Buy Explorer Yachts  .com

Q: Who are you and what is your background?
A: I am a mega yacht broker in Fort Lauderdale Florida with 13 years of experience in sales, new construction and 18 years as a captain. Please see My Bio for additional information.

Q: What are Shadow Yachts and how are they different from explorer yachts?
A:Shadow Yachts is a term coined to describe what in Naval military terms would be named a "Support Vessel". Instead of carrying ammunition and other military hardware they carry large tenders, motorcycles, cars, jet skies, submarines and other toys that the primary vessel does not want aboard or does not have space for. Some of the elements they may have in common with their naval cousins are that they may carry extra fuel (bunkering vessel), extra food supplies, work shops, parts and any other number of support items. Any of these can be included in the inventory or design criteria of Shadow Yachts.

Q: Are you restricted in what yards, designers or vessels you can work with?
A: NO, though there are particular yards and designers shown on this site we are not restricted in any way. The object is to find the right combination for each client, from high-end Dutch yards to commercial yards that have the facilities to produce a quality vessel with either a mega yacht level interior finish or a home-style interior.

Over the last 9 years, I have taken the time to visit and inspect shipyards all over the world, recently returning from inspecting 8 top European yards. I also spent time searching out lesser know yacht yards and commercial yards that have built mega yachts or are capable of making the transition. I inspected half a dozen yards in the US Gulf of Mexico area from Texas to the Florida border and found several that have the capabilities and motivation to be involved in building Explorer yachts. "One of the key elements I look for in a yard is a high degree of personal pride in the product that the yard puts out, whether work boats or yachts and their willingness to work with a team of professionals to improve their product and create a vessel of high standard at reasonable value." This has proved to be very successful with the South American yards I have worked with.

Q: I always hear "You get what you pay for". I want a safe, reliable yacht but I do not want to dedicate a FORTUNE to it. Is this possible?
A: There is a certain amount of truth to that quote. You will pay a lot more for the final top 10% in quality and you stand a high chance of getting every pennies worth. However with knowledgeable assistance you can pay less and get more. If you do not want or need that final 10% it is possible to get "more then what you paid for" in relationship to others.

Q: In your opening statement you mention "full displacement vessels". Why is this important, what is the difference from a semi displacement vessel and is one better then the other?
A: Both types of vessels are equally GOOD for their intended use. If you intend to travel only in protected and semi protected waters "coastwise" and want to go faster then what the water line length will allow, semi displacement is for you. If, however you want a long-range offshore vessel designed to handle demanding conditions then full displacement is the only choice.

Q: What is the best material for a long-range trawler/explorer yacht?
A: Steel, aluminum, fiberglass and all of its derivatives all have advantages and disadvantages. In my opinion, a steel hull offers the best all-round qualities. Low cost of construction, excellent abrasion resistance, ease of repair (newly developed coatings greatly decrease maintenance), durability, and high resistance to impact damage are only a few of these qualities. You will need to explore the links and information offered on this site and then we can discuss what is best suited to your needs.

Q: If I want to build a boat, why should I use a broker when I can go straight to a yard or a designer?
A: This is not a simple question to answer; it is as complex as successfully designing and building a quality yacht. The short answer is, when you go direct to a yard you almost always end up with the boat the yard wants to build, not the yacht you want. A good designer is part of a team, you want his efforts directed at the design issues and not at organizing and directing the team. He is going to pick the shipyard that is best for him and often does not consider practical issues and resale into his thinking.

A broker brings a wide variety of experience to the table for negotiating build contracts, refining specifications, insuring future resale value and the ability to present the bid package to qualified builders world wide to name just a few key points. My hope is when you have finished exploring this site and the information available through the links, you will come to your own conclusion why you should have a knowledgeable broker by your side.