Bestevaer 36: First pictures of the compact aluminium explorer from the Netherlands
Alexander Worms
· 29.09.2023
A few years ago, YACHT visited Gerard Dykstra, the master designer who helped kiss the J-Class awake and was responsible for some spectacular new builds, on board his 53-foot aluminium yacht. The portrait of the friendly but stubborn older gentleman also turned into a detailed description of his, the very first, Bestevaer. The explorer had no refrigerator because it was an unnecessary luxury and the owner was planning to sail in the high latitudes anyway. The navigator's seat and table hung on a hinge so that you always sat upright on watch. This and a thousand other details showed that Dykstra had put a lot of thought into his ship.
Explorer with centreboard and comfort
It's exactly the same on board the 36: there are plenty of nice little things that make the boat easier to use, faster or more comfortable. There is a fridge. Dykstra himself doesn't want to talk about it, his wife is happy to have a cool gin and tonic.
Just as important: the little one sails well. The centreboard weighs 2.6 tonnes and ensures stability. Only 70 centimetres of draught remain when fully folded in. This allows the boat to fall dry on its belly and the heel under the saildrive. With the centreboard fully lowered, the Bestevaer goes 2.40 metres deep. The Explorer sails quite well with very little pressure. This only comes when 15 knots of wind and the Code Zero meet later in the YACHT test. Then it can reach just under eight knots. You need the fathead size, because otherwise there is a noticeable lack of six square metres of surface area. The back stays that are then required are no longer a problem as soon as the main is in the first reef. From a sailing point of view, the Bestevaer handles all this with ease.
Open foredeck and dog bunk
Down below, a large, open space awaits with a very large double berth behind a curtain in the foredeck. This is not a problem, says Dykstra, as the small Explorer is actually only designed for two people anyway. A third person can sleep in the dog bunk, which is located behind the very seaworthy galley. Other guests would have to sleep on the saloon berths. However, these are only 1.90 metres long. This in turn fits in with the 1.85 metres of headroom that remained after the typical Bestevaer lines were reduced to just under eleven metres in overall length. The wet room is also not lavish, but it works. If you do without the second seat in the doghouse and the oil locker underneath, you get more space and a shower room.
The Bestevaer costs from 565,000 euros. With some sensible equipment, it quickly becomes more than 600,000 euros. With sustainability options such as Oceanvolt E-drive and recycled sails, it can even be a seven in the front. You have to really appreciate the manoeuvrability and overall concept of the small explorer yacht. Which a sufficient number of customers should be able to do.
