What range and cruising speed should I be specifying for an expedition chase boat?

Plan on 250 to 400 nautical miles at 25 to 30 knots cruising, rather than the 50-knot dispatch figure a standard Mediterranean chase boat is built around. That brief pushes the spec toward bigger fuel tanks, smaller engines and lower planing thresholds. Range is the governing number on a remote-cruising programme, because the chase boat is doing fuel and supply runs to coastal staging points, towing zodiacs and equipment, and putting guides or science teams ashore in difficult landings well away from the mothership.

What sea-keeping certification should an expedition chase carry?

RCD Category B is the floor, covering offshore conditions to Beaufort 8, and serious owners specify Category A. Hull form trends toward deeper-V or semi-displacement with substantial freeboard. Where the boat doubles as the mothership's rescue craft, which is common, it moves into SOLAS-coded territory and self-righting becomes part of the brief. Cold and warm climate engineering matters too: heated cabin, defrost, redundancy on critical systems, and on Arctic-tasked boats sometimes an ice-strengthened hull.

What size works best for expedition work?

The 12m to 16m band is the volume sweet spot, where you can get self-righting SOLAS-coded options, a heated cabin and 250nm-plus range. Below that, 8m to 10m landing craft suit high-Arctic and Antarctic work where deck stowage on the mothership is the constraint; these are often bow-loading, sometimes with a small enclosed wheelhouse. From 18m to 22m you are approaching the lower bound of support vessel territory, with sleeping berths for two to four crew, science teams or guides.

Which yards build into this segment?

Pascoe International, Cockwells and Vikal come up most often in the 12m to 16m band. Pascoe is strong on SOLAS-coded landing craft and the beach lander side, with deep experience on polar-rated hulls. Cockwells builds custom with heavy-weather pedigree, commonly found on larger British and Northern European expedition programmes. Vikal builds in Australia with a track record on the Pacific and Antarctic circuits, and Hodgdon on the US east coast has strong custom expedition tender output. At the upper bound the Damen Sea Axe range crosses into 30m-plus support vessel work.

How does the boat get launched off the mothership, and can it be towed instead?

Launch and recovery is normally by A-frame davit, hydraulic crane or floodable stern garage, and the lifting plan belongs in the spec from day one. On expedition yachts above 50m the typical pattern is two chase units: one larger SOLAS-coded boat plus a smaller utility tender. Where the mothership lacks the lift capacity the chase boat is sometimes towed, which works for short transits but is rarely the intended permanent arrangement.

Expedition Chase Boats: Sizes, Builders and Range

Expedition chase boats are a distinct sub-category. They sit alongside expedition yachts on remote-cruising programmes, where the chase boat does work the mothership cannot: carrying scientists or guides ashore in difficult landings, towing zodiacs and equipment, supporting dive and survey operations, and handling fuel or supply runs to or from coastal staging points.

What separates an expedition chase from a standard chase boat

The brief is broader and the operating environment is harder. An expedition chase boat needs:

Range over speed. A standard Med chase boat is built for 50-knot dispatch. Expedition use rewards 25 to 30 knot cruising at 250 to 400nm range. That moves the spec toward bigger fuel tanks, smaller engines, and lower planing thresholds.
Heavy-weather capability. RCD Category B as a floor (offshore conditions to Beaufort 8), with serious owners specifying Cat A. Hull form trends toward deeper-V or semi-displacement, with substantial freeboard.
Carrying capacity. Real deck and below-deck volume for science gear, fuel jugs, dive cylinders, drysuits, food caches, sometimes a snowmobile or quad.
Self-righting on the SOLAS-class boats. Many expedition chase units double as the mothership's rescue craft, which puts them in SOLAS-coded territory.
Cold and warm climate engineering. Heated cabin, defrost, redundancy on critical systems, sometimes ice-strengthened hull on Arctic-tasked boats.

Typical sizes

Expedition chase boats span a wider range than the Med chase category:

8m to 10m. Small landing craft for high-Arctic and Antarctic work where deck stowage on the mothership is the constraint. Often bow-loading, sometimes with a small enclosed wheelhouse.
12m to 16m. The volume sweet spot. Self-righting SOLAS-coded options, heated cabin, 250nm+ range. Pascoe, Cockwells, and the larger Vikals all build into this segment.
18m to 22m. Approaching the lower bound of support-vessel territory. Dedicated long-range platforms, often with sleeping berths for two to four crew, science teams, or guides.

Builders that come up most

In the expedition segment, the names you encounter repeatedly:

Pascoe International. Strong on the SOLAS-coded landing-craft and beach lander side; deep experience with polar-rated hulls.
Cockwells. Custom builds with serious heavy-weather pedigree; commonly found on the larger British and Northern European expedition programmes.
Vikal. Australian-built platforms with a track record on the Pacific and Antarctic circuits.
Hodgdon. US east-coast yard with strong custom expedition tender output.
Damen Sea Axe range at the upper bound, where the chase boat brief crosses into a 30m-plus support vessel.

How it pairs with the mothership

Expedition chase boats are usually launched and recovered by an A-frame davit, hydraulic crane, or floodable stern garage. The lifting plan is part of the spec from day one. On expedition yachts above 50m, two chase units (one larger SOLAS-coded boat plus a smaller utility tender) is the typical pattern.

Where the mothership lacks the lift capacity, the chase boat is sometimes towed; this works for short transits but is rarely the intended permanent arrangement. The chase boat towing page covers when towing is and is not the right answer.

How we help

We work expedition tender briefs alongside the yacht-side build or refit team, with naval-architect input on the lifting and stowage envelope and the right yard for the climate the boat will operate in. The starting point is the contact page with the cruising programme and the mothership's lifting capability.