Wellcraft 44 Explorer motor yacht review: Prioritising of pleasure over potency

Wellcraft’s new flagship Wellcraft 44 Explorer sets its sights on a gentler, more mature form of fun. Alex Smith gets behind the wheel to see if it lives up to the promise

Sequels can be difficult. For proof of that, look no further than The Godfather Part III, Jaws: The Revenge or any Chesney Hawkes song apart from the one you actually know. But when you first lay eyes on this second adventure-style pilothouse boat from Wellcraft, the Wellcraft 44 Explorer, it feels like a sequel that could go either way.

The Wellcraft 44 Explorer has the same plumb bow, reverse screen, walkaround decks and sculpted hull sides as the original 355 (now renamed the Wellcraft 38 Explorer). It also tries to maximise internal space in the same way, courtesy of asymmetrical walkaround decks with a larger, deeper walkway to starboard.

But in spite of this being a much larger boat, the narrower, more elevated port side deck remains oddly difficult to navigate because of a roof overhang that forces you outboard, without sufficient grabrails, particularly at the aft end, to compensate for that.

Imperfect though that is, what’s arguably more interesting here is the fact that the Wellcraft 44 Explorer features much the same engines as we saw on the original 38 – and that’s in spite of adding 5ft to the length, 1ft 8in to the beam and four tonnes to the weight.

A long port galley leaves very little room for the forward seat

Recommended videos for you

It’s safe to say then that, notwithstanding the thick overlap in terms of deck layout and style, this new boat is designed to deliver a slightly different order of experience. You can still cruise on it, play on it, dine on it, sleep on it and load your gear onto the roof for a long weekend away.

But by pegging back the 50-knot potential of the original to around 40 knots and replacing some of that dynamic potency with extra space, comfort and refinement, the hope is that the new Wellcraft 44 Explorer can become an even more convincing multi-purpose platform.

ABOVE: The island sunbed leads onto a sunken forepeak lounge big enough for five people to escape the crowds

Is bigger really better?

It’s clear that the Wellcraft 44 Explorer’s day spaces have to offer something more than those of the 38 and they absolutely do. The cockpit, for instance, provides a pair of big drop-down bulwarks, a port wet bar with electric barbecue and plenty of sociable seating.

An L-shaped stern settee looks forward to a starboard seat and there’s also a mobile seat pod that adds some useful extra flexibility. You can use it as an infill between the two seating sections or as a standalone pod for the drop-down bulwarks. Or you can even take it inside, pair it with the seat pod that slides out from beneath the helm bench and ramp up the pilothouse’s starboard dining capacity to five or six.

Folding terraces and mobile seat pods ramp up the flexibility

There are some clever touches elsewhere too. Carbon-fibre poles enable you to stretch a ready-rigged canvas over and down from the hardtop for easy shelter from the sun. There’s also plenty of space beneath the deck for a generator, a Seakeeper gryo stabiliser and a sizable storage trough; and there’s a swim ladder that fits equally well on either of the two terraces.

Up at the bow, a sunken four or five-man lounge at the forward edge of the island sunbed provides a handy (if relatively modest) alternative gathering zone. And back in the aft cockpit, the integration between inside and outside is also decent, thanks to a single-level deck and a swing-up window on the port side that helps merge the external wet bar and internal galley.

Article continues below…

But as on the 38, that galley occupies so much space that the port co pilot seat is too cramped to operate as a comfortable seating option for a six-footer. You do get a sliding port window with direct access to a cleat for easy singlehanded helming.

You also get a starboard skipper’s door, an aft skylight and a large forward sunroof for whatever blend of brightness and ventilation you need. But for our money, a shorter galley and a lengthier port seating space would have been a better way to use the 44’s extra volume.

The bow cabin is set aside for the owner on account of its private ensuite, extra light and loftier headroom

Key differentiators

If much of this is likely to resonate with those who know the smaller 38, the lower deck and the driving experience are the elements that really set it apart. As a 44ft boat with a beam of 12ft 6in, there’s plenty of space for an ensuite bow cabin, a port day heads and a full-beam midships double. That’s by no means extraordinary for a boat of this size but every one of the four spaces is attractive.

The bathrooms come with plenty of headroom and separate showers; and in spite of a slightly restricted deckhead, the space and facilities of the guest double, with its huge port bed and long starboard settee, look sufficient to pose a dilemma as to which cabin the owner should choose.

The midships VIP cabin gets a huge bed and a starboard settee

As for the drive, this is a far more refined and softer riding boat than the 38. That’s partly because it’s 10 knots slower, partly because its weight distribution feels better optimised and partly because of the extra shelter and noise isolation afforded by the boat’s more substantial pilothouse. Sound readings are really cruise-friendly in a way that the 38 can’t match and, fun though the smaller boat might be, the union here between engines and boat feels far more natural.

It stays planted in a turn, composed in a beam sea and responsive to your fine-tuning, both via the leg angles and the tabs. The fact that the helm station features a set of fingertip controls mounted on the wheel hub enables you to keep your eyes on the water and your hand on the throttle – and while some might still hanker after a little extra poke, the straightforward user-friendliness of this boat feels like a very well judged upgrade.

Planted in a turn, composed in a beam sea and responsive to your fine-tuning

Wellcraft 44 Explorer specifications

LOA: 43ft 11in (13.40m)
BEAM: 12ft 6in (3.82m)
DRAFT: 3ft 9in (1.20m)
DISPLACEMENT: 10,491kg (light)
FUEL CAPACITY: 1,287 litres
WATER CAPACITY: 250 litres
ENGINES: triple Mercury 350 V10 outboards
RCD: B10/C12
PRICE: from €735,000 ex VAT
CONTACT: www.wellcraft.com


If you enjoyed this….

Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

Verdict

The Wellcraft 44 Explorer is a really interesting boat. Yes, it lacks the outright speed of the 38 and both the port co-pilot seat and the raised port side deck remain oddly imperfect despite the extra scale Wellcraft’s designers have at their disposal. With a starting price of €882,000 inc VAT, (about 80% more than the 38), this is not an upgrade you can take lightly either. But with its second double berth, its extra volume, its improved running refinement and its uprated aft deck, the 44’s very conscious prioritising of pleasure over potency actually makes it a much better bet for the wide range of family pursuits to which the modern ‘adventure boat’ is likely to be put.

Latest reviews

Latest videos