The worldwide fleet of large power catamarans just keeps growing. Indeed, StellarPM, the Vietnamese builder, just introduced a new line of luxury explorer power cats that are designed to be as much as home in the fjords of Norway as they are cruising around Sardinia and Corsica.
StellarPM now joins the ranks of builders in Europe, Turkey, Australia and other parts of the world who have been launching big, luxurious power catamarans lately. And expedition or explorer yachts are a growing subspecies in that category.
There are two yachts in the new StellarEXP fleet, a 32-Meter (about 105 feet), and a 37 Meter (about 121 feet). The 32 has a 38-foot beam, and the 37 has a 41-foot beam, creating an enormous amount of space inside and outside the vessel. This means a lot of people on board can have a luxurious cruise; it also means there’s lots of room for fuel and supplies for a long voyage.
The new explorers have three decks, a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure. An interesting feature, which has appeared in various iterations on other new cats lately, is a sunken sun deck in front of the upper enclosed deck. It has room for four sun lounges, and it’s certain to offer some amazing views anywhere in the world.
Another appealing feature is the full-beam master stateroom on the main deck, complete with a balcony or terrace that folds out of the hull sides. This certainly would be an enjoyable spot to enjoy a morning coffee, or evening glass of…whatever.
The new cats are an international effort. The hulls were drawn by Ginton Naval Architects of The Netherlands, and the yachts are built (to Lloyds and ABS certification) in the StellarPM yard in Haiphong on the Gulf of Tonkin. The modular interiors are produced in the StellarPM factory in Zhuhai, China, and new yachts are scheduled on a 20-month delivery time.
The StellarEXPs are powered by twin 750-hp CATs; the 32 tops out at 14 knots and has a range of 3,400 nm. If you want more speed, StellarPM will make a full aluminum version of each model, with twin 1,800-hp CATS producing a top speed of 22 knots and a range of 2,400 nm.
Chris Hughes, founder and head of StellarPM, said, “It has been our dream to offer really safe and substantial explorer yachts to the market for some time now, and the StellarEXP series is the culmination of our long history of yacht building, yard managing, and yacht renewing. The power catamaran hull delivers superb fuel efficiency and maximum stability and offers the reassurance and comfort that long periods at sea entail.”
