New Boat: Alen 77
The newcomer to the Alen fleet seeks to upend the large dayboat market with a low price point and fit and finish that punches above its weight.
Despite being one of the most prolific boatbuilding countries in the world, trailing only Italy by some metrics, the Turks know they have a perception problem. Turkish boats, somewhat unfairly, have a reputation—often burnished by their competition—for being poorly crafted. The fit and finish is not up to snuff, they’ll tell you, and the engine room is as tight as a sarcophagus. Alen Yachts’ founder Alp Ozcan takes these digs personally. And what he has done with the Alen 77, is to take the chip on his shoulder and turn it into a boat that can compete with anything in the world.
The 77 is something of an oversized dayboat, but she’s more than that too. With her high freeboard and similar length, the most common comparison I overheard at the 2023 Ft. Lauderdale boat show was with the vaunted Wajer 77. Of course without the Dutch upcharge, and also thanks to Turkey’s nearly unparalleled labor costs, this boat comes in about $2 million less than Tom Brady’s steed of choice.
The owner of hull two of this model, who was aboard during my sea trial, noted the similarities with a clear eye. “You know the Wajer might be a little bit better looking,” he said of the Sinot-designed competitor, “but when you take into account the amount of interior space we have, plus the cost, plus the fit and finish level, I think this is a pretty good option.”
The Alen’s focus on fit and finish starts from within—literally, nearly the entire boat is done in-house. It’s a cornucopia of highlights. The teak on the topside of the gunwales is almost an inch thick, and has a lovely camber that extends all the way forward to the boat’s spacious bow lounge. The doors on the accommodations level are nearly three inches thick and swing on hinges that cost $1,000 a pop. The Alpi veneers throughout the boat are extra-thick too at 1.3 millimeters for easier repairs. Sound insulation on the 77 was done by Pyrotek, and running at a low 20-knot cruise speed the decibel readings I saw were hovering at a whisper-quiet 60. All the teak on board is milled by Alen as well. In fact the only finish issue I noted on this 77 was in the windshield glazing, which was a bit wavy. And get this; it’s the only part of the boat the builder says it doesn’t do itself. (A new supplier is being found, and the issue should be straightened out—literally—very shortly.)
The Alen’s engine room, which houses twin Volvo Penta IPS1350s was a pleasant surprise. There’s almost seven feet of headroom, good access to both of the engines plus the Cummins generator, and a white gelcoated sole to help spot spills more easily.
I was able to put those engines to work on the Atlantic. The night before, Ozcan told me he thought it was going to be too rough to run a sea trial, but by the morning the seas had calmed from 6-footers to 4-footers, and the boys at Alen were feeling game. The 77 handled really well in the slop, cresting the waves with confidence and landing softly in the troughs. She isn’t breaking any speed records with an observed top hop of 29.5 knots in the inlet, but again this is a yacht that prioritizes comfort over sportiness.
Alen also prioritizes customization. My test boat was a galley-down version owned by Ozcan. The second hull is so customized as to nearly be a different model. The owner had the mold split and added a few more feet to the hull. He is using the extra space to put a media room on the accommodations level where the galley is on hull number one. Besides the extra space, he says the extra length helps give the boat the sleeker aesthetic, which he desired. And far from using his yacht as a dayboat, the owner plans to live aboard for his first few months once he takes delivery in June. “Why not?” he asked me as he nestled into a $40,000 couch in the salon designed by Molteni&C. “We’re going to take her to the South of France and see some friends. Who wouldn’t want to spend time on a boat like this?”
Alen 77 Specifications:
LOA: 77’ 0”
Beam: 19’ 11”
Draft: 3’ 4”
Fuel: 1,056 Gal.
Water: 285 Gal.
Power: 2/1,000-hp Volvo Penta IPS1350
Cruise Speed: 22 knots
Top Speed: 30 knots
Price: $4.5 million
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This article originally appeared in the January 2024 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
Source: https://www.powerandmotoryacht.com/boats/alen-77-yacht-review
