This 1996 Birdsall 17m Expedition Motoryacht is a steel-built, long-range cruiser designed for serious offshore work. She measures 17 metres overall, with a 5m beam and 1.8m draft, giving her a stable, seaworthy platform for demanding conditions. Power comes from a Gardner 6LXBT turbo-diesel, a six-cylinder unit with a long track record among expedition and commercial vessels for reliability and longevity.
With 6000 litres of fuel on board, she's set up for extended passages, from New Zealand's remote coastlines to the wider Pacific. The steel hull adds strength and impact resistance, the kind of construction that underpins proper expedition boats. Birdsall-built motoryachts carry a solid reputation among cruising owners for robust engineering and practical layouts, built to be used rather than admired.
Currently based in Auckland, she's listed at NZD $525,000: a capable platform for coastal cruising, island hopping or life aboard as a long-range passage maker.
