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Instead of retiring, David Marlow has continued building boats and an eco-friendly factory in China for his sturdy new 78-foot Explorer.
by Bill Ando
photography by Pamela Jones (Exterior)
11/01/2004
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| Marlow 78 |  |
When naval architect David Marlow exhibited his first boat at the 2000 Miami
International Boat Show, his plan was to sell 10 of the 65-foot Explorers, then
retire. Four years after he launched his brand, he has built 34 boats and
debuted his latest and largest, the 78E Explorer. He has already taken 17 orders
for the 78E (the E designates a European transom design). Along with his
72-footer, Marlow is building the 78E at Norseman Shipbuilding, a new
25-acre, ecologically sensitive manufacturing facility he recently constructed
in Xiamen, China. “I don’t want to build as many as I can sell, but as many
as I can build well,” he says.
A stickler for quality in all aspects from
conception to final finish, Marlow employed engineering data gleaned from
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and NASA studies in the 78E’s design and
construction. The boat’s strength comes from Kevlar in the hull as well as
carbon fiber and modified epoxy resins infused for maximum strength and optimum
weight. “We’ve had thirty-five people in the salon and there isn’t one stringer
supporting it,” Marlow says. The salon floor extends 24 feet, three inches from
the back door to the galley step. High-density CoreCell scored with 60 1/8-inch
ridges connect the top and bottom laminates through the core material, effecting
strong, multiple I-beam configurations throughout the section. Marlow reports
that with insulation, the panel is only 3.75 inches thick. “With beams it would
be eleven inches,” he says. Thinner floors produce a lower profile, so the
hardtop is only 18 feet off the water. “We also have a lower center of gravity,”
he says.
Marlow’s Strut Keels – based on submarine research – encase the
rotating propeller shafts, thus eliminating drag, and enhancing the boat’s
tracking ability. They are strong enough to support the yacht if the tide goes
out on her and they also protect the 40-inch propellers.
he entire exterior
is produced from three female articulating molds. The deck and superstructure
are removed as one piece, with items such as cleats and windows molded in,
eliminating potential leaks. Marlow says, “It’s triple what a standard mold
would cost, but it cuts 1,000 man-hours out of the build.”
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