What happens when an adventurous soul is struck by a new idea on how to create luxury watercraft that voyage farther than the most prominent slips in Miami, and expedition vehicles that conquer more than the speed bumps at the Whole Foods? If that adventurous soul is Jasper Smith, you get an idea for a company that is revolutionizing the way that people think about luxury and adventure, while at the same time having a strong commitment to the environment. This idea became Arksen, a company who seeks to reimagine the marine and land exploration world and how to protect this world for future generations while doing it.
In the waters off Greenland’s rugged coastline, a father and son sailed through a landscape of crystalline ice, towering mountains, and fjords carved by ancient glaciers. As Jasper Smith and his son navigated those pristine and increasingly vulnerable environments, they witnessed firsthand the breathtaking beauty and alarming fragility of our planet’s wild places. That family adventure planted the seed for a transformative idea: Arksen, a company that does not just blur the lines between adventure, engineering, and environmental stewardship—it has erased the lines altogether. What began as a moment of inspiration in one of Earth’s most remote corners has become what Smith calls an “adventure revolution.”
The Smith connection to adventure and exploration is foundational and familial, going back to an adventurous father. Smith’s father, Ron Smith, founded a company in 1965, specializing in supplying the iconic Mini Moke, a compact, rugged vehicle that was built with purpose, and that purpose was exploration (think a Mini with a Jeep body). Growing up in this environment, Smith developed not just a business acumen but a philosophy on all types of vehicles. His experience led him to an engineering philosophy that the best machines are those that remove barriers between people and transformative experiences.
Smith’s own words best describe his philosophy, “I have always been an adventurer at heart, climbing mountains inspired by legends like Doug Scott and Chris Bonington, sailing from Sydney to Alaska, and being captivated by the exploits of Thor Heyerdahl, Jacques Cousteau, and Bill Tilman. After 30 years of building tech companies, I wanted my next venture to be more profound. We began crafting a plan to develop this new movement: designing outstanding explorer vessels, creating life-changing experiences, building a community that makes a real difference, and crafting apparel that goes the distance.” Smith realized that such life-changing experiences shouldn’t be limited to the fortunate few. Arksen is an exercise in how to democratize adventure, removing some of the barriers to transformative journeys for a growing community of explorers. Again, Smith explains how Arksen’s philosophy explains evolving ideas about luxury, not just expedition vehicles and watercraft. “Luxury today is not about possessions; it is about meaningful experiences shared with the people you love. It is about enabling families and friends to explore confidently, with purpose, and without compromise. At its heart, adventure is the ultimate luxury, the pursuit of our own curiosity. And that is what Arksen aspires to be: a Compass for the Curious.”
At Arksen they believe that you can engineer emotion and create an environment for connection to the world, not separation from it. While other manufacturers only focus on specifications and performance metrics, the team at Arksen believe that the greatest products do something more than tick boxes on a rubric. They create moments that inspire, provide opportunity, and allow for greater connection to the world.
This approach draws inspiration from history’s legendary explorers: Jacques Cousteau, who revealed the ocean’s mysteries to millions; Fridtjof Nansen, who pushed into the Arctic’s heart; Thor Heyerdahl, who proved ancient peoples could have navigated vast portions of the oceans; and Bill Tillman, the mountaineer-sailor who embodied the ethos of small craft exploration. These pioneers shared common traits: curiosity and an unwillingness to compromise. “We design for the curious, engineer for the extremes and build with a complete lack of compromise,” Smith explains. “Because it is in our most freewheeling, untethered and challenging moments that we feel most alive.”
Arksen has created a series of luxury yachts designed for adventure, even though Smith has said that yachts are big, white, plastic, and seldom used. He prefers to say Arksen builds boats. Their lineup would suggest that luxury and adventure are mutually exclusive. Their offerings are broken into three segments: Explorer, Adventure, and Discovery.
The Explorer Series forms the backbone of the Arksen brand, offering rugged aluminum yachts designed for global cruising. The Arksen 85 delivers an impressive range of up to 7,000 nautical miles. Built from aluminum with hybrid propulsion options, it is engineered for endurance, efficiency, and comfort on long-distance expeditions. The Arksen 65 offers similar capabilities in a compact, owner-operated platform. It combines long-range potential with simpler handling, making it suitable for small crews or families seeking extended adventures.
The Adventure Series is designed for shorter-range voyages and high-performance coastal exploration. This includes the Arksen 28 and Arksen 30 which feature deep-V aluminum hulls for seaworthiness and agility, capable of speeds exceeding 40 knots. The Arksen 45 offers greater range, interior volume, and comfort for multi-day expeditions, and flexibility in deck layout.
The Discovery Series introduces smaller, lightweight craft designed for near-shore adventure and support duties. The Discovery 8 represents Arksen’s durable design philosophy on a compact scale, appealing to owners seeking a capable, easy-to-operate platform for exploration or use as a tender vessel.
Arksen repeats this design ethos across its entire spectrum of business. The company’s Explorer yachts represent a groundbreaking vessel—purpose-built for extended expeditions yet refined enough for sophisticated tastes. Their overland vehicles are adapted for modern adventure needs and built on world-class vehicles from the Land Rover Defender and the Mercedes Unimog lines. Arksen also has created a line of performance apparel designed for extreme conditions. If that isn’t enough for one company to be involved in, they have also created carefully-curated adventure expeditions that anyone can join. From the likes of Mount Everest ascents to the Transat Ocean Race, Arksen has grand tours planned and ready to guide.
Despite being a relatively young company, Arksen punches well above its weight class, thanks to what Smith calls a “cross-industry design ethos.” The team roster reads like the circumnavigators club roster, with members who have crossed every ocean, summited the world’s highest peaks, and explored the planet’s deepest blue holes. The same can be seen in the partnerships with industry leaders representing centuries of combined experience. These partnerships are more than typical supplier relationships, instead representing a shared commitment to excellence and innovation. Together, they’re creating a new level of capability and guided by a commitment to the future.
For all its diversity in business, Smith and Arksen’s true lodestar is the ocean itself. This isn’t just marketing rhetoric; it is embedded in the company’s core. Smith frames the challenge in geological terms: “This is a world of extremes. Around 4.5 billion years ago, the Earth was bombarded by other planets, with temperatures reaching 2,000 degrees Celsius. Then, 234 million years ago, it rained. . . non-stop, for two million years.” Those rains created our oceans and the conditions for life itself. Now, driven by profound environmental and cultural change, the planet faces another transition. “We cannot prevent, but we can prepare for what comes next,” Smith says. “And we can relish the challenge.”
Preparation and conservation are prominent in Arksen’s innovative programs. Every product is engineered to seemingly outlast its user. They incorporate efficient hybrid technologies and sustainably, ethically-sourced materials. Their products are designed from concept to production for sustainability, reliability and recyclability at end of life. Obsolescence is not part of the equation.
One of Arksen’s most revolutionary initiatives is shaking up the luxury yacht industry with their “10% for the Ocean” program. Ten percent of the company’s revenues flow directly to ocean conservation. This program brings to bear the work of more than 70 global organizations and funds hundreds of projects worldwide. This represents one of the most ambitious corporate environmental commitments in the marine industry. If committing 10 percent of their revenue is not enough, Arksen takes it a step further and throws down the gauntlet to its yacht owners through their Sea Time Pledge. They boldly ask Arksen yacht owners to donate vessel time for scientific research. This pledge fulfills the intent of these luxury assets into platforms for discovery. This time allocation allows researchers access to remote locations that might otherwise be out of reach for their work.
As Arksen looks to the future, Smith sees the company as more than a manufacturer or expedition provider. It’s becoming what he calls “an entire adventure ecosystem for the next generation,” a community of explorers united by curiosity, environmental commitment, and the belief that our most challenging moments reveal who we truly are.
“As technology continues to advance, Arksen lives where the engineered meets the elemental,” Smith reflects. At this intersection of human innovation and natural wonder, between preparation, spontaneity, and courage, Arksen is charting a new course. A course that pays homage to the legacy of great explorers of the past while trying to ensure future generations inherit living oceans worth exploring. As we grow ever disconnected from nature, Arksen offers that our greatest adventures and our greatest responsibilities need not conflict, but can instead reinforce each other, creating experiences that transform both individuals and the planet they’re privileged to explore.
