“Explorer” has become a styling cue as much as an engineering one, bolted onto fast-displacement yachts that rarely leave the coast. The Ocean King Ducale 120 takes the harder road. She is a 36.5-metre steel explorer with the range and sea-keeping to match the label, and an aft swimming pool and full-height glazing that most true explorers never bother with. Known in metres as the Ducale 37, she is the first model of Ocean King’s new Ducale generation.
A real steel explorer
Underneath, the Ducale is built the way an ocean-going yacht should be: a steel hull with an aluminium superstructure and a bulbous bow, drawn for long, economical passages rather than short sprints. Twin MAN diesels give a cruising speed near 11 knots and a projected range of around 4,000 nautical miles at 10 knots. That is genuine blue-water capability, not a coastal yacht dressed as one, which is the distinction that matters most in this part of the market.
A pool where the tender usually goes
The headline of the exterior is a large aft swimming pool, placed where a working explorer would stow a tender or a crane. Ocean King leans into indoor-outdoor living, with extensive glazing drawing light deep into the main deck and easing movement between inside and out. The result keeps the solidity and volume the yard is known for while softening the utilitarian edge.
A light-filled, contemporary interior
Inside and out, the design is by VYD Studio. The interior reads calm and current: cream furnishings with touches of soft blue, light-coloured walls and light timber floors, and large windows framing the sea. Accommodation is arranged for ten guests across five staterooms, an owner’s suite, two VIPs and two guest cabins, with quarters for a crew of up to seven, captain included.
The start of a new Ducale generation
The Ducale 120 opens a redesigned series that Ocean King describes as the natural evolution of its explorer identity, with cleaner lines and a more dynamic profile. A 49-metre model and a larger yacht of around 799 gross tonnes are set to follow, so this is the first statement of a wider family rather than a one-off.
Where she fits
Priced new at around 16.5 million euros, the Ducale 120 suits an owner who wants to actually cross oceans without accepting the spartan feel of a classic expedition yacht. It is a steel explorer that has been taught to relax, and a credible alternative to the many fast-displacement yachts that only look the part.
