CdM announced that in just one months’ time, another Flexplorer 146 has been sold.
“Flexplorer 146 confirms its success and CdM continues its penetration of the American market as hoped – and foreseen – at the beginning of 2021. We can safely say that CdM is actually becoming a point of reference among the more experienced American yacht owners.”
Vasco Buonpensiere, Co-founder and Sales and Marketing Director of CdM
“When we first introduced the Flexplorer line in 2018, we promised yacht owners a range of explorer yachts with an extraordinary level of flexibility. It was a bet, not for the outcome, as we were confident in our own capabilities to build such explorer yachts, but for the challenge it represented for the shipyard under both design and technical aspects. To offer and deliver full flexibility means that we treat each Flexplorer project as a full custom project. And all who knows what it entails, can understand the effort required as for technical staff, project managers, quality control, etc. In the 100/150 feet market, customization is indeed a much-abused word and behind the ‘winning’ formula the reality is that the Owner can just choose veneers, fabrics and few minor items,” says Vasco Buonpensiere, co-founder and Sales and Marketing Director of CdM.
“We decided to stress the customization to the limit offering our international clientele a concept within which each Owner can build together with us his own Flexplorer. Our move proved to be a successful reality (some of the Flexplorers in build are three-deckers, some are four-deckers) and since the first Flexplorer Aurelia was presented at the Cannes Yachting Festival on September 2021, the Flexplorer line is facing an unprecedented commercial success. Today we are proud to share with you that the another Flexplorer 146 has been sold… and more contracts are under negotiation. We brought the full breadth of our ingenuity to this project as we are committed to deliver the best possible yacht to the young and enthusiast American Owner who entrusted us to turn his ideas into a bold and beautiful vessel,” Vasco maintains. “It is a real pleasure to work with such a young yet expert and mature yacht owner: his focus on quality, over engineering, reliability and human relationship are out of the ordinary. Fond of water sports, the Owner comes from a yacht-owners family – they have a yacht build by a renowned Dutch yard – and wished to build his own yacht to enjoy cruising far and wide with his own yacht. On behalf of CdM’s team, I’d like to thank Captain Andrew Smout and surveyor Robert Bennet for their valuable contribution during the contractual phase and the definition of the project” says Vasco Buonpensiere. “I have to say that nowadays CdM is able to attract an amazing community of solid, enthusiast and knowledgeable owners and this makes us even prouder of what we do with commitment and joy!”
Let’s go straight to information, facts and figures about the new Flexplorer 146. This Flexplorer 146, designed – as all the yachts of the line she belongs to – by Sergio Cutolo/Hydro Tec will feature four decks plus an under lower deck. The interior layout has the following configuration, from bottom to top:
- Under lower deck a walkable tunnel – hosting easily accessible technical equipment – connects the crew quarters to the engine;
- Lower deck: two guest cabins; six crew cabins (two astern the guest cabins and four forward); galley with dumb waiter to the main deck pantry; crew mess; laundry; walk-in cold store;
- Main deck: salon (lounging and dining) with asymmetrical configuration; large pantry; lobby; three guest cabins (two twins and a large double cabin that can be converted into a homeschooling room or studio);
- Owner’s deck: sky lounge; owner’s stateroom forward with office, walk-in dressing room and large bathroom;
- Wheelhouse deck: lobby, day toilet; Captain cabin; wheelhouse;
- Crow’s nest: a flight of stairs leads from the Wheelhouse deck to a panoramic terrace commanding a 360° view of the surroundings.
The Flexplorer line is characterized by extremely large outdoors and the 146 features an immense terrace on the Main deck astern where a 10-metre custom tender, a crew tender and two jet skis will be stored. Once the tenders are launched with a wondrous A-frame crane (above 4t capacity), the deck turns into a lounging, dining, entertaining area for guests to enjoy life en plein air.
On the Owners deck guests can relax in the stern terrace or in a forward area equipped with one of two cold plunge pools the Owner asked to have on board. Last but not least, the Wheelhouse deck features a large sun deck astern with dining area, bar/galley and the second cold plunge pool surrounded by sun-pads.
Main technical/Performance data
The Flexplorer line in general is not designed for high speeds. Instead, the ultra-efficient hull form designed by Hydro Tec provides the low speeds associated with traditional displacement hulls, but with vastly lower fuel consumption. The result is remarkable: a high-performance, supremely comfortable displacement yacht with reduced environmental impact.
With her robust steel hull, at 44.34m and with a beam of 8.60m, the Flexplorer 146 silently and smoothly reaches a top speed of 14 knots thanks to twin Caterpillar C32 Acert 746kW which are smaller than those typically installed on a yacht of this size. At 10 knots, the yacht will have a range of above 6,500nm, a staggering figure for a 44m+ yacht displacing 440 tons and with a gross tonnage of 499GT. This proves the outstanding efficiency of the displacement hull form devised by Hydro Tec and achieved thanks to CdM’s minute attention to weight control.
The yacht will be equipped with two pairs of electro-driven stabilizing fins. This solution has multiple beneficial effects. First, the four fins arrangement grants for better course keeping because they cancel completely the steering effect caused by aft fins. In addition to that the Flexplorer 146 has been designed with independent electrically driven rudders that, thanks to a sophisticated software, work together with the four stabilizers furtherly improving course-keeping and, consequently, seakeeping itself. A 7,500-litre fresh water tank is located inside the bulbous bow.
Carlo Aquilanti, Sales Manager of CdM commented on this project: “Every project and every client are milestones in my career indeed. In cases like this one, I can foresee an experience which will stay even more deeply engraved in my history as one of the most positively challenging and pleasant for sure!”
“By the end of the year we will update you on our order book that sees other lines being successful as well (the RJ line and our war horse, the Darwin Class, plus a few one-off designs),” says Vasco Buonpensiere. “As for today CdM has as many as 14 explorer vessels under construction and we are further strengthening our technical staff to give each project maximum attention and care to deliver the best quality.”
Main Data
- LOA: 44.34 m
- LWL: 41.61 m
- Beam: 8,60 m
- Gross Tonnage: 499 GT
- Displacement Full load: 440t
- Engine: 2 x Caterpillar C32 Acert (A rating) 746kW @ 1600-1800rpm Tier III
- Max Speed: 14 knots
- Range @ 10 knots: 6.500 nm
- Fuel capacity: 60.000 litres
- Fresh water: 9.000 litres
- Guest cabins: 6
- Crew cabins: 7
