Naval Yachts, the Turkish builder of fine motor yachts and expedition yachts, has introduced their new XPM 78. If you hanker for high adventure cruising to the ends of the earth, then an expedition yacht is for you.
The XPM 78 is a purposeful, businesslike, aluminum vessel with a nearly plumb bow, a fairly narrow beam, a large raised salon and a sugar-scoop transom. Up top there is a large, enclosed flybridge which will be useful when maneuvering through bergy bits in the Arctic.
The hull form is a shoal-draft, semi-displacement configuration with a round bottom, chines at the waterline, and a shallow entry at the bow so it can nudge up to beaches or ice floes. In many ways the XPM 78 bears a family resemblance to the Deerfoot motor yachts developed by long range cruisers Steve and Linda Dashew. The 78 could be a first cousin to their 70-foot Wind Horse.
One of the benefits of the hull shape and narrow beam is how easily driven the boat will be and thus how fuel efficient. If you are heading off the grid to parts unknown, you need to carry a lot of fuel and, equally, you need to be able to make good time while burning a minimal amount of diesel. That’s what the 78 will deliver.
In anticipation of spending time in places with inclement and cold weather, the design has reduced exterior social spaces and, instead, provides all of the living spaces inside the salon, hull and bridge. If it starts snowing, you can turn up the heat and operate the boat in your slippers.
When on expeditions, having a large, seaworthy and indestructible tender is essential. On the 78, the after deck can be called the “boat deck” where, with a large crane, you can hoist and launch an 18 to 20-foot tender, preferably also built of aluminum.
Cognizant of making the 78 as independent as possible, large solar arrays are fitted on the top of the bridge, along the bridge’s foredeck and on the hard top aft that covers the boat deck or cockpit. With a large lithium battery bank, the boat should be able to run on battery power for hours, thereby cutting the need to run the generators.
The salon has the large U-shaped galley aft, the dinette amidships and the helm station forward. The windows are huge and the visibility from the helm is just about as unobstructed as you can get.
The 78 can be built with a variety of accommodations plans below but would seem best with a three-cabin, three-head layout plus crew quarters. If you are just cruising as a family then the cabins could have large doubles or twins. For those taking groups on real expeditions, upper and lower bunk beds would be a good arrangement.
The 78 is powered by a single 120-horsepower John Deere diesel engine that will give the boat a comfortable cruising speed of 12 knots and a top end of 14 knots. Yet, it will do these speeds while sipping diesel instead of gulping it.
Finally, the hull and super structure are built of marine grade aluminum and left unpainted. This will reduce maintenance and let you leave the boat unattended for weeks at a time. And this, too, is a feature of the Dashew’s ocean-going power boats.
