8. The Best Ocean-Crossing Motor Yachts: Steve Dashew on FPB Explorer Yachts & Seagoing Comfort

What really makes a motor yacht safe, comfortable and capable of crossing oceans, not just surviving them? 


Sue sits down with legendary designer and lifelong cruiser Steve Dashew to talk about FPB explorer yachts, and why not every metal boat in the anchorage is created equal.

Now retired from full time yacht building, Steve and Linda have swapped FPB commissioning for land yachting in Arizona, photography, and a very serious Ford truck and camper project. But Steve is still studying hulls, watching the America’s Cup, advising quietly in the background and thinking deeply about what makes a truly capable long range cruiser.

Drawing on hundreds of thousands of sea miles, including Greenland, the South Pacific and long upwind slogs that most of us try to avoid, Steve explains why their approach was always “cruisers first, designers second” and how that changed the shape of FPB.


A core theme in this episode is the importance of consistently high average speed at sea. Many boats can post an impressive top speed in flat water, but very few can maintain meaningful pace through crossing sea states, head seas, or long downwind passages. Steve explains why average speed, not peak speed, is the fundamental pillar of safe passagemaking.


 A yacht that can reliably deliver consistently high average speeds unlocks shorter passage times, the ability to ride or outrun weather systems, and, most importantly, a calmer, more predictable experience for the crew. Comfort and safety are not separate ideas; they are linked directly to whether a boat can keep moving fast while keeping motion under control.

In this conversation, we dig into:

• Steve explains how maintaining 10–11 knots in real ocean conditions lets you stay with favourable systems, avoid the worst of storms, and dramatically reduce fatigue on passage. As he says, “If you can keep your average up, the weather works for you. If you can’t, it works against you.”
• Why explorer style yachts have exploded in popularity, and why many look like FPBs but do not behave like them when the barometer falls.
• The idea of yacht design as a zero sum game, where every interior gain, hull tweak or fashion line has a direct impact on motion, steering control and safety.
• How to evaluate an explorer yacht if you are planning serious miles: why you should sea trial in ugly weather, insist on going out when the broker would rather stay alongside, and look closely at the people behind the design.
• The difference between a boat that “can take it” and a crew that actually wants to keep going. As Steve puts it, successful cruising is about being mentally and physically comfortable, not just structurally safe.
• The story behind FPB 83 WIND HORSE. Steve and Linda staked their own money and miles on a radical concept that many experts said would not work. Tank testing, CFD and ratios got them part of the way, but the real proof came after 15,000 to 20,000 miles at sea.
• Why steering control is everything offshore. FPBs are designed to surf safely at speed, why many owners are initially afraid to do so, and how average speed around 10 to 11 knots lets you work with weather systems instead of being punished by them.
• The trade off between interior volume and true seagoing ability.

If you care about long range cruising, motion comfort, or are quietly shopping for an explorer yacht that can really cross oceans, this is a conversation worth your time. Steve is candid about risk, generous with hard won lessons and very clear on one thing: it is much safer, and far more fun, to go fast in control than to go slowly and suffer.


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