| Ocean Alexander Marine 98 |  |
Over the years, Ocean Alexander Marine has regularly, but
carefully, introduced new models to take advantage of its customers’ desire to
move up to ever-bigger boats. These additions have resulted in a marked increase
in the company’s market share, which was recently reported to be 23 percent of
yacht imports to the U.S. West Coast. As production yachts tend to do, the
company’s newest offering, a 98-foot (29.9-meter) motor yacht, follows in the
wake of previous models in terms of both finish and mechanical and electrical
installations. It sets a new course, however, in terms of complexity and space
planning.
| Click on the Spec and Design tab at top to see complete list of resources. |
The boat’s general arrangement should appeal to yacht owners
who have large families or who enjoy having lots of room for guests. The layout
of the main deck is straightforward and exemplifies the lifestyle that Ocean
Alexander customers, the majority of whom are West Coast based, enjoy. There
is a spacious California deck that provides easy access to the water from the
aft deck and to the crew accommodations and engine room via a transom door. The
aft deck itself is sheltered from the weather by the boat deck and is equipped
with a settee and table. Inside, the spacious and well-arranged main salon
is separated from the dining area by a buffet-height console, inside which
resides a 52-inch plasma TV.
A short passageway leads to the galley, which is arranged in
the popular country-kitchen layout and commands the entire forward third of
the superstructure on the main deck. Unlike many boats that eliminate glazing on
the forward end of the house, the OA 98’s country kitchen is glazed along both
sides as well as forward, thus becoming a pleasant, airy space with abundant
light and a cosmopolitan feel.
The OA 98’s belowdecks arrangement is where the surprise comes into play.
There are two stairways that descend from the main deck. One, located in the
main salon, leads to a small lobby off which are three cabins. The owner’s
stateroom is a full-beam affair with two heads, a pair of dressers and hanging
lockers and a king-size berth. Forward of the lobby are two guest staterooms,
each of which has a queen-size berth. The second staircase leads forward from the galley to yet more
cabins: a cabin with a double berth and a cabin in the forepeak with twin
berths, one of which is oversized and installed above a high set of drawers.
Both of these cabins share a head, while those off the aft stairway have ensuite
heads. What makes this all the more intriguing is that there is still
plenty of room in the machinery spaces to perform routine maintenance, more room
in fact than on some recent 120-footers built by competing companies. And if
that were not enough, there are two generous crew cabins located abaft of the
engine room that can accommodate four.
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