With the 100 Motoryacht, Ocean Alexander presents a versatile vessel suited to handle charter—and anything else thrown into her path.

By Andrew Parkinson

For Florida cruisers, a stiff north breeze gusting 20 to 25 knots after a cold front usually means it’s going to be a bumpy ride—if you’re lucky enough to get out at all. If I had a ten-spot for every sea trial that’s been conveniently postponed because of inconvenient sea conditions, I might be penning this on my own 100-footer. But on this day, Ocean Alexander was set on keeping its $10.

The 100 Motoryacht, Ocean Alexander’s newest model, is a yachtsman’s boat in every sense, one that teeters on the cusp of captain versus owner-operator. Designed by Evan K. Marshall with charter in mind, the OA 100 is the natural progression from the OA 90, which launched in 2013. While the OA 100’s overall configuration and performance are traditional, her volume, style and enhancements for charter are distinctly her own.

Two things stand out when entering the boat from the aft deck: the living space is scaled upward, projecting the feeling of being on a larger vessel, and natural light is emphasized by large side windows—structurally achieved with aluminum I-beam engineering and sandwiched glass. The vibe is upscale contemporary, a look and feel that, according to representative Bruce Siler of Ocean Alexander dealer MarineMax in Fort Lauderdale, gained the attention of hull number one’s owners, who moved up from an 88 Ferretti.

Across a lengthy salon that utilizes every inch of its 23-foot beam, and amid the combination of light and dark fabrics, is custom-fit cabinetry in the formal dining area. It’s striking and functional, hiding stowage for china, stemware, flatware, glassware and any other type of ware required for long-range cruising or charter. Ambience is enhanced with a built-in wet bar to starboard.

Forward and to port is a galley designed for owner-operator or charter use with marble countertops, high-end appliances from Thermador, Fisher & Paykel, Viking, Whirlpool and Sub-Zero, and a full-size pantry. Preparation of a seven-course meal is feasible and Ocean Alexander’s craftsmanship is evident in the cabinetry and the galley’s overall configuration, which even found room to incorporate a decent-size wine fridge. Typical of Ocean Alexander, it’s an open-galley arrangement with bar chairs and a wide pass-through. Beyond is a warm, inviting lounge area with an L-shape settee for casual dining or a cup of coffee underway. A pop-up flat-screen television separates the adjacent helm station to starboard.

Each of the four staterooms has an en-suite head with marble countertops and floors. To refer to the 100’s full-beam master as the piece de resistance is easy—although it seems like irresponsible reporting for a vessel of this size. The master is nothing short of exquisite, with handcrafted nightstands, oversize windows, a love seat, a walk-in closet, a separate hanging locker across the room and his-and-her heads separated by a shower. The room is insulated well against noise, with a mere 58 decibels registered from the king-size bed while underway.

Ocean Alexander calls the upper-deck a flybridge, which is technically correct but almost seems to sell itself short. The deck space is surprisingly voluminous, even for a 100-footer, and the view is superb. There’s an elegantly curved bar and grill area, dining for eight, lounging seats for more than eight, a 15-foot tender and a spa tub, making the space as luxurious as it is functional for entertaining—real entertaining, as in “trade the sandwiches and Dasani water bottles for lamb chop lollipops and free-flowing Veuve.”

Ocean Alexander also offers an OA 100 skylounge version, which trades the lower helm for a custom desk while adding adding a swank second lounge area up top complete with a large bar area behind the triple-chair upper helm station. Hull number two, a skylounge version, is on the way.

Any responsible captain pulls back on the reins during bad weather, and Ocean Alexander’s company captain, Stephen Wenger, indicated we might not see wide-open throttle on our sea trial. Six-footers are hardly ideal for running at maximum rpm. On the flybridge, we braced for impact as we set out into the chop, which proved no big deal for the 100, a testament to her fiberglass infusion lamination below the waterline. She comfortably held her own, putting her Side-Power fin stabilizers to the test, and had quick-response rudders, smooth entry and no slapping. Barely a drop of sea spray hit the helm, making it easy to imagine the pleasure of cruising on a kinder, gentler day.

We ended up finding our way to wide-open throttle—2,300 rpm and nearly 25 knots—and it was a joyride. (Eat your hearts out, landlubbers.) Typical of Ocean Alexander, the OA 100 is conservative at the low end in terms of fuel efficiency, burning a mere 24 gallons per hour at 10 to 12 knots. With 4,000 gallons of fuel underneath, that gets you all the way up the east coast in time for summer cruising season. The burn of course picks up a bit on the higher end burning 140 gallons per hour at close to 20 knots, but those numbers are still relatively kept in check thanks to her slippery semi-displacement hull form.

The engine room is glitzy in stainless steel. Accessibility is good around the twin 1,925-horsepower Caterpillar C32 ACERT engines, with 7-foot overheads and generous work spaces. The crew quarters abaft the engine room are noteworthy in terms of space, fit and finish, suggesting viable possibilities for charter. The captain gets a queen-size berth and en-suite head, while two crew staterooms share a head in addition to the crew galley and a common area.

Heading in after an exhilarating ride, we passed a performance sailor readying the sheets en route out of the cut. The kid inside me was yelling, “Man, how much fun would that be on a day like this,” to which the comfortable, dry and pushing-40-year-old in me retorted, “Awfully wet, though.”

Ocean Alexander can keep its 10 bucks. And I, too, would put my money on the OA 100 any day.

Creating Cohesion—Behind the Design

Filling an important need at the popular century mark for upsizing yacht owners, while addressing the possibility of charter, the launch of the 100 marked a culmination of sorts for designer Evan K. Marshall’s efforts.

“The tooling was in place, but OA was committed to refreshing it almost to the same degree as a new product line,” Marshall says. “It required putting on our thinking caps to create something fresh while maintaining a cohesion with the fleet.

“We put the majority of the extra length of the main deck into the galley,” Marshall says, noting the 100’s charter-friendly professional galley layout, emphasizing more space for appliances. “On the lower aft deck we reconfigured the crew area to host a full complement of crew should the owner wish to charter. And with the level of detail in the crew area, you effectively have two additional guest staterooms for larger families.

“Also with charter in mind, we created two symmetrical twin staterooms in the forward living area, which can be converted to queens, and we gave her two very distinct social areas with the main salon and the skylounge.”

According to Marshall, the challenge was maintaining consistency in the lines for both the flybridge and skylounge versions. This included OA’s iconic windows—an evolution from the OA 120. The windows have become a signature for the fleet and may find their way into a 65-footer in design now.

Video I: Ocean Alexander 100 MY full tour

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKxF0G4PJU0

Video II: Ocean Alexander celebrates the debut of the OA 100 with a VIP Party at the 2014 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show.

Specs

LOA: 100ft. 2in. (30.53m)

LWL: 87ft. 11in. (26.8m)

BEAM: 23ft. (7.01m)

DRAFT (max.): 6ft. 5in. (1.96m)

CONSTRUCTION: fiberglass, aluminum, carbon fiber

DISPLACEMENT: 229,900 lbs.

ENGINES: 2 x 1,925-hp Caterpillar C32 ACERT

PROPELLERS: 50 x 46 NiBrAl 4-blade

FUEL: 4,000 gal. (15,141L)

WATER: 650 gal. (2,461L)

SPEED (max.): 23.5 knots

SPEED (cruising): 18 knots

RANGE: 3,133 nm @ 10 knots

GENERATORS: 2 x 53 kW Kohler

STABILIZERS: Side-Power Vector Fin

NAVAL ARCHITECTURE: Ocean Alexander

EXTERIOR DESIGN: Evan K. Marshall

INTERIOR DESIGN: Evan K. Marshall

GUEST CABINS: 1 master, 3 guest

CREW: 3-4 in three cabins

BUILDER: Ocean Alexander

YEAR: 2014

BASE PRICE: $8,950,000