BEST ON SHOW
The Ocean Alexander 35R was awarded Best in Show at Fort Lauderdale last year for a reason Capt Steve, from boattest.com tells us why.
The 35R made her world debut at the 2021 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show and came away with the most coveted prize… Best in Show. That, in and of itself, is remarkable. Once you step aboard and see the excellent use of space, the floor-to-ceiling windows and just what an engineering masterpiece she is, Best in Show just doesn’t sum it up enough.
Ocean Alexander’s Revolution Series has taken the yachting world and turned it on its ear. It literally rewrote the book on what a cruising yacht should be and this latest version is the culmination of all that the brain trust of Evan K. Marshall and Arrabito Naval Architects have to offer.
Designed to be the “icing on the cake” of the Ocean Alexander Revolution range, the 35R is at once an owner’s boat and a charter boat. She ensconces her guests in luxury and amazing views. She sports a beach club with an adjacent exercise room and sauna. The foredeck seems to go on and on and the top deck is designed for entertaining while even offering relaxation in a jacuzzi.
As a charter boat, she boasts a separation of guests and crew that even includes a hidden entrance from the crew space to the guest accommodations that even we didn’t notice until we were on top of it. It’s that discreet. First and foremost, this is a cruising yacht with a profile reminiscent of the latest trend in expedition-style yachts with her plumb bow and robust lines.
BEACH CABANA
One of the more eye-catching aspects of the 35R is the aft beach cabana. Gone are the days of the simple hydraulic swim platform creating a teak beach. This is truly next-level thinking. There’s a bar with a stone surface and a TV just above to port. Below are refrigeration and an icemaker. A sofa is just alongside.
Above it, all is smoked glass leading to the deck above. Further aft is an expanse of open teak gathering and sunning space that can be populated with any combination of furniture and water toys that the mind can conjure. Stairs are just to the starboard side of the interior that lead down to a day head and an exercise room designed to hold perhaps a stationary bike or rowing machine. A TV is mounted to the forward bulkhead. To port is a glass-enclosed sauna.
There are wide boarding gates to both sides of the aft deck social zone, which consists of a U-shaped sofa surrounding a coffee table. All are on an elevated platform and under the protection of the extended hardtop, again with stylized detailing above the seating. Teak decking is used throughout all the exterior areas.
Just abaft, there is a sink to starboard and an open counter space for an optional grilling station to port, both flanking a smoked glass section to the beach cabana below. A 42” TV drops down manually from the trailing edge of the overhead. With a symmetrical layout, access to the side decks is to both port and starboard.
PANORAMIC SALOON
The saloon is accessed by pressing a single button to actuate the stainless-steel framed sliding glass door that opens to a full 1.42 m. It will stay open for 5 seconds before closing unless something/someone interrupts the closure, in which case it will open again. A twist of the locking mechanism will also lock the door in the open position to allow fresh air to ventilate the interior in conjunction with the two side doors flanking the dining area forward.
One of the most striking features we noticed upon entering the saloon is the floor-to-ceiling windows on both sides. That combined with the single-level deck and 2.16 m high ceilings give the room a remarkably wide-open feel.
There’s L-shaped seating to the port side that wraps around a stone coffee table. Two free-standing chairs round out the seating. Across to starboard is a refreshment centre that includes a sink with plenty of countertop serving space. Below is stemware storage, a refrigerator and icemaker.
The transition to the dining room is delineated by the change from carpeted decking to natural wood. The table is offset to port and seats ten and there is ornate decorative work suspended above. The floor-to-ceiling windows continue to both sides, but here they are actually massive doors that open to merge the outside with the inside. As with all the windows on the main deck, these too are fitted with electric blinds that can be controlled with a handheld remote.
MAIN GALLEY
The galley has a huge walk-in pantry with a refrigerator and a host of professional-grade appliances designed to prepare gourmet meals for the ten guests. There are Sub Zero refrigerator/freezers, a large convection oven, an induction cooktop, clever storage solutions including a wine chiller alongside an icemaker.
Just across is a bar prep area. Equally important is how the 35R lends herself to the charter set with a separation of crew and guests. The crew can move from the forward crew quarters right to the side decks without passing through the passenger areas… more on the crew spaces later.
A stainless-trimmed marble walkway to the starboard side of the dining room leads ahead to the master on the same level. The walkway passes a dual set of stairs down to the four guest staterooms and up to the second deck social zone and pilothouse. The galley can be accessed from both port and starboard as we move forward. A day head is to starboard.
MASSIVE MASTER
The master is forward on the main deck and is full beam. The king-size berth is centre-mounted with nightstands to both sides. Hull side windows are to port and starboard and include integrated portlights. There is a desk to starboard and a sitting area to port beneath the massive side window. There is more stylised detailing in the overhead.
Storage is under the berth and walk-in closets are ahead and to both sides. To the forward bulkhead is a 50” TV flanked by doors to the head.
The master head is really where the innovations occur. Not only are there his and her sinks but there are also separate enclosed water closets with a tub in the middle plus an enclosed shower. This is the most unique and well-designed master head we’ve seen on any yacht and it deserves the accolades that this yacht has
been receiving.
The four guest staterooms are accessed from the single staircase next to the dining area. They are all positioned around a central foyer with the marble work theme carried from the main deck. There is a lighted display case at the forward end of the foyer that plays a significant role later on in our report. There are two queen staterooms aft and two twins forward, with berths that can slide together to form queens and all include private ensuites. The queen berths are positioned against the hull side windows. A TV is over a vanity slash desk. Again, each includes a private ensuite.
BRIDGE DECK EXTERIOR
The bridge deck has four distinct areas. Starting from the aft section, there’s an open boat deck, with sofas, an outdoor social zone, an indoor sky lounge and then the helm area.
The second deck aft social zone has a circular table that seats ten under a hardtop. An outdoor galley is to port with a grilling station, refrigeration and icemaker. Further aft is a sundeck with a pair of L-shaped sofas and coffee tables. A pop-up sunshade can be set up to add protection on sunny days. To the side is a crane allowing the area to be used as a
boat deck.
We move inside through electrically actuated sliding doors that has an atmosphere of a relaxed gentleman’s club. There’s a bar to starboard with a stone surface and four barstools. A window behind the bar ensures that guests maintain outstanding views from this elevated position. Ahead and to port, there’s an L-shaped leather upholstered sofa and two freestanding chairs. A 65” TV is to the forward bulkhead. More large windows line the port side.
The elegance and style of the room is carried from the lower decks and the stonework of the bar has a waterfall effect down the side rather than revert to a timber siding. A day head is adjacent to the top of the stairs.
Back outside and to port, there’s another set of stairs to the Skydeck. At the top of the stairs, there’s a jacuzzi surrounded by sunpads. Then there’s a starboard bar area and a social zone just ahead with dual forward-facing doublewide seats and a walkthrough between plus a flip-down 50” TV at the forward edge. All of this is under the protection of the hardtop.
Lastly, there’s another social zone at the bow. A U-shaped settee wraps around a pedestal table with a large sunpad just ahead of that. The area can be left exposed to the sun or a pop-up sunshade can be erected and supported by four stainless stanchions.
Forward of the galley is a set of stairs leading to the crew’s quarters, which in the 35R, are located fully forward. It consists of the dining area and a modest galley, a captain’s stateroom, two twin-berth staterooms, an additional refrigeration area with eight large refrigerator/freezers adjacent to the laundry area with four machines and a passageway leading to a clever secret entrance to the guest staterooms. A thin bulbous bow yields extra efficiency at slower speeds, but still allows for an impressive 22 knots top speed with the standard engine package. At cruising speed of 14 knots, owners get an 800 nautical miles range, while at 10 knots, the 35R offers more than 2,000 nautical miles, according to Ocean Alexander.
Ocean Alexander has really outdone not only the competition but themselves in making a beautiful yacht that will serve an owner with a large family that can offset the ownership experience by offering the 35R out to the charter set. With a crew of five, she’s well suited for both tasks. Aside from being the best in show, she’s among the best we’ve seen.
SPECIFICATIONS
- Boat Design Name Ocean Alexander 35R
- Year Launched 2022
- Designer Evan K. Marshall and Arrabito Naval Architects.
- Builder Ocean Alexander
- LOA 35.6m
- LOH 31.83m
- Beam 7.64m
- Displacement 165,600kg (Dry)
- Draft 2.11m
- Max Speed 23 knots
- Construction GRP Composite
- Fuel Capacity 19500 litres
- Water Capacity 2270 litres
- Engines Upgrade power twin MTU 2600hp
- Drive Train Conventional Shaft
- Generator 2 x Kohler 55KW
- Base Price of Boat $USD 17m
- Contact: Alexander Marine Australia +61 (0)7 5618 0000 | sales@alexandermarineaust.com.au
