The Matthew H is a heavily customized Expedition Yacht that is well suited for long voyages or to be used as a live aboard. The vessel was originally built in 1987 in Taiwan as a DeFever 47 Performance Offshore Cruiser, a design that provides for interior space that is second to none in its class. The current owner acquired the vessel in 1992 and lengthened aft by 15' in 1997. The lengthening gave the vessel: 

- an 18' aft deck, over half of which is sheltered, 

- a large lazarette that features tremendous storage space, a large fuel tank, and a passive stability roll reduction tank that naturally counteracts the rolling motion of the vessel,

- a control station that allows for easy maneuvering and single-handed operation.

- An incredible 1,500 nm range due to her 5900 L fuel capacity and 10% reserve.

A bulbous bow and bow puppet was added to provide anchor clearance from the bulbous bow. This addition resulted in 22% better fuel efficiency at hull speed with is about 9.6 knots. Another big improvement was 60-70% reduction in pitch movements. 

In 2018, the vessel underwent a full exterior refit whereby all hardware was removed, and the exterior received 2 coats of gelcoat with Duratec additive for additional gloss finish. The vessel has since been dry docked in 2020 and 2021. The underwater hull was cleaned and coated with antifouling during each of those dockings.  

For the past two years, as a hobby, the vessel has been used to shipwreck hunt off the Grand Banks, up to 70 nautical miles offshore, using modern multibeam technology. Because of the smooth benefit of the passive flume tank, no furniture is lashed or secured and has not moved in up to 30 knots of winds and associated Grand Banks’ swells.