PHOTOS: Jeff Brown and Kerem Sanliman
Though the calendar says summer ends in September, it essentially didn’t end until a few weeks ago for the owner of Marla. He extended his first season aboard right up to that very time. It was therefore a remarkable first few months aboard for him, with his yacht additionally being the first 32XP from Numarine.
The “XP” in the model name hints at the long-range cruising focus for the series. The 106’6” (32.5-meter) Marla reportedly can venture 4,000 nautical miles at 9 knots. The twin 715-hp Caterpillars also reportedly allow a cruise speed of 12 knots. Equally important, Numarine says Marla surpassed the highest level of the voluntary DNV GL – Comfort Class requirements. In brief, these requirements govern sound and vibration attenuation. Numarine claims that together with its subcontractors, it ensured that sound levels inside are no higher than 45 decibels when Marla is cruising. It adds that 22 decibels is the maximum in all guest areas below decks at anchor, when the genset is operating.
Incredibly quiet accommodations were important to the owner, because he plans to make long voyages mostly at night. Some of the sound and vibration abatement comes from “floating” the cabins. They’re not directly connected to the yacht’s structure, which would normally be the case for a yacht of her size. Typically fully custom megayachts far larger in size follow this isolating practice.
Speaking of the cabins, Marla makes room for an owner’s party of 12. The 32XP lets buyers tailor arrangements to their liking. So, the owner requested some special features. For example, a gym to starboard on the main deck is just outside his stateroom. That stateroom (above), by the way, comprises 323 square feet (30 square meters). Yet another master stateroom (below) sits one deck up, occupying 431 square feet (40 square meters). Better yet, it has sliding glass doors aft, to enjoy more of the view. This, when the tender and toys are in the water. Nearly three times as much space as the main-deck master goes to the two VIPs and two doubles below decks.
The crew’s quarters for five, meanwhile, including the captain, have private access to the main-deck galley and to the port-side external deck. The captain can choose to drive Marla from the primary helm inside the wheelhouse or up on the flying bridge. Two companion seats accompany the latter.
More cruising and hopefully sunny skies await Marla for the future. In the meantime, the Numarine USA office is working with the buyer of hull number two of the 32XP series. She awaits a summer handover. So, too, does hull number three, sold directly by the shipyard.
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