Ocean Alexander

First boat arrives with CEO in tow

The 2013 Sydney International Boat Show was the launch platform for the first Ocean Alexander to be imported into Australia for, well, we reckon it’s been decades. But the prestigious pilothouse motoryachts -- and now megayachts -- are no strangers to our shores.

Marine-industry stalwart Geoff Lovett imported solid numbers of the 44, 48, 50 and 55 foot Ocean Alexanders into the Gold Coast way back in the Eighties when this writer was cutting his boat-testing teeth. A quick search at BoatPoint and boatsales reveals there are 11 such second-hand Ocean Alexanders for sale on our sites.

That said, the new boats are vastly different weapons, still largely pilothouse configurations, but with faster hulls, sharper lines, the latest cruising kit and engineering. All manner of finishes are available to suit individual tastes, while each boat boasts class-leading living spaces to sate likely liveaboard owners.

Needless to say, the boats have got bigger, too.

BABY OF THE FLEET

Fast forward to the Sydney boat show where the baby in the range, the Ocean Alexander 72, made its debut.

Ocean Alexander’s CEO, Johnny Chueh (pictured), the son of the late founder of the brand Alex, appeared enthusiastic about his Taiwanese boatyard’s future and its return here during our onboard catch up.

In the interim, there have been a lot of changes at Ocean Alexander. Some five or six years ago, Chueh decided to stop building go-slow trawler-style boats and to focus entirely on bigger liveaboard cruisers.

The Motoryacht Series starts with this 72 Pilothouse and ranges through a 78, 82, 85 and 90 footer. The new Megayacht Series include a 112, 120, 135 and 155.

The 72 is made in a Shanghai yard, the 78-120 footers hail from Taiwan, while the 120 footers and above are US-built in an alliance with Christensen Shipyards and internationally acclaimed yacht designer Evan K. Marshall.

The smaller Ocean Alexander boats have always had hulls designed by renowned Ed Monk Jr, but all yards offer a degree of customisation within the fixed and structural boundaries of the relative model.

'CHUEHING' THE FAT

Annual production across the Ocean Alexander range is running at 20-24 boats a year, with the 90 footer the most popular model.

"That’s our bread and butter," explains the American-educated Chueh, adding that his biggest markets are all USA-centric, with his boats holding special appeal for long-range, cold-climate coastal cruising on the West Coast and in the wild and woolly Atlantic.

"The 72 is the baby… we don’t want to tell the customer that… it’s still an incredible boat," Chueh says as he hosts a guided tour from the saloon to the stateroom, eventually winding up at the flying-bridge bar.

The 72’s double-chine hull offers 22-23 knots top speed with 1150hp Caterpillar engines, we’re told, and long-range legs of around 4000nm at eight knots with the stabilisers operational.

There are three saloon layout options and quite some inventory for serious cruising including hydraulic thrusters and stabilisers as standard. There’s also a degree of in-built redundancy in the boat’s systems.

The turnkey 72 package including bed linen, crockery, coffee maker and so on was selling for $3.9 million. The boat's electrical system was converted to be Australian compliant, but future boats can be built as 240AC from the ground-up.

AMERICAN SIZING

We were told the 72’s LED lights are the same as you will find in the Airbus 380, that there are broad options with granite and marble counters, as many as 300,000 permutations in indoor finishes and soft furnishings, a painted hull using Alexseal preferred by Feadship, and American sizing throughout.

The 72’s pilothouse is especially big, as is the full-beam stateroom with private off-saloon access, a 'Californian king' bed, and near full-width en suite that is just the biggest we have ever seen in a 72 footer. The shower is family sized but could do with more jets for everyone.

Yet the pilothouse, with dinette and galley with domestic appliances, rules in the living spaces, while the stellar bar in the flying bridge is akin to something you’d see on a 100-footer with a waiter whizzing up cocktails. Sadly, they one of few aftermarket items you’ll need to source and sauce.

PROVEN ENGINEERING

As for construction, Chueh takes a relatively conservative view and won’t move key aluminium I-beams, doesn’t like glass-on-glass opening ports (hence their absence in the stateroom), and uses solid GRP for hull layups, sometimes with Kevlar reinforcing.

"Increasingly, the yachting industry is adopting exotic materials and even aerospace materials. Despite their 'sex appeal', other industries' applications may not really be desirable or even applicable for use in pleasure yachts. We will never abandon sound engineering principles in a misleading search for the latest fad or 'high-tech' solution," Chueh says on the Ocean Alexander website, where there’s plenty more to read about the engineering.

The 72’s arrival here is due to a new distribution deal with Grand Banks dealers. Where GBs end, or near enough with the 76 Aleutian, OAs take off. Hank Compton from Grand Banks Australia is thrilled to be representing both brands at his Hope Island offices. Ocean Alexander is based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The company’s web site is www.oceanalexander.com.

Read the latest Boatsales Network news and reviews on your mobile, iPhone or PDA at the Boatsales Network's mobile site. Or download the all-new App.ean Alexander is based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The company’s web site is www.oceanalexander.com.

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