Derek Lovely of Portland had never heard of “The Love Boat” when he was recruited to take part in a reality TV show inspired by the classic sitcom from the 1970s and ’80s.

“I Googled it, but I have no idea what it was about,” said Lovely, 28, who will appear in the second episode of “Love for Sail,” which will premiere at 10 p.m. April 10 on the Lifetime network. The second episode will air on April 17.

Considering that Lovely was only 2 when “The Love Boat” aired its final episode, in May 1986, it’s easy to understand how he missed the boat on that hit TV series.

But his experience filming “Love for Sail” over five days in December immersed him in the world of high seas romance.

Each episode of the new show takes a different set of four single women and six single men and puts them on a luxury cruise liner with two match-making cruise directors. Through a series of mixers, dates and excursions, the good-looking young people proceed to dial up the drama and the steamy encounters.

“When we pulled up to the cruise ship, they told us how the show was going to work,” Lovely said. “They said, ‘Put on your best moves and try to get as many dates as you can.’ “

In 2010, Lovely was named Maine’s hottest bachelor by Cosmopolitan magazine. The nod from Cosmo led to his work on the TV show.

Lovely said the filming was done on the Norwegian Epic as it sailed from St. Thomas to Nassau to Miami with a full contingent of passengers and crew members. Most of the filming was done away from the view of most passengers.

“Obviously, it’s hard to find love in five days,” Lovely admits. “But the women were fairly attractive so it didn’t make it as difficult as you’d think. My thing is getting to know each and every woman I met on the ship. We all still keep in touch.”

Lovely works for Port Resources managing a group home for developmentally disabled adults and is a supervisor for UPS.

He grew up in Oxford and graduated from Oxford Hills Comprehensive High School and the University of Southern Maine. He played basketball for both schools and continues to play in a local men’s league. His parents, Kurt and Pam Lovely, still live in Oxford.

Lovely said, “I’m from such a small town, it’s really neat to represent and put Maine on the map with these little gigs I get that are nationwide.”

Lovely signed a yearlong contract with Lifetime, which gives the network the right to approve any modeling or TV work he does during the duration of the contract. He has had other offers to appear on reality TV shows, but has turned them down.

Lovely said he agreed to be on “Love for Sail” because it airs on the Lifetime network. “I feel it’s a respectful network,” he said. “I don’t want to portray myself as a ‘Jersey Shore’ type.”

Lovely isn’t sure what to expect when he finally gets to see the show. “After watching the commercial, it looked a little crazier than what our group did,” he said.

Lovely plans to gather with his family and friends in the upstairs room at Rivalries in Portland to watch the episode when it airs April 17.

“I can’t really spill the beans on the story,” he said. “But I will say I was the drama of our episode, but you’ll have to stay tuned to watch what happens.”

Staff Writer Avery Yale Kamila can be contacted at 791-6297 or at: akamila@pressherald.com

Twitter: AveryYaleKamila