Motor Yachts
General Information & Manufacturers

Motor yachts are designed for volume, luxury and for living aboard in comfort.  They come in many styles and are designed to capture market tastes for aesthetic appeal, usage and space requirements, the need-for-speed, and territorial concerns (ie. draft, weather conditions, seaconditions, etc.)  For instance, some boat owners prefer to cruise in the Florida/Bahamas with family and friends with a priority on watersports (fishing, diving, jetskis, kayaking, etc). Ideal yachts would include cockpit, a big galley, as many staterooms as possible, shallow draft (<6’ (2m) big salon and galley and a  large, open  flybridge.  In more temperate, protected cruising areas, such as British Columbia, cruisers value enclosed an enclosed aft deck and flybridge with smaller engines for extended range at slower speeds.  Many North American cruisers as couples and thus value a yacht that 2 people can handle with walkaround decks (ease of docking and working locks),  manageable size, covered aft deck and perhaps a hinged arch or mast to facilitate fixed bridges with lower clearances (some bridges going into the Great Lakes are limited to 17-20’of vertical clearance).Owner/operators working as a 2 person team can typically handle up and maintain up to around 70’ (21 m) without crew; although with experience and good access to day help for maintenance and cleaning. A comfortable size range for a typical couple to handle (and enjoy) is between 55-68’. In Florida, most yachts strive for a draft of less than 6’ (2m) so as to navigate more easily in shallower waters common to South Florida and the Bahamas.  With the Bahamas located only 50 nautical miles from Florida; over 800 islands with crystal clear water invite exploration and areconsidered to have some of the most fabulous cruising grounds in the world.  However, it is not always smooth sailing – so a well-designed yacht that can safely navigate in rough conditions is crucial, especially as cruisers venture south and east into the Caribbean where the trade winds typically blow 15-20 knots out of the east every day.

Many yachts offer cockpits or “euro-transoms”. Cockpits offer great access to the swim platform (fishing and diving).  Euro-transoms (twin stairways to a large swim platform) are also a popular feature for accessing the water - often giving more space to the interior and aft deck area. Wide-body designs maximize the interior salon space and typically offer a narrow walking ledge for use when docked or anchored; while walkaround decks allow for greater access to the sides of the yacht as well as fore and aft  (without having to walk through the interior – important for crew). Larger yachts employing the use of crew typically have separate living arrangements either aft (accessible via the transom or aft deck) or forward and accessible via a separate stairwell from the guests. Owner and guest staterooms often have the owner cabin going across the full beam of the boat commonly in the middle (amidships) with a pair of guest cabins either side of a hallway and/or a VIP cabin forward. Mid-ship or aft master cabins are desirable as the motion of the yacht at anchor and underway are minimized further aft of the bow. When keeping crew for extended living aboard, one should ensure adequate living conditions with spaces for down-time and access to the galley without interrupting guests.
 
Hull designs should be considered as well. Faster, lighter yachts with planing hulls tend to operate well at faster speeds and are not really comfortable a slow speeds. Semi-displacement hulls offer a compromise with speeds up to 20 or so knots, but can be operated comfortably at displacement speeds (around 10-12 knots).  With the cost of fuel going up, many yacht owners are taking more time for travel in order to conserve fuel costs, yet with the ability to get somewhere in a hurry ( such as the need to outrun an approaching weather system). Of coming influence are a number of multi-hull models.  Typically a catamaran (or twin-hull) design will “slice” though the water with great efficiency thus offering greater speeds at lower horsepower. The compromise is that the staterooms are usually smaller being contained in the pontoons (hulls) and dockage is an issue given the larger beam. 

Modern hull construction is typically laminated FRP (fiber reinforced plastic, commonly termed as fiberglass). Most modern designs feature a solid FRP hull with foam or balsa coring above the waterline (planing hulls use coring below the waterline). The coring reduces weight and acts as a sound/thermal insulator without sacrificing strength. Decks and superstructure follow the same construction methods, all designed to keep the boat as light as possible (lower weight equals more speed and efficiency).  FRP (Fiberglass) yachts are coated with either gelcoat or paint. As FRP boats get larger, paint is more desirable for relative ease of maintenance. Metal construction includes aluminum and steel.  An advantage of aluminum is its light weight and ease of customizing shapes without having to build molds.  Steel is used more for displacement yachts (see Trawlers) due to weight.  Both metals require good maintenance (more so than FRP) – especially the painted surfaces and bilges.

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