Damen Yachting’s Redesigned 252-Foot SeaXplorer 77 Expedition Yacht Can Double as a 150-Guest Dance Club

There’s always room for improvement—even if, like Damen Yachting, you concept and build superlative seafaring vessels for discriminating clients. The Dutch yard has redesigned its SeaXplorer 77 expedition vessel to offer even greater efficiency, style and luxury.

The 252-footer is the first to be updated in the SeaXplorer series. The overhaul was prompted by a comprehensive review that was carried out by the in-house design team, Azure Yacht Design and EYOS Expeditions. After weighing feedback from clients, the team fine-tuned the model to focus more on the exploration lifestyle. In essence, they outfitted it with even more high-end amenities.

The new design obviously draws on the original SeaXplorer 77 design, of which Damen Yachting has delivered three to date. However, there are some noticeable differences. First and foremost, the vessel has been kitted out with a range of outdoor features conducive to tropical destinations, including an upper deck swimming pool and an alfresco party space that’s large enough to accommodate 150 guests and comes complete with a dancefloor and DJ deck. The vessel also features an observation deck and sky lounge where one can soak in the views.

To the aft, there’s a new multipurpose deck that can be customized to suit a seafarer’s needs—whether that means deploying a seaplane or storing a seven-person submarine. There’s also a helipad for requisite day trips.

The glow up extends to the interior, too. The yard asked its two design partners—Winch Design and Carlo Torre of Monaco Yacht Temptation—to create a fresh take on the living quarters. Both concepts are fittingly glamorous and it’s up to the owner to choose which one to implement. The vessel can sleep up to 12 guests, along with 19 crew.

In terms of power, all SeaXplorers are now offered with hybrid-electric propulsion and a battery bank for efficient (and sustainable) cruising. This setup gives the vessel a max speed of 14.5 knots and allows it to cover an impressive 6,000 nautical miles when traveling at 12 knots.

“Visiting the polar regions once in their lifetimes is on nearly every SeaXplorer client’s bucket list,” SeaXplorer design manager, Enrique Tintore, said in a statement. “But so are many tropical areas where the operational challenges shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s about staying safe in isolation, but also about enjoying the yachting lifestyle to the maximum.”

The first SeaXplorer 77, christened La Datcha, was built for Russian banker Oleg Tinkov and delivered at the end of last year. The highly customized design, which can cruise the high seas for 40 days straight, features two helicopters, a mini-submarine, a private hospital, a Turkish spa and more. It’s living proof of what can be achieved with this exceptional model and is currently available for charter with Edmiston for just shy of $900,000 a week.

“When we started our ambitious SeaXplorer program, we dreamed of something different—a luxury expedition yacht born from an innovative crossover of our Amels yachting and Damen shipbuilding technology,” adds managing director Rose Damen. “It was a challenging ambition, but our clients have proved that there is a growing market for true expedition yachting beyond limits.”

We can only imagine what the next lot of improvements will bring.

Check out more images of the vessel below: