When Numarine announced the 22XP, the latest, 74-foot iteration of its XP expedition line, there was a twist. The 22XP would come in two different forms: identical above the waterline, but totally different underneath. One version would be a slow-moving, full-displacement vessel with a full keel and wave-piercing bulb, while the other would be a semi-displacement cruiser with speed rails. The slower version would come with twin 425 hp Cummins engines and a 12-knot, or 14.5 mph, top speed, while faster version would have 1,200 hp MANs, while moving at a faster clip of 21 knots, or 24 mph.

Unusual? Very.

So crazy, in fact, it could just start a trend.

“We had clients who loved the boat when they saw drawings of it—especially the amount of volume it offered,” Numarine CEO Omer Malaz told me onboard the 22XP last week as it sliced through the steely waters of Istanbul’s Bosporus Strait. “But not everyone wants to go 12 knots. So, what was I to do?” He pauses for effect: “I made a fast version of course.”

Most boat builders typically work the other way around. They build a hull and design several different topsides for it. This is the first time that we’re aware of, where a yacht builder designed two entirely different hulls for the same interior and superstructure. It’s not a bad idea since the explorer cruiser market has exploded, but has gone in two directions: Some builders make slow, long-distance cruisers while others go for faster semi-displacement yachts. Never the twain shall meet. Until now.