Superior Engineering

Where nature's materials are best, Ocean Alexander has specified and used the finest in the world. Where science has developed more expedient properties, we've used the best materials mankind can create. It's an expensive, labor-intensive way to approach construction, but it's the only way we'll consider engineering your Ocean Alexander vessel.

Aluminum I-Beams

Aluminum is ten times stiffer than wood or fiberglass, and the Series 6061 aluminum Ocean Alexander uses is a very pure, high-quality, aircraft grade with an extremely high strength-to-weight ratio. These meticulously engineered straight beams add little to the weight of our craft but add volumes in reliability, safety and maneuverability.

Carbon Fiber Reinforcement

Ocean Alexander uses unidirectional carbon fiber material as reinforcement in critical areas where our designs call for extreme strength. The tops of our stringers, for example. Unidirectional carbon fiber has ten times the strength of fiberglass. It's extremely light, yet astonishingly strong - twice as strong as woven carbon fiber. Other manufacturers use fibers such as Kevlar©', but significant problems associated with these materials eliminate them from our consideration.

European Class-One Plywood

Marine-grade and resin impregnated, our plywood far surpasses the woods used by other yacht builders. Some use home building plywood. Some use marine-grade plywood, but European Class-One plywood is saturated with enduring resins for the greatest possible water resistance.

Solid Hull Bottom

Ocean Alexander hulls are not cored below the water line. We insist on solid fiberglass for strength and safety. Note the example of the Taylor Maid. A solid hull makes your Ocean Alexander much less vulnerable to grounding, major or minor.

Other manufacturers have made a case for using space-age materials in their hulls, but the inherent properties of some of these materials can be detrimental rather than provide any real advantage. For example, Aramid or Kevlar, is a fiber popularized in the 1960s for use in bulletproof vests and other applications. Today it's used in some hulls, sandwiched inside layers of resin and fiberglass to avoid moisture penetration. Its crystalline structure gives it superior internal strength, but therein lies its weakness as well. The crystalline fibers absorb and retain water at any opportunity, whether through exposure to humid air during the manufacturing process or through actual contact with water in the event of a collision or other hull breach.

When retaining water, Aramid will delaminate from its surrounding structure. Although the defense industry uses it in their hulls, should a hull delaminate, the military quickly discards it. Aramid makes sense for small kayaks, where weight is a significant factor, but longevity is not. A luxury yacht hull, however, should last 20 years and beyond, and provide its owner with resale value rather than a potentially expensive liability.

Aquatech 22HS Shafts

Ocean Alexander insists on Aquatech 22HS for our yachts. Because almost no other yacht builders use this expensive, military-grade material, our supplier must custom-make our shafts, adding even more cost to the process. An alloy of chromium, nickel and manganese, Aquatech is so strong and corrosion-resistant that it's the shaft material of choice for high-horsepower and special-purpose military vessels. Ocean Alexander insists on this heavy-duty running gear because we're building a boat to last a lifetime.

AL600 Balsa with Vacuum Bag Technology

Despite man's attempts to imitate it with foams, balsa remains the strongest, stiffest core material for its weight. We use AL600, the finest grade, resin-saturated, end-grain balsa available in the world. Only a handful of yacht makers can choose this extremely expensive, labor-intensive advantage for their boats, but we are committed to balsa's superior qualities, especially when combined with vacuum bag technology. Used in our upper hull, AL600 balsa performs flawlessly in areas where heat would destroy man-made foams.

Reinforced Collision Bulkheads

A collision bulkhead is a safety necessity and adds to the yacht's integral strength. Not only do we reinforce our collision bulkheads with fiberglass, we give them the same gleaming gel coat as the yacht's exterior for water resistance and strength.

Superior Electrical System

Ocean Alexander uses only marine-grade, tinned copper wire to prevent corrosion. We hand-tie our harnesses and secure them for support, using anti-chafing materials where wires may contact sharp or hard boat structures. Every wiring harness in your engine room will be coded and labeled for quick tracing. We believe in building in an electrical system that exceeds the needs of the boat, and our wiring work meets all ABYC requirements.

Aboard your yacht will be 12V or 24V lights in all compartments and AC outlets throughout. We use only Vimar(tm) "Black Chrome" switches and outlets. Your engine and service batteries will be heavy-duty AGM, and we use explosion-proof lights.

Aluminum Alloy Fuel Tank

We fabricate our fuel tanks with a military-grade aluminum alloy, and our specs call for material that is four to six millimeters thick, the same thickness used on military vessels. No other builders in Taiwan use the same superior materials, and you will only find comparable materials used by top custom yacht builders in the United States and Europe. Our tanks have sight gauges and are pre-tested for pressure tolerance and leakage. Ocean Alexander's fuel tanks are the longest lived in the industry.

Pre-Tested Fuel Lines

Part of our rigorous quality-control checklist is pressure testing fuel lines before shipping. We want no surprises when you're underway.

Bilge Areas

We light bilge areas and provide easily accessible hatches, which facilitate fast service and can lower your service costs. Bilge pumps are located at the lowest practical points in your Ocean Alexander yacht and have anti-siphon protection. In the center engine room is a dry bilge area. We include multiple 24V bilge pumps with automatic and manual switching as well as a backup manual pump and a high-water bilge alarm in the engine room. We finish all our bilge areas with fine fairing and high-gloss paint.

Engine Room

High-tech sound insulation is just the beginning. Your first view of any Ocean Alexander engine room is an impressive expanse of polished stainless steel. Your engine rests on a dedicated stainless-steel base bolted to solid, polished stainless steel stringer caps. Our sophisticated vibration isolation system gives you an unsurpassed advantage in quiet and comfort.

Accessibility is a priority in our engine rooms. You'll find full-height ceilings in our larger yachts, and even smaller rooms have generous work spaces. Plumbing, hydraulic and electrical are color coded or clearly labeled for easy tracing. We insist on 24V vapor-proof lights - the same lights oil tankers and other commercial vessels use under hazardous conditions. You'll never have a bulb explode in your engine room. All plumbing and fittings are oversized.

The layout and finish detail found in an Ocean Alexander engine room is simply non-existent in competitive yachts. You may find you want to spend a great deal of time in your engine room, just admiring it.

Safety Glass

Flush, frameless windows give an unmatched sleek appearance to your Ocean Alexander, but that's only the beginning. We use the thickest safety glass in the industry. Your Ocean Alexander windshield and tempered/safety glass will measure eight to 12 millimeters thick, a thickness that approaches bulletproof quality.

Stainless Steel Railings

We insist on seamless tubing and a grip-able oval shape for our 2" stainless steel deck railings. We construct 1.5" elliptical railings for our fly bridges. Not only are our railings a safety feature, but they add a distinctive look to your vessel. Producing our railings requires highly developed welding and joinery skills Ocean Alexander craftsmen have perfected over three decades.

Locking Cockpit Hatch

A remote locking cockpit hatch provides you with an added degree of safety.

Safety Certifications

Through rigorous safety inspections, these international authorities recognize Ocean Alexander yachts for meeting and exceeding their standards and requirements:

"Increasingly, the yachting industry is adopting exotic materials and even aerospace materials. Despite their 'sex appeal', other industries' applications may not really be desirable or even applicable for use in pleasure yachts. We will never abandon sound engineering principles in a misleading search for the latest fad or 'high-tech' solution"
 - John Chueh