Review: Marlow Explorer 72E Skylounge Motoryacht

Twin guest berths in the mid-port side stateroom are a nice option for kids. Under bunk drawers and locker keep clutter to a minimum. A 15-inch LCD TV will keep them occupied. Across the way is another stateroom with upper/lower bunks, but no head.

Handling the Marlow Explorer 72E is fairly easy by a couple, as evident during my sea trial with just David and his wife Barbara onboard, however a crew may be desired for extended trips and they can be accommodated in their own optional quarters aft. Access is via a swim platform door so crew can maintain the yacht after owner/guests retire for the night. Cozy are the two raised bunks across from a small fridge and TV. The engine room separates the crew from the owner’s stateroom.

Through the crew quarters is access to the engine room. Good Grief! You can eat off the floor; it’s so clean. All oil and fuel filters can not only be easily reached but there’s also room underneath for a drip pan when changing. The main sea chest is forward and stands out like a monument to Neptune. The Caterpillar C18 engines, able to propel the hull to more than 20 knots at WOT, are framed by grabrails to keep you off the hot blocks. Strategically placed steps are bolted in place over the stuffing boxes and front of the engines and can be removed for access. Twin Cummins Onan generators create the juice for everything electrical.

Your eyes won’t be deceiving you if you look around the engine room and think some hardware is missing. Marlow built in a mechanical deck mid-ship (access under the floor by the staterooms) that houses water heaters, fresh water filters and pumps, vacuum system and other ancillary systems. At first I wasn’t sure, but then the love bug struck and I realized I did like it as it gets some of this gear out of the harsh environment of the engine room.

David Marlow is a yachtsman’s designer in that he knows crew has to get at gear in the deepest nooks and crannies. Case in point: the aft thruster and underwater hull lights are easily accessible against the hull under the crew quarter ladder. No need to hang from your ankles here.

A man has to have a level of confidence in what he does to go ahead and challenge others. And that’s what David Marlow did in 2010 with the “Marlow Challenge”, inviting other production long-distant passage-makers to a 3,900 mile voyage on standard fuel capacities. He offered this on the new 76LR (long range), but the bar and entry fee ($50,000 US) may have been a bit high. But it may be indicative of the quality and assuredness Marlow builds into his boats.

After spending time with David Marlow at boat shows, at his commissioning yard in Snead Island, FL, and over a cocktail or three along the way, there’s an appreciation that Marlow Yachts can’t do anything but improve what they do. The burning passion Marlow has in his heart and the amount of salt that runs in his veins is indicative of how much he has put into each of his yachts. The Explorer 72E is a timestamp of Marlow’s success. You can’t help but be in love with it. Perhaps this will be your real first love.

by Capt. Tom Serio

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Specifications:

LOA: 73’4”
LWL: 66’0”
Beam: 20’2”
Draft: 4’10”
Construction: Fiberglass/Kevlar Hull
Class: Bureau Veritas
Displacement: 96,000 lbs
Engines: 2xCAT – C18, 1000 hp ea.
Cruise Speed: 16 kts
Fuel: 3,450 gals.
Water: 400 gals.

For more information contact:

Marlow Yachts Limited, Inc.
4204 13th St, Court West
Palmetto, FL 34221
941-729-3370
www.****************

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DETAILS​

Don’t let the unassuming look fool you; David Marlow is always thinking, from figuring out how he can make his next yacht better than the last, to how he can reduce his carbon footprint and give something back to the world that has given him so much. Usually seen in his signature wide-brim straw hat, Marlow’s innovation extends from his yachts to the “green” 25-acre Marlow-Norsemen Shipyard in Xiamen, China. He’s planting teak trees locally to replace the ones used for his builds. At times, Marlow himself would search the jungles of Cambodia or Laos in search of the perfect teak specimen (he can harvest an entire yacht’s woodwork requirements from a single large tree, to better match grains), using elephants to drag them to a clearing. Waste is minimized during production, and any wood excess is used for hot water and heat in the shipyard. Subsequent ash is used to fertilize the company’s garden, which grows produce for the cafeteria. Local fishermen supply the day’s seafood offerings for employees.

Innovations start from the bottom up on a Marlow. “Slick” bottoms need good hull surfaces and a minimum of appendages that impede water flow. From the convex teardrop deflector ahead of the bow thruster to the concave one aft to reduce drag, water is directed where Marlow wants it to maximize efficiency. Several strakes and a chine that reaches near forward help keep the pointy end up. Hulls are cast with Marlow’s proprietary Full Stack Infusion process, with the laminate layers, typically of Kevlar fabrics for strength and durability, stacked and infused with a modified epoxy resin at a high pressure. A closed molding process like this controls emissions and minimizes toxic fumes leaching into the atmosphere.

A departure from many builders, Marlow encases the prop shafts and bearings in skegs, or as he has coined “Velocijet Strut Keels”. This reduces drag while protecting the running gear from debris and groundings. And yes, the yacht can actually sit on the keels as they’re an integral part of the hull.

Talking about having water go where you want it, Marlow builds in this streamlined appendage to deflect water away from the stabilizer’s shaft and onto the fin. Conversely, Marlow will also fit out with Seakeeper Gyro Stabilizers.

As an international cruiser and willing to show her colors, there’s built-in flag storage on the bridge. Handy to have close by and convenient when having to show your intention.

In the salon a custom, curved, crystal storage cabinet is built into the aft starboard corner. Stately in appearance, it’s also located at the point where the yacht will experience the least pounding. Below is ample storage for favorite beverages, bar gear and wine cooler.

AC circuitry panel is housed in its own cabinet, with large dials, meters and signage. Smartly located next to the starboard door, it’s the last-thing-out or first-thing-in you touch.

The DC panel has backlighting and indicator lights, but could be mounted a bit higher off the floor.

Deck Plans – Top to Bottom:

1. Bridge Deck
2. Main Deck
3. Hull Deck