Broader Horizon

A new breed of explorer yacht is under construction at Horizon Yacht headquarters, responding to the global demand for luxurious, long-range cruising to remote regions.

Photography by Horizon Yacht

27 October 2022

An all-new Horizon that breaks the mould is currently in build at Horizon’s factory with an entirely new hull, developed by CEO John Lu and the expert designers on-site.

The new 40-metre design merges a P series hull and FD top in a tri-deck Explorer model that can be built to MCA, RINA, AMSA or any global class.

At 140 feet, the fibreglass hull will set a new world record for the largest hull built using the vacuum SCRIMP method (Seemann Composites Resin Infusion Moulding Process).

“It’s a complex process and it’s very expensive,” explains Mark Western, Managing Director at Horizon Yacht Australia.

“Building an explorer vessel with a fibreglass hull has many benefits, including being lightweight for its strength. Steel can be very rigid. Fibreglass requires a lot less maintenance.

The new explorer model is a combination of a P series hull and FD top in a trideck format.

The 40-metre hull is in build at the Horizon facility and has already attracted interest from clients around the world.

Features include massive deck space and all the amenities of a global-roaming explorer superyacht.

“But it’s complicated and many builders don’t want to take the risk of single-shot lamination. Horizon’s Atech facility has the expertise and aerospace technology to achieve it.”

Known as the 6D fusion process, SCRIMP facilitates the flow of resin into fibre interstices and core material grooves through pressure variation.

Horizon has been continuously testing over the past 20 years and is able to infuse any type of mould completely.

This improved technology ensures consistency throughout all structural components, creates hulls that are as light and as strong as possible, and reduces the emission of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) by nearly 80 percent.

While the hull is in build, Horizon is tendering the new design to its international clientele.

“We’ve had a couple of enquiries from potential Australian clients so we could soon see one in our waters,” says Mark.

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