Sitting at the flybridge helm of the Marlow 65 Explorer, northbound for Onslow Bay and well off the coast of North Carolina, I marveled at the ride of this passagemaker. As it reacted to 6-foot waves and high winds on its stern, the motion was comfortable, the ride was dry, and the tracking was as straight as the proverbial train on tracks. Marlow Founder David Marlow is well known for his long-distance luxury cruisers, but maybe more so for his hull designs that are capable and efficient in deep water.
The Marlow 65 was codesigned with Doug Zurn, the Marblehead, Massachusetts, naval architect who gained fame with his creation of the Shelter Island 38. “The 65 was our design number 9954, which we started in 1999,” Zurn said. “It was built in Taiwan at President Marine, where the tooling was constructed to allow the development of several other boats with similar characteristics, notably the Marlow 61C and the 57C. The original boat was also called the 65C, with the ‘C’ designating a conventional stern and differentiating it from an ‘E’ for a Euro-style stern developed later.”
Viewed in profile, the underwater portion of the hull shows several distinctive features. It includes a modestly deep forefoot curving upwards to a clipper-profile stem beneath substantial bow flare, a pair of lifting strakes between the shallow keel and a full-length chine, and a long clean run warping to a 14-degree transom deadrise. A comparatively shallow keel with a depth of 4 feet, 5 inches adds tracking ability and minimizes downwind wandering. Aft of the keel, a pair of fin-like struts encloses the run of the shafts to the prop, adding protection while helping to reduce the drag of conventional running gear.
For beauty’s sake, as well as a lower center of gravity, the profile of the deckhouse was kept low. On the flybridge, there is abundant room aft for RIB storage, with substantial square footage remaining for large lockers, comfortable built-in seating and a centerline helm.
The lower helm is situated slightly to starboard of centerline, creating space for a lounge and table to port for those who wish to keep the helmsman company. Two doors lead from the bridgedeck to the side decks, which are covered by flybridge overhangs. The galley abaft the helm is large and U-shaped, well positioned to serve those in the salon aft or on the bridgedeck. Belowdecks, the accommodations include an amidships master stateroom, large forward guest stateroom, and a portside guest cabin.
July 2025
