Damen Yachting introduces Xplorer 80 concept at Palm Beach International Boat Show

Damen Yachting has lifted the lid on its latest 80-metre yacht concept, the Xplorer 80, at the Palm Beach International Boat Show 2024. The latest design will join the shipyard's current range of expedition yachts, formerly known as SeaXplorer.

Damen Yachting has teamed up with Azure Yacht Design to further develop the Xplorer 80's exterior lines. The yacht carries signature SeaXplorer trademarks, including the open bow, observation lounge and enclosed wheelhouse, while the "Manhattan loft-inspired" interior by London-based design studio Harrison Eidsgaard brings "warmth and refinement" to the robust yacht. 

The 2,900GT yacht has accommodation for 12 guests across six cabins, with further room for 26 crew and the captain. Xplorer 80 offers a number of interior and exterior configuration options to suit personal tastes.

Owners can choose an operational gym and wellness setup, while a twin tender garage setup is perfect for those wanting storage for watertoys. Dedicated divers can also benefit from a large and fully-equipped dive centre. There is the option of a hidden heli hangar, although those not needing heli operations can opt for a wall-to-wall lounge club.

Enrique Tintore, Xplorer design manager, explained: "The way the Xplorer has been designed allows for a high level of flexibility to suit any extreme environment or refined landscape. If a helicopter isn’t essential for you, we’ve got many other options for that space. Need a conference room or a seventh guest cabin? Or a separate gym and a high-spec laboratory? We can make that happen."

For the exterior, two alternative designs have been created by Espen Øino and Harrison Eidsgaard. Different corners of the boat have been designed to connect to nature – from the bridge wing which doubles as a viewing room to the vertiginous 30-metre-high crows nest and the signature open bow. "The intention is that when you are sailing close to glaciers or fjords, there is nothing obstructing you from looking up, looking to the sides, and just feeling closer to what is surrounding you," Tintore told BOAT International.

Along with design partner Harrison Eidsgaard, Winch Design and Reymond Langton have also provided interior concepts. "From when we started this, we decided the interior would have a 'four-season feeling'. It doesn't matter what the weather is outside, it feels cosy and comfortable," said Tintore. 

The yacht will be capable of up to 40 days of self-autonomy at sea – a fact which helped steer the brief for the interiors to have a strong "home-from-home" feel. "Unlike doing a week on board in the Med, you will be on the yacht for three weeks or maybe a month and it could be that the whole family is there, so it needed to be somewhere suitable for everyone to use as a base," explained Harrison Eidsgaard co-founder Ben Harrison.

The one area where his team focused a lot of their attention was the lifestyle area of the main saloon and pool and how they connected together. “This is where the majority of day-to-day living is going to occur here, therefore we have to make this a space that people can enjoy in a group of two people, 20 people or even a party of 100 people.”

Coinciding with the introduction of the Xplorer 80, Damen Yachting has also updated and modernised its branding for its range of luxury explorers.

Sarah Flavell, marketing manager at Damen Yachting, explained more about this development: “We wanted to make the original SeaXplorer branding more relevant for today’s and tomorrow’s luxury yet adventurous yachting needs. Whilst the DNA within the Xplorer 80 proudly carries all of the original SeaXplorer key attributes, we wanted to update the way the brand was presented to better reflect the forward-thinking nature of this new 80-metre Xplorer."

Flavell added: "The result is that the Xplorer 80 absolutely embodies the brand values associated with the Xplorer range bringing extensive capability, unrivalled autonomy and above all luxury space and lifestyle to the most extreme corners of the globe.”