Steeler Yachts in the Netherlands splashed Hull No. 1 of its flagship, the CE-A class Ocean Explorer 85, earlier this year.
The 85 has a steel displacement hull with an aluminum superstructure. She’s built to be an oceangoing cruiser equipped for all-season autonomy. Her fully insulated hull and double-glazed windows should help keep the boat cool in the summer and warm in the winter months. A solar array on the flybridge hardtop can run hotel loads, backed by a pair of 20-kW gensets. The lazarette adds to her already generous stowage capacity, allowing owners to carry a range of spare parts and sundries.
Inside, the interior finishes include a mélange of hardwoods, neutral-tone soft goods and, in the salon, a curved steel and wood staircase that leads to the flybridge. Three steps up from the salon are the galley and dinette, with the lower helm just forward. Herringbone wood soles throughout the boat elevate her already good looks.
The flybridge is enveloped with electrically actuated windows for an easy switch from open-air cruising to a fully enclosed lounge. A hot tub and sunpad are abaft the flybridge galley. Along with the foredeck and cockpit, they give the 85 a number of alfresco gathering areas. The after section of the flybridge can be used for dinghy and water-toy stowage, and there is additional room on the swim platform, where the owner added chocks to stow a Williams jet tender.
Belowdecks are four en suite staterooms: an amidships, full-beam master with a walkaround king berth; a forward VIP; and, between them, a pair of guest staterooms with twin berths. Crew quarters are abaft the engine room and accessed from the transom.
Powered by twin 394-hp MAN engines, the 85 has a 4,000-nautical-mile range at 8 knots and will top out at 12 knots, according to the builder.
steeleryachts.com
This article originally appeared in the November/December 2025 issue of Passagemaker magazine.
