There are yachts you can stand to be on for extended periods of time, and then there are yachts you want to be on for extended periods of time. Once you step aboard the Selene Classic Explorer 60, you’ll definitely want to stay on it for as long as you possibly can. That could be quite a while, too, especially if you decide to cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda, or to the Bahamas. Or Boston, or Bangor, or New Brunswick, or for that matter pretty much wherever the heck you want, because this vessel boasts a whopping 2500 nautical miles of range while cruising along at eight knots.
Plenty of yachts of this size are plenty comfortable, so what sets the Selene Classic Explorer 60 apart? Plenty. The boat has a raised sheer and a high deck, which boosts interior volume and headroom belowdecks. And there’s quite a bit of belowdecks to explore. The layout includes three staterooms and two heads, finished in glowing satin wood and teak and holly soles. Selene adds a commissary between the engine room and the master stateroom, which both insulates the sleeping quarters from noise and provides an epic amount of stowage including room for a freezer and laundry machines. Walk through it to inspect the iron horses, and you’ll discover that the overheads are tall enough to stand upright even in the engine room.
Housed down there sits a single 425-horsepower John Deere diesel, which can take the Classic Explorer 60 to a top-end of 11 knots. This is a high-torque, low RPM powerplant with exceptional reliability and a water-cooled exhaust manifold designed to minimize engine noise. It was born to cruise. Handling, which can be a challenge on some single-screw straight inboards, is kept easy thanks to bow and stern thrusters.
Another highlight in the cabin is the stairs. Who cares about stairs? You will, when you notice how pains have been taken to make them, like other oft-unnoticed parts of the Selene, second to none. They’re lighted under the nosings, have grippy strips on the treads, and handrails running alongside. Note the curvaceous woodwork and handrails running through the main staircase next to the helm, with an overhead that’s artfully scalloped out to prevent any banging of foreheads. But don’t pass by that helm station without first checking it out. There’s room for multiple MFDs measured in feet rather than inches, uber-comfy helm seats, a row of reverse-raked windows with wipers, a skylight overhead, a dinette aft, and a side door leading to the Portuguese bridge. It’s all ensconced in real wood, as is the rest of the main cabin, with countertops that are fiddled and A.C. and heat blowing in via integrated wood valances. The attention to detail is acute.
Of course, while you’re voyaging, you’ll want to spend as much time outside as inside. Much of that time will likely be on the flybridge, which is protected at the front by a hard top, sports a pair of ladder-back chairs at the helm, and has a large settee with a dinette table. Aft of the dinette there’s space for the dinghy davit and your tender. The flybridge extends all the way aft to shade the cockpit, which boasts a molded-in settee as well as a large inset swim platform.
If you’re getting the feeling that this model is rather grand in nature, well, it is. Just about everything you can think of for long-distance trawler-style cruising is present and accounted for: a water-maker, lightning grounding system, chain rode auto-counters on the windlass for two anchors, stabilizers, you name it. But it’s not merely packaged in the form of a traditional trawler—every inch of the Selene is pure yacht from bow to stern.
Spend a day or two aboard? Sure. Spend a week or two aboard? Even better. But we’re thinking months at a time would be better yet. See the Classic Explorer 60 for yourself, and it’s a safe bet you’ll be thinking the very same thing. You can catch it in person on Dock F2 at the Annapolis Powerboat Show (October 2-5).
By Lenny Rudow
Selene 60 Classic Explorer Specifications:
LOA: 65’1”
Beam: 17” 10”
Draft (min.): 5’8”
Displacement (approx.): 126,760 lbs.
Fuel Capacity: 1800 gal.
Water Capacity: 500 gal.
Max HP: 425
Learn more: seleneamericas.com