Owner’s representation for expedition yacht acquisition, commercial-to-yacht conversion, and new build — advised by the same principal who has personally represented Blohm+Voss, CRN, and Camper & Nicholsons across the Americas.
Every expedition yacht service is built on the same standard — independent advocacy for the principal, contractual rigour with the shipyard, and the willingness to walk away from a deal that does not serve the client.
We act exclusively for the buyer. Private negotiations on listed and off-market vessels, technical due diligence, and surveyor coordination from first inspection through closing. Where another firm holds the listing of a vessel we are recommending to a client, we work co-operatively with their team in the owner’s interest.
Two decades guiding UHNW principals through the conversion of commercial and government vessels into ocean-going expedition yachts. The conversion can be delivered turn-key — and at a fraction of the cost of a comparable new build — with engineering pedigree no production yacht can match.
On a clean-sheet new build, our role is to represent the owner end-to-end. Paul’s background was built representing Europe’s most demanding shipyards — that perspective is exactly what we now bring to the owner’s side of the table.
Through our joint venture with VPLP Design and Norse Shipyard, we deliver 80- to 120-metre wind-powered expedition yachts — the first superyacht-class vessels engineered around VPLP wing-sail propulsion.
For owners ready to retire a vessel, we facilitate yacht donations to The International SeaKeepers Society — placing the vessel into ocean-science use and delivering a substantial tax-deductible position to the donor. We handle appraisal, IRS-grade documentation, vessel transition, and the ongoing relationship.
Every engagement starts with a clear understanding of your mission. From there, we identify available platforms, develop conversion concepts with our design partners, or initiate a clean-sheet new build — whichever route most efficiently delivers the vessel you have in mind.
A curated list of expedition yacht conversion opportunities, active new builds, and vessels of interest to our clients — every one inspected by our team or our network of independent surveyors. Off-market inventory on request.
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Conversion Concept
Conversion concept rendered for a Gulf-of-Mexico-class OSV platform — ice-strengthened, helideck, dive ops, ten guests in expedition specification. Used as a teaching tool for clients comparing expedition yacht conversion platforms.
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UT-Class Platform
The Ulstein UT family — arguably the most successful working hull form ever drawn — converts into a four- to five-deck ice-class expedition yacht with helideck, garage, and twin-engine redundancy at a fraction of the cost of a comparable new build.
Active Engagement
A 206-foot North Sea Search-and-Rescue vessel purchased in Norway for a client and currently completing conversion to a global expedition yacht in Argentina. Owner-led, end-to-end.
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Available Platform
Unique search-and-rescue platform available for expedition yacht conversion. All-weather design, MAN / Rolls-Royce diesel-electric propulsion, retractable stabilisers. Twelve-month conversion window. Project advantages match or surpass any new build.
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New Build
Diesel-electric Azipull-driven 81-metre expedition yacht engineered by Rolls-Royce Marine. 8,000 nm range. ABS class, MCA LY2. Full engineering package on file; ready for a European shipyard.
WindVoyage
Wind-powered expedition yachts engineered around VPLP OceanWing® wing-sail propulsion, photovoltaic surfaces, and hydro-regenerative drives. Engines optional — oceans included.
Watch VideoA short list of principles that govern every engagement.
The first step is to define your mission. Every decision that follows — platform, design, shipyard, schedule, budget — is dependent upon your ultimate goals.
Once the mission is clear, we look at available vessels and service platforms that can be converted to your expedition yacht. In parallel, we can work with our design associates — Grant Maughan, VPLP, and other invited studios — to develop concepts and renderings of a clean-sheet new build, if that better serves the objective. We do not commit you to a path before we have shown you the options.
Where the next phase requires technical review, surveyor attendance, or travel to a shipyard, we engage in writing — with a retainer that credits against any commission earned on a transaction.
We advise on exterior and interior design options, interior fabrication, and every clause of the shipyard contract. During the build phase we adhere to strict project management and on-site accounting controls — variation orders, milestone payments, schedule slippage, and warranty positions are tracked weekly and reported to the owner with documentation.
Our design network includes Espen Øino, Greg Marshall, Tim Heywood, Steve Gresham, Grant Maughan, and VPLP Design — each engaged on the projects where their particular discipline best serves the owner.
Our compensation structure is disclosed in writing on every engagement. We do not accept undisclosed payments from shipyards, designers, or sub-contractors. The principal sees what we see.
An advocate who cannot say no to a vessel is not advocating for the owner. We will tell you when a hull is past its serviceable life, when the shipyard’s schedule is fiction, when the asking price is unsupported by comparable sales, and when the conversion budget is too thin. We would rather lose the deal than the principal’s trust.
Surveyors we have personally worked with. Naval architects with a track record. Shipyards we have visited, audited, and contracted with under our own name. The network is the work — it is not outsourced and it is not for sale to the highest-bidding sub-contractor.
Project status, variation orders, schedule slippage, and cost movements are reported to the owner weekly during a build, monthly during pre-acquisition. Photo and video documentation from shipyard attendance is shared in real time. The principal sees what we see — not a curated summary.
An honest first call. A written brief. A defined scope. Then real work — shipyard visits, surveys, contract negotiation, and the kind of in-the-room presence that produces a vessel the owner actually wants when she comes out of the shed.
Paul has spent twenty-five years at the highest levels of luxury and expedition yacht sales, new builds, and commercial-to-yacht conversions. He has generated more than $200 million in first-year shipyard sales and overseen $500 million-plus in lifetime transactions, representing Blohm+Voss / ThyssenKrupp, CRN / Ferretti Group, and Camper & Nicholsons across the Americas.
A lifelong sailor, he has competed in the SORC, the Newport–Bermuda Race, and trans-Atlantic crossings. He produces The Yacht Channel — one of the most-followed independent maritime channels, with more than 4.5 million cumulative views — and is Chief Executive of WindVoyage, the joint venture with VPLP Design and Norse Shipyard delivering 80- to 120-metre wind-powered expedition yachts.
He is a donation facilitator with the International SeaKeepers Society and is a former Vice President of the International Superyacht Society. MBA, Boston University; BA, University of Colorado.
Affiliations · Royal Thames Yacht Club, London · Former Vice President, ISS · Former Board, American Sail Training Association · International SeaKeepers Society · CEO, WindVoyage
Ten years before yacht channels became a genre, Paul produced one of the first independent yacht-industry video series. The Yacht Channel runs as a working sales-and-education platform — not a paid placement vehicle for shipyard advertorial.
We do not accept payment for vessel features. If a vessel appears on the channel, it is because we believe she belongs there. Working relationships are disclosed; sponsored content is not part of the model.
Commentary in Forbes, Yachting Magazine, Boat International, and the wider industry press. WGA-affiliated screenwriter and documentary filmmaker (IMDB: nm0534631). Available for panels, podcasts, and editorial commentary.
The conversion of a commercial vessel is essentially a recycling and re-purposing endeavour. A number of upgrades can be specified to lower emissions and shrink the carbon footprint of the finished yacht — from hybrid propulsion to waste-heat recovery to optimised hull coatings.
The wider industry has spent the past decade marketing sustainability without changing the physics. Solar panels on a 70-metre motor yacht do not meaningfully reduce its emissions. An “eco” badge does not make a diesel hull a wind-powered one. Xplorer Yachts will not pretend otherwise.
Through Paul’s long-running role as a donation facilitator with The International SeaKeepers Society, Xplorer Yachts connects yacht owners with marine-science programmes and facilitates yacht donations — placing retired vessels into ocean research while delivering a substantial tax-deductible position to the donor.
White paper available on request: “The Wind Imperative — Why the Next Generation of Large Yacht Owners Must Include Wind Power” by Paul Madden.
If you are considering an acquisition, conversion, or new build — or you are a yacht owner exploring the SeaKeepers donation pathway — contact Paul directly.
We respond to every serious inquiry. On the first call we will ask about the scope of your project, your operating timeline, and your funding position. The answers do not need to be polished — they need to be honest. From there, if there is a workable engagement, we move to a written brief.