Eyes on the future

Turkish shipyard Numarine went from building 100-foot express cruisers to manufacturing some of the most efficiently produced explorer yachts on the market. FRANK finds out how.

Words Marina Nazario Morgan Photography Jeff Brown

If you asked Numarine founder and chairman Ömer Malaz for his prediction on the future of yachting in 2016, he would have said modern expedition yachts. Great business leaders are always thinking years ahead. So the Turkish shipyard introduced a powerful new line of explorer vessels that are now making waves within yachting.

“The XP line was the brainchild of a customer who wanted something different and something slow. So, together with my designer Can Yalman, we came up with a modern explorer,” says Malaz. “We turned our attention from building flybridge and express cruisers to building explorer yachts.”

The line began with the 32XP, followed by the 26XP, 22XP, 37XP and the 45XP – “which will blow your socks off!” Shipyards don’t typically undergo rebrands. They usually capitalize on established traditions. Switching up designs or adding new lines is considered a risk. But for Numarine, the risk seems to have paid off.

Numarine experienced success with its original line of express cruisers after launching and delivering about 150 boats. But Malaz knew they needed more. In 2016, he jumped into modernizing the traditional explorer yacht with eyes on a different market. According to Denison yacht broker Alex Clarke, owners of sport-style performance boats may not have the same yachting goals as owners of expedition yachts. The vessels are two different beasts: “An expedition boat is not your typical, white wedding cake yacht that travels superfast. Yachts like the 37XP are big, steel-hull, full displacement, expedition vessels that can carry a lot of toys and guests. Most owners of explorer yachts are familyoriented and are not in a rush to go anywhere.”