Delos Explorer 53 first look: The adventure yacht designed for Youtubers

The Delos Explorer 53 is a new yacht designed and built for Youtube stars, Karin and Brian Trautman, aka Sailing SV Delos

Few people are lucky enough to be able to take a hands-on approach to the design and build of their own dream yacht. But that’s exactly what Karin and Brian Trautman, along with daughter Sierra, are currently doing with the new Delos Explorer 53.

The new boat is set to replace the 53ft Amel Super Maramu ketch Delos that has taken them on a huge number of adventures. It also established Sailing Delos as one of the most popular sailing channels on YouTube.

Delos 2.0 will be a 53ft aluminium explorer catamaran borne of the experience gained while covering some 85,000 miles at sea over 15 years. Brian has described the project as “one of our biggest adventures ever” and it’s no surprise this yacht appears to be very carefully thought out, including layouts on deck that reflect how people use their boats in reality.

An unusually comprehensive outdoor galley at the aft end of the main cockpit, for instance, has refrigeration, sink, barbecue/stove, plus a fish filleting and preparation station. It’s an arrangement they say is “inspired by years of cooking and entertaining in the sweltering tropics.” In addition, this area incorporates stowage for six dive bottles and a liferaft.

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There’s a Gunboat-style forward sailing cockpit at the base of the mast area, connected to the bridgedeck saloon by a full-height door, creating excellent ventilation when at anchor. A full watch-keeping station, including a wheel, at the front of the saloon enables the boat to be conned from inside during bad weather.

Systems also benefit from Brian’s knowledge and insights as a former electrical engineer. The parallel hybrid-electric propulsion has a single 80hp diesel engine, plus twin 25kW electric motors which are also capable of hydrogeneration while sailing.

A back-to-basics approach adds a level of redundancy that enormously increases overall reliability, making it far more resilient if problems are encountered.

Delos 2.0 is an adaptation of an existing design by Kiwi naval architects De Villiers. It is currently in build by Stradbroke Yachts near Brisbane and is scheduled to launch at the end of 2025.

Delos Explorer 53 specifications

Hull length: 16m / 52ft 7in
Beam: 7.7m / 19ft 5in
Draught: 1.2m / 4ft 0in
Displacement: 16,340kg / 36,023lb
Builder: svdelos.com

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