Explorer yacht builders

The yards behind explorer and expedition yachts and their main models, with sources.

Checked 9 October 2026

Scout, 63.72 m yacht built by Royal Hakvoort
Scout, 63.72 m yacht built by Royal Hakvoort

Explorer yachts come from two kinds of yard. Yacht builders sell explorer models: Arksen, Bering, Benetti (B.Yond), Cantiere delle Marche (Flexplorer), Damen Yachting (Xplorer), Nordhavn, Numarine, Rosetti and Sanlorenzo (500EXP). The largest custom explorers came from yards such as Lürssen, Lloyd Werft, Kleven and Ulstein (Boat International).

Damen's Xplorer line, formerly SeaXplorer, has delivered four yachts (Xplorer Yachting); Sanlorenzo had launched nine 500EXP by May 2022 (Boat International); Nordhavn built 44 N41 before retiring the model (Trade Only Today).

44
Nordhavn N41 hulls before retirement (2026)
9
Sanlorenzo 500EXP launched by May 2022
4
Damen Xplorer yachts delivered
7,000 nm
Arksen 85 range, quoted at 9 knots

Builders and their models

Heeus, 44.2 m yacht built by Bering Yachts

Bering Yachts

Builds in Antalya, Turkey, and runs a second yard in Bulgaria (Bering). The first B145, Heeus, was launched on 28 April 2022 (Bering).

Models
B145 (44.46 m), Bering 65 (19.78 m)
Pink Shadow, 58 m yacht built by Damen Yachting

Damen Yachting

Its SeaXplorer line is now called Xplorer; four have been delivered (Xplorer Yachting). The Xplorer 80 is the follow-up to the SeaXplorer 77 (Damen Yachting). Damen also builds support vessels (YachtBuyer).

Models
Xplorer 60, 80 and 105
New Journey, 29.4 m yacht built by Nordhavn

Nordhavn

Retiring the N41 after 44 hulls (Trade Only Today, July 2026). The first N96, MacGuffin, reached Florida in February 2016 (CharterWorld); New Journey, the 18th N96 hull, was delivered in 2023 (Boat International).

Models
N41 (12.6 m), N96 (29.4 m)
Never Say Never Again (Goga), 37 m yacht built by Benetti

Benetti

First hull, Never Say Never Again (shown as Goga in launch photos), 2022: steel hull, 5,000 nm at 10 knots (data 2022; Boat International).

Models
B.Yond 37M (37 m)
Emocean, Rosetti RSY 38m EXP (rendering)Render

Rosetti Superyachts

First launch in 2021 (Boote); 5,000 nm at 10 knots (Boat International, data 2021).

Models
RSY 38m EXP (37.83 m)
Oculus, a Numarine yacht

Numarine

First 37XP launched in 2021, quoted at 5,000 nm at 10 knots (data 2021; Nautica Report).

Models
37XP (37.14 m)
Scout, 63.72 m yacht built by Royal Hakvoort

Royal Hakvoort

Royal Hakvoort gives Scout's range as 4,800 nm at 12 knots (Royal Hakvoort), the figure Boat International also used in 2023 (Boat International); YachtBuyer quotes 6,300 nm at 12 knots (YachtBuyer).

Models
Custom: Scout (63.72 m, 2019)
Olivia O, 88.5 m yacht built by Ulstein

Kleven, Ulstein and Vard

Norwegian commercial yards behind some of the largest explorers: Kleven built Andromeda and Multiverse, Ulstein built Olivia O (Boat International), Vard built REV Ocean, which left Vard for final outfitting in the Netherlands in March 2025 (Vard).

Models
Custom: Andromeda, Multiverse, Olivia O, REV Ocean

Arksen

Aluminium explorer with a 7,000 nm range (Arksen); MBY gives 9 knots as the design speed for that range (data 2023). The first hull, Project Pelagos, was launched in May 2023 (MBY).

Models
Arksen 85 (27.4 m)

Cantiere delle Marche

First Flexplorer 146, Maverick, delivered in 2024 with a 22 mm ice belt and more than 5,000 nm of range (Boat International).

Models
Flexplorer 146 (44.3 m)

Reading builders' figures

Builders' range figures are design numbers. Nordhavn's 41 shows the gap: design calculations gave more than 8,200 nm at 6 knots, while the builder's vice president said he hoped for about 3,500 nm in real conditions (Passagemaker, data 2019). Where sources disagree, the table shows both figures.

Few builders publish prices; those that are published, with dates, are on Explorer yacht cost. Builders of support vessels are on Yacht support vessels.

Explorer yacht models compared

ModelLengthHullRangeFirst hull
Arksen 8527.4 m3Aluminium197,000 nm at 9 kn3,4 builder gives 7,000 nm; 9 kn from MBY (data 2023)20234
Bering 6519.78 m20Steel and aluminium204,000+ nm at 8 kn20201320 earliest delivery listed by the builder
Bering B14544.2–44.46 m21,2 launch release 44.2 m, model page 44.46 mSteel and aluminium214,000+ nm21,2 model page gives 10 and 12 kn; launch release (data 2022): 5,000+ nm20222
Benetti B.Yond 37M37 m12Steel125,000 nm at 10 kn12 stated at launch (data 2022)202212
Numarine 37XP37.14 m31,14Steel hull, composite superstructure145,000 nm at 10 kn14,31 data 2021; YachtBuyer: 6,000 nm at 8 kn202114
Rosetti RSY 38m EXP37.83 m13Steel and aluminium13,335,000 nm at 10 kn33 data 2021; Boote: about 11 kn202113,33
Flexplorer 14644.3 m9 MAT: 44.46 mNot stated5,000+ nm at 10 kn22,9 builder figure for MAT; BI: 5,000+ nm for Maverick20249
Sanlorenzo 500EXP47 m7Steel and aluminium304,000 nm at 11 kn8,29 data 2021201829
Damen Xplorer 6060 m23Steel245,000 nm at 11.5 kn23202524
Nordhavn N9629.4 m11GRP113,000 nm at 9 kn25201632 first hull reached Florida in Feb 2016
Nordhavn 4112.6 m26GRP28Builder hoped for about 3,500 nm27,28 data 2019; design figure 8,200 nm at 6 kn; YachtBuyer: 2,500+ nm at 8 kn202028

"Not stated": the checked sources do not give the hull material. The small numbers are sources in the list at the bottom.

Questions

Who builds explorer yachts?
Production models come from Arksen, Bering, Benetti (B.Yond), Cantiere delle Marche (Flexplorer), Damen Yachting (Xplorer), Nordhavn, Numarine, Rosetti and Sanlorenzo (500EXP). The largest custom explorers were built by yards such as Lürssen, Lloyd Werft, Kleven and Ulstein; see the explorer yachts list.
What happened to the Damen SeaXplorer?
The line was renamed Xplorer. Current models are the Xplorer 60, 80 and 105 (Xplorer Yachting), and the Xplorer 80 is the follow-up to the SeaXplorer 77 (Damen Yachting).
How big is the Arksen 85 and how far can it go?
27.4 m, aluminium, with a range of 7,000 nm (Arksen). MBY gives the design speed for that range as 9 knots, and reported the first hull launched in May 2023 (MBY, data 2023). Price: see Explorer yacht cost.
Where are Bering yachts built?
In Antalya, Turkey; the company also operates a shipyard in Bulgaria (Bering Yachts).
Is the Nordhavn 41 still in production?
No. Trade Only Today reported in July 2026 that Nordhavn is retiring the N41 after 44 hulls (Trade Only Today).
Nordhavn or Bering: which is bigger?
It depends on the model. In this guide Nordhavn runs from the 12.6 m N41 (Nordhavn) to the 29.4 m N96 (Boat International); Bering from the 19.78 m Bering 65 (Bering) to the 44.46 m B145 (Bering). Both build trawler-style displacement boats; compare range in the table above.

More on Explorer Yachts

Sources (34)
  1. Bering Yachts: homepage accessed Oct 2026
  2. Bering Yachts: launch of the first B145 30 Apr 2022 (data 2022)
  3. Arksen: Arksen 85 accessed Oct 2026
  4. Motor Boat & Yachting: Arksen 85 first look 17 May 2023 (data 2023)
  5. Xplorer Yachting (Damen Yachting): models and deliveries accessed Oct 2026
  6. Damen Yachting: Introduction of the Xplorer 80 22 Mar 2024
  7. Boat International: Ninth Sanlorenzo 500EXP launched 26 May 2022 (data 2022)
  8. YachtBuyer: Sanlorenzo launches eighth 500EXP 4 Jun 2021 (data 2021)
  9. Boat International: Cantiere delle Marche delivers first Flexplorer 146, Maverick 24 Apr 2024
  10. Trade Only Today: Nordhavn to retire N41 and N51 models 29 Jul 2026
  11. Boat International: Nordhavn N96 New Journey 26 Jun 2023 (data 2023)
  12. Boat International: First Benetti B.Yond 4 Jul 2022 (data 2022)
  13. Boote: First launch at Rosetti Superyachts 1 Jun 2021 (data 2021)
  14. Nautica Report: Numarine launches the first 37XP 5 Aug 2021 (data 2021)
  15. YachtBuyer: Scout
  16. Boat International: 64m explorer yacht Scout in London 1 Aug 2023 (data 2023)
  17. Boat International: The top 10 largest explorer yachts 26 Nov 2021 (data 2021)
  18. Vard: REV Ocean 18 Mar 2025
  19. Boat International: On board the 27m aluminium explorer yacht Arksen 85 14 Aug 2024
  20. Bering Yachts: Bering 65 accessed Oct 2026
  21. Bering Yachts: B145 accessed Oct 2026
  22. Cantiere delle Marche: Flexplorer 146 MAT 23 Feb 2025
  23. Xplorer Yachting (Damen Yachting): Xplorer 60 accessed Oct 2026
  24. YachtBuyer: Damen hands over Xplorer 60 and YS53 20 Aug 2025
  25. Boat International: On board New Journey 24 Jan 2024
  26. Nordhavn: Nordhavn 41 updated 24 Oct 2025
  27. Passagemaker: No, the new Nordhavn 41 won't have an 8,200-nm range 20 Aug 2019 (data 2019)
  28. YachtBuyer: Nordhavn N41
  29. Boat International: Ocean Dreamwalker III (first Sanlorenzo 500EXP) accessed Oct 2026
  30. Boat International: Amo (Sanlorenzo 500EXP) accessed Oct 2026
  31. YachtBuyer: Numarine 37XP accessed Oct 2026
  32. CharterWorld: Arrival of first Nordhavn 96 Motor Yacht MacGuffin in Florida 5 Feb 2016 (data 2016)
  33. Boat International: Look inside Rosetti's first RSY 38m EXP Emocean 11 Oct 2021 (data 2021)
  34. Royal Hakvoort: Scout specifications accessed 16 Oct 2026