7,000 Nautical Miles for 30% Less: Inside Cormorant's Explorer Yachts
A look at Cormorant Yachts: the family-owned Gdańsk builder producing long-range cruisers from EUR 1.58 million
There is a shipyard in Gdańsk, Poland, building expedition yachts that range from 55 feet to 86 feet, cruise at 7 to 10 knots, carry enough fuel for 7,000 nautical miles, and sell for between 30 and 40% less than a comparable new-build vessel. A few years ago, almost nobody outside specialist forums had heard of them. Today, premium subscribers to this newsletter have been writing in through the private chat asking me to take a proper look.
So here it is and as my Premium substack subscribers requested: A full profile of Cormorant Yachts: who they are, what they build, how they build it, and what a serious buyer needs to understand before sitting down at the table.
The Yard
Cormorant Yachts operates out of Twarda 6A, Gdańsk, the city on Poland’s Baltic coast that has been building ships in one form or another for centuries. The yard is a small, family-owned operation. They do not build in volume. Current production runs at roughly three to four vessels per year, which places them firmly in the craft shipyard category rather than the production-line segment. At that scale, every hull gets genuine attention.
The business appears to have established itself in the market around 2021, which makes it a genuinely new entrant. That has implications I will address in the premium section below, both the advantages for a buyer and the considerations that come with buying from a yard that has not yet accumulated decades of brokerage market history.
Their stated mission is worth reading carefully, because it is unusual in this segment. Cormorant are not selling you an explorer yacht. They are selling you a build process. The emphasis, throughout every piece of their marketing and documentation, is on owner participation. Customers are expected to make major decisions at every stage: interior layout, engine selection, fuel capacity, superstructure configuration, systems specification. The yard provides the naval architecture, the in-house carpentry, and the CE Class A certification. You provide the brief.
That is a fundamentally different proposition to buying some production explorer yachts from standardised build card, and it attracts a fundamentally different buyer.
The Model Range
Cormorant currently builds across eight model variants, split between two series: the RAV (Raised Pilothouse) range and the semi-raised pilothouse series.
COR55 RAV
The entry model at 16.9 metres overall, 5.45 metres of beam, and 52 tonnes of displacement. Fuel capacity of 8,700 litres delivers a 4,000-nautical-mile range at 7 knots with a 15% reserve remaining. Standard power is twin John Deere units at 230 horsepower apiece, though the engine options run to 1,150 horsepower per side for buyers who want more pace. Accommodation runs to four cabins including a full-beam master, VIP stateroom, guest cabin and crew quarters, with three en suite heads. The raised pilothouse gives 360-degree visibility and there is a flybridge above.
The COR55 RAV is available in two fitout variants: CUSTOM, which is the full owner-participation build, and PURE NAVIGATOR, a more stripped-back specification for buyers who prioritise operational simplicity over luxury finish.
Current asking price: EUR 1,580,000.
COR60 RAV
The 60 steps the overall length to 19.3 metres while maintaining the same 5.45-metre beam and 8,700-litre fuel capacity. Displacement rises to 56.5 tonnes. Range remains at approximately 4,000 nautical miles. Accommodation settles at three to four cabins with en suites. Current listings run from EUR 1,850,000 to EUR 2,100,000 depending on fitout specification.
COR68 RAV
At 22.14 metres overall, the 68 begins to feel like a serious passagemaker. The beam stays at 5.45 metres, displacement climbs to 65t, and the range extends to 6,100 nautical miles — enough to cross the Atlantic or the Pacific at a measured pace without requiring fuel stops in politically complicated places. Priced from EUR 2,300,000.
COR75 RAV
The 75 is where the beam widens meaningfully, stepping out to 6.25 metres. That additional width delivers enhanced stability in a seaway, which buyers planning high-latitude cruising or sustained deep-water passages will appreciate. Displacement at 95 tonnes makes this a proper “little ship”. Range extends to a very impressive 7,000 nautical miles. The engine options open to configurations delivering up to 18-plus knots which is an unusual capability for a vessel of this type and one that speaks to how broadly Cormorant have designed their mechanical envelope. From EUR 2,600,000.
COR650
The semi-raised pilothouse variant at 21.2 metres overall. Slightly lower freeboard profile than the RAV series, 56.5 tonnes displacement, range around 3,300 nautical miles. Priced from EUR 1,590,000, the COR650 is positioned as a family trawler rather than a hardcore ocean passage-maker, though the CE Class A certification applies here too.
COR780
The flagship of the production range and the boat that has attracted the most press coverage. At 24.4 metres overall and 6.25 metres of beam, with 77 tonnes of displacement, 15,000 litres of fuel capacity, and a range of 6,650 nautical miles, the COR780 is a genuine blue-water expedition yacht by any measure.
The engine specification on the COR780 deserves particular attention. Standard fitout runs twin Scania 700-horsepower units. High-performance configuration steps to twin MAN 1,200-horsepower engines. Maximum configuration reaches 1,400 horsepower per side. With the performance engine package, this vessel is capable of sustained speeds above 18 knots with a maximum around 23 knots. That is a significant capability in a 24-metre explorer yacht and one that places the COR780 in a different tactical category to a conventional displacement trawler. The asking price runs from EUR 2,350,000 to EUR 4,659,000 depending on specification.
COR850 and COR880
The COR850 at 26.3 metres and 82 tonnes of displacement represents the upper end of the standard production range, priced from EUR 4,200,000 to EUR 4,800,000. The COR880 is a fully bespoke commission that pushes to 28 metres and beyond, with pricing on application.
Who Is Buying Them?
The buyer profile Cormorant attracts is worth understanding. The international buyer base spans the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Nordic countries and the Mediterranean. They are predominantly owner-operators. They are buying one of these vessels, no doubt because they want a specific boat built to their specific brief, at a price that leaves capital available for the cruising itself.
Community feedback on YachtForums and TrawlerForum.com is measured and credible: the yard is noted as small and family-owned, the team includes qualified naval architects and designers working in collaboration with Hajduk Studio, and early owner testimonials consistently reference stability, liveability, and the quality of the customisation process.
Several of my premium subscribers have been asking about Cormorant Yachts in the private chat — and the conversation there has been genuinely interesting. If you want to join that discussion, or ask me questions directly about the yard and the models, the private chat is open to Wardroom members below.
🔒 The Wardroom | Premium Analysis
The following section is for paid subscribers. It covers the operational and financial realities a serious buyer needs to understand: the GRP maintenance question, what the lack of resale history actually means for your investment, how to approach the engine selection decision, and where the true risks in buying from a young yard lie.
The GRP Maintenance Question….
