By Kevin Koenig
Truth be told, I’ve long had a soft spot for Outer Reef. Ever since a sojourn Down Under nearly a decade past, when I took the Outer Reef 800 Aroona for an unforgettable scuba-and-spearfishing adventure on the Great Barrier Reef, Outer Reef has always just felt right to me. That boat gave the unmistakable impression of being safe and secure in a far-flung and at times intimidating seaborne environment while also offering all the comforts of home in a voluminous interior. These traits are typical of Outer Reef, and extend across all its models, but there was very little typical about the new Outer Reef 780 Adventure I toured at the 2025 Cannes Yachting Festival with company founder Jeff Druek.
What Makes the Outer Reef 780 Adventure Different?
The 780 Adventure is aptly named on a few levels, in no small part because it is the first product of an exciting new alliance between Outer Reef and Dutch builder Lynx Yachts. While Outer Reef has always built its boats in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, this model represents its first hull ever produced in Holland.
But the 780’s provenance is far from its only departure from the Outer Reef norm. While previous Outer Reefs have been built using GRP, this boat has an exceptionally rugged steel hull. The upgrade from fiberglass to steel means the boat will be stronger, quieter, even more seaworthy, and eminently ready for its owners to push her to the outer limits of the Earth. While Druek rather famously took the Outer Reef 700 Argo around Cape Horn a few years back, with a steel hull set firmly in place, now even Antarctica is on the menu.
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Exterior Design: Modern Explorer with Workboat Roots
However, it’s not only the 780’s rugged construction method that is different. The Adventure is the most modernly styled Outer Reef I have ever been aboard. Outer Reefs have always been shippy in appearance, and while the 780 has traces of that in its profile, it is imbued with a modern design element that is unmistakable. Knife-like hullside windows interplay well with drainage openings on the bow to create something interesting for the eye to behold. The super structure sweeps back ever so subtly, while a black hardtop over the flying bridge all but disappears to the eye, helping to sleeken the yacht’s appearance. It’s a portent of what you’ll find inside.
Stepping aboard the 780 Adventure, I was met with a large, fixed bathing platform with special removeable bulwarks that protect the swim platform from approaching tenders—a feature common on the workboats that Lynx has worked with in the past. The bulwarks stow in a massive locker within the swim platform that also has room enough for water toys and lines. (If you’re wondering why the swim platform isn’t hydraulic, it’s because the tender and PWCs are nestled snugly on the bow deck.)
Interior Layout and Customization Options
Twin staircases to port and starboard lead up to the cockpit where this yacht’s volume is made evident, both in regard to her beam and her height. She is just over 22 feet wide and her ceilings feel so high as to mimic a cathedral. The cockpit has convertible bench seating at the transom and twin L-shaped settees with teak tables forward and to port and starboard, respectively. Like most Outer Reefs, the 780 is customizable (even more so now that the company is building in steel) and this layout can be changed to an owner’s druthers. For example, the superstructure can be extended to create a larger salon and smaller cockpit, which will be a welcome feature for cruisers in more extreme climates.
Walking forward into the salon through sliding doors and across a flush deck, one is greeted by a noticeable sense of openness. Here the yacht’s height really shines and works in tandem with massive, stanchionless windows to port and starboard to create a loft-like feel. Staid creams and light woods chosen for the interiors had the feel of a blank palette more than something to an owner’s personal choice. But that makes for an excellent boat-show boat, as anyone who enters can paint their own picture in their head more easily. U-shaped seating to port hugged a folding, hi-lo teak table that would serve well for refreshments while L-shaped seating to starboard rounded out the seating area. Forward and to starboard a full-height station with drawers and a large cupboard hints at this yacht’s aspirations as a long-range cruiser.
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Salon, Galley, and Helm Design
Up two steps and to port was a very European-styled, closed-off galley. Druek made sure to point out that it could be opened up for the American market, where owners are much more likely to cook for themselves and want to be able to converse with guests in the salon while doing so. Even in the smaller European version, there was a pleasing amount of counter space, a full-size dishwasher, and a full-standing-height refrigerator and freezer. There is an additional freezer in the lazarette.
Forward of the galley lies the helm station with a lone Stidd captain’s chair facing two screens that come standard (additional screens can be added above for more souped-up navigating). Reverse-rake windshields will slough off water quickly and efficiently in rough seas while also offering excellent lines of sight. The captain commands a pair of reliable 425-horsepower Cummins QSB 6.7s that come standard. Top speed with these is 12.4 knots with a fast cruise of 10 knots. However to really squeeze the most out of the fuel tanks, some operators will prefer to run at 7 knots where the vessel has a leggy range of 3,000 nautical miles—enough to get from Cabo San Lucas to Hawaii without refueling. Engine options also include twin Caterpillar C18s that offer a top speed of 18 knots, while the big Caterpillar C32s will get this boat all the way up to 22 knots—great for outrunning a storm. Whatever engine package you choose, they will be housed in a spacious engine room that offers good access to all workpoints in a well-ordered and well-ventilated space. A work station with a settee and desk to port of the helm makes for a good place to work underway (easily doable thanks to Sidepower Vector fin stabilizers) or just a comfortable place to keep the captain company.
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Flybridge and Deck Spaces Designed for Adventure
A watertight door to starboard of the helm leads to a well-protected sidedeck which accesses the no-frills bowdeck. The yacht’s purpose is clear in this space, where there is no ornamental decking, just wide-open room to hold toys, including two PWCs and space enough for a 20-foot RIB. An Opacmare crane does the heavy lifting here. A hatch in the technical space in the forward-most portion of the bow leads to a storage space that is about 10-feet deep, and the entire deck is under the aegis of high, thick bulwarks designed to bat down errant waves.
If the bowdeck represents arguably the 780’s most workboat-like space, then the flybridge is its logical foil. Up here, entertaining is the name of the game. A sunpad large enough for five or six adults dominates the aft space. Forward of that is a teak, alfresco dining table that I suspect will handle the lion’s share of meals. Why not dine with a view, after all? The model in Cannes had a wetbar to port but not a grill. That’s obviously an option, and one that I’d think will be very popular, particularly with the Americans who typically favor this brand. The forward part of the deck on the Cannes boat was a massive U-shaped seating area. A second helm can be put on centerline here as well, which I think is an attractive option for a yacht designed for this kind of use. If I were going to wheel a boat around the globe, I’d like to be able to mix up where I sit from time to time.
Who Is the Outer Reef 780 Adventure For?
When playtime is over, the 780 offers comfortable accommodations that take full advantage of the boat’s beamy nature. The vessel sleeps eight in four. There was no proper master on the Cannes boat, but instead mirroring staterooms with athwartships king-sized berths at amidships. An option to make these two staterooms one expansive master is available. Guest cabins forward on the deck will be useful for children. It is a tad bit dark down on this level, but that’s to be expected on an explorer-type vessel like this. Big hull windows are nice, but you certainly don’t want them when you’re being bashed by waves way far away from the nearest coast guard rescue station.
And those windows strike at the beating heart of the 780’s raison d’etre. This yacht draws heavily on her workboat roots, with a rugged hull, long range, and all the other trappings of a world girdler. There can be no doubt that this Outer Reef is ready for an adventure.
Specifications: Outer Reef 780 Adventure
LOA: 78’7”
Beam: 22’2”
Draft: 6’3”
Displ. 214,000 lbs
Fuel/water capacity: 3,963 gal./ 1,057 gal.
Power: 2/425-hp Cummins QSB 6.7s
Top speed/cruise speed: 12.4 knots/7 knots
Range at cruise: 3,000 nautical miles
Contact: info@outerreefyachts.com/954-767-8305
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