how to move on. Some of the Inace owners have decided to run the boat totally themselves; others have hired a crew - so both models are possible.

3. What is the "quality of life" on a boat; what limitations exist?

Explorer yachts like Inace offer any luxury you would find in your home onshore. In that sense they are very different from sailing boats (typically smaller size, limited space on deck, larger number of people on board) and many of the smaller offshore vessel that are de facto coastal cruisers, not ocean going vessels. Inace yachts offer very large space inside (eg master bedrooms with his/her heads), several guest rooms, very large galleys and dining facilities, and enormous outside deck space on several levels. The yachts are totally independent from onshore facilities with their own generators, watermakers, and storage facilities (refrigerated and frozen), and you can live on them with as much luxury as onshore. They are truly like a floating home, and this is the way many people are actually using them.

4. What is the typical usage of a boat?

Typical uses range from live-aboard cruising in the Mediterranean during summer and in the Carribean during winter to global cruising and circumnavigation over extended periods of time. With a crew on board, you will have added flexibility on when and where you will use the boat.

5. *Do I need any formal qualification for running such a boat?

This depends on where the boat is registered (John: at least that's what I think); a US-registered boat requires a coast guard licence (?); European registration requires (?). A boat registered in (eg Cayman Islands?) requires no formal qualification (?). For ocean cruising, however, you would be well advised to either have respective experience or have a qualified crew.

*#5 is correct in the fact where you register the boat will have a good deal to do with requirement for operations. However, the most important issue is how the boat will be used, private use or charter. If a vessel is used for hire, you will need professional crew no matter were the vessel is registered. The other factor is the insurance company, if you do not have a large amount of experience they will probably require professional crew to be aboard.

6. *What is the annual budget for a boat of this nature, depending on usage, crew and typical maintenance cost?

Typical maintenance includes (John: for you to answer; pulling it out of the water once per year engine/machine inspections etc); typical crew costs (with/without experienced captain); typical budget for running the boat (assuming about 5000 NM of travel per year).

*#6 As you can see by the questions there are a great number of factors to be taken into account in regards to operating cost. This is an issue I feel must be handled on a one to one basis with the client when the operating parameters of the vessel have been clearly defined.