The new Outer Reef 900, a long-range cruiser with a legendary pedigree, is making its world debut at the Palm Beach boat show this week.
The new 900 is powered by twin 750-hp John Deere diesels, giving it a top speed of 24 knots, and a range of 3,000 nm at 8.5 knots. Outer Reef has earned a solid reputation for its long-range cruisers lately. Indeed, two have gone around Cape Horn, one with company president Jeff Druek on board.
This latest Outer Reef was ordered by veteran cruisers who have owned many top-tier yachts in the past. Two years ago, they ordered a new Outer Reef 700. But, as they got into the build process, they realized they wanted an even larger yacht to accommodate their family and friends. They ended up ordering the first 900, named Julianne, with more upgrades than any other yacht in Outer Reef history.
Although Julianne can hold a crowd (it has four staterooms below plus two aft as crew quarters), it can be operated by just the owner. It has 55-hp hydraulic and proportional bow and stern thrusters to make boat handling easy, even on an 89-foot yacht. It also has wing stations on both sides of the flybridge.
The engine room has standing head room and lots of walking-around room for easy monitoring and maintenance of the diesels and all the systems. It also has two sea chests and a fuel-polishing system.
For comfort on board, the Outer Reef 900 has Trac stabilizers, twin 30kW Northern Lights generators, and an 1,800-gallons-a-day water-maker. If all goes awry, rounding the Horn, for example, it also has two eight-person emergency life rafts.
The boat deck has a large barbecue grill, twin 20-pound LP tanks, a 2,600-pound hydraulic davit, a 17-foot Walker Bay tender with a 115-hp Yamaha outboard, and two SEABOBs.
The salon and adjoining galley are large, built for relaxing and entertaining. They have views all around, and open to the pilothouse. At night, you can lower a panel with a remote to separate the salon and galley from the pilothouse, to preserve night vision and concentration up there.
The spacious aft deck has a custom, enlarged teak table, a wet bar, fridge, wing doors and stairs down to the integrated swim platform. The side decks are covered and include outside access to an on-deck head.
Below, the full-beam master stateroom with a king bed is amidships; the VIP cabin is forward with a queen berth; a twin-berth cabin is on the port side, and another guest cabin with a queen berth is to starboard. All the cabins have en suite heads and showers.
Aft of the engine room are two crew or extra-guest cabins. One has a king bed, and the other has two berths. Both have en suite heads and showers. This aft area also has a small galley/dinette and a washer and dryer.
Specs.: LOA: 89’2”; Beam: 21’0”; Draft: 5’6”; Disp.: 207,000 lbs.; Fuel: 3,500 gals.; Water: 600 gals.; Power: 2×750-hp John Deere diesels. Read more:
