Dutch Yacht Builders Expand Capabilities to Meet Demand for Larger Superyachts

SIZE IT CAN BUILD TO
0 50 100 150 200
AMELS 200m
180m
75m
140m
Flexible
FEADSHIP
HEESEN
ROYAL HUISMAN
OCEANCO
20 www.SUPERYACHTBUSINESS.net | DECEMBER 2014
new build round-up
A
s we approach the end of
2014 it’s fair to say that the
increased optimism seen in
the Dutch superyacht
market 12 months ago, has
now translated into a more
resilient and positively upbeat feeling
amongst the country’s major yacht builders.
It’s also clear that the host of subcontractors
and product suppliers who rely on the yards
having full order books and healthy bottom
lines, are reaping the benefits of an upsurge in
confidence supported by orders, innovation
and investment.
Expansion projects are going ahead in
several yards, and in some cases, this will allow
them to deliver 150m, or even up to 200m,
yachts. At Oceanco, in Alblasserdam, work on its
new 140m building dock is almost complete,
and will soon be ready to take its first 110m
project. Amels in Vlissingen has the advantage
of having parent company Damen Shipyards
next door, which has a 200m dock with plenty
of deep water outside and is being upgraded to
build and refit superyachts.
This move by Dutch yards towards
constructing ever larger yachts is by no means
built on marketing fantasies, but on real
customer demand according to Marcel
Onkenhout, Oceanco’s CEO. Onkenhout told SB
that some of his existing clients with 60 or 70m
yachts are in the market for ‘trading up’ to 100m
or over. He said that his yard has to be able to
offer new builds in that size range or the clients
will go elsewhere, no matter how delighted they
are with their current Oceanco yacht.
But the trend towards 80m+ yachts is not at
all bad news for the Dutch new build market in
general. There is still a healthy interest in the
lower end of the spectrum, between 24 and
30m, and several new names have come to
prominence as builders of smaller yachts, as the
more established yards build larger vessels.
A heritage of
Dutch quality
With a substantial heritage in the superyacht building industry and the benefit
of shared learning, the Netherlands is now looking forward to a future buoyed
up on innovation and quality
Peter Franklin reports
Further expansion
Moonen Yachts in particular, having coined the
phrase ‘Pocket Superyacht’ some years ago, has
stuck to its principles of offering several
semi-custom motoryachts in the 25-38m range.
Zeelander is now moving into the 30m+ range,
and the Mulder yard upgraded its facilities last
year after 75 years in business, enabling it to
accommodate new builds up to 45m.
The Royal Huisman yard in Vollenhove has
fifth-generation family member Alice Huisman
at the helm and at the end of October it
announced a new partnership with the Royal
Doeksen company, another Netherlands-based
fourth-generation maritime services group.
This signals a further expansion of the
Huisman yard’s infrastructure, enabling it to
build on its already healthy order book. Plans
include a deep water facility in a coastal
location, which will allow it to build and refit
much larger vessels.
There are many examples of business
longevity in the Dutch yacht building fraternity.
In essence, the legacy that underpins the Dutch
maritime industry, ensures strong,
knowledgeable and financially secure
management, as well as a specialist workforce
with skills passed down the generations. Add to
this the fact that all the builders and many of
the subcontractors are working with well-
established apprenticeship schemes, usually
involving two years training ‘on the job’.
Government support is also a critical
component in ensuring the ongoing health of
the country’s superyacht building industry. The
Netherlands maritime sector generates 821.6bn
in total, supporting 12 sub sectors of which the
superyacht building contingent is still growing
year-on-year. Sixty-one per cent of the seagoing
vessels built in Holland are destined for export,
so when a member of the maritime cluster asks
for support, the government in The Hague
tends to listen sympathetically.
This year saw the opening of a new (second)
835m lock on the River IJssel. At 14m wide,
with a usable length of 115m, it effectively
increased the size limit for large yachts
transiting to the open sea. It’s a known fact
that Feadship lobbied the authorities
energetically in order to get the investment
approved and open the way for it to build a
new generation of larger yachts, which will

What is the largest yacht your yard has built to date?
DECEMBER 2014 | www.SUPERYACHTBUSINESS.net 21
Focus Netherlands
need to get from Feadship’s Kaag yard, via
inland waterways and the North Sea towards
their exotic destinations.
Being a relatively small nation has helped
increase the Dutch competitive edge. All the
yards, designers, subcontractors and marine
equipment suppliers are situated within a
250km radius. This not only facilitates the
logistics of yacht building, but it also creates a
virtual ‘cooperative’ culture able to pull together
when the going gets tough, and future proofs
the industry against overseas competition.
Ahead of the competition
Where are the future threats likely to come
from, and how will the Dutch superyacht
industry continue to grow and beat its
competitors? Mark Cavendish, sales and
marketing director of Heesen Yachts, says: “New
and developing shipyards from other regions
such as in the Middle East, Poland and Turkey,
which have lower labour costs and are
improving the quality of their products, would
pose the biggest immediate threat. It is possible
that some owners, particularly those buying a
superyacht for the first time, might be attracted
to the lower price levels from these yards.”
He continues: “Other key factors in our
favour is the fact that the residual value of
Dutch-built yachts is known to be higher in the
brokerage market. Plus it has become very clear
to us that the dynamic has changed in terms of
the size of yacht that owners are looking to
build nowadays.”
Victor Caminada of Amels, points to another
strong point in favour of yachts being built in the
country. “Captains and owners’ representatives
generally like to spend time in Holland, where
they enjoy our culture and way of life,” he says.
Amels is showing its commitment to keeping it so
by developing its own interactive mobile app
for captains and crew who stay at the yard. It will
be a constantly updated quick reference guide
and social site for living temporarily in the
Netherlands during a new build project at Amels.
This year there have been celebrations of
long term anniversaries for several companies
in the industry. Marine electrical installation
specialists Alewijnse published a book
chronicling its 125-year history, since the great,
great, grandfather of the present CEO Dick
Alewijnse, started out making light bulbs
shortly after they were invented by Edison.
Alewijnse has assured its future by embracing
technological advancements and forming
dedicated teams to develop specific future
concepts such as hybrid propulsion
combinations, integrated switchboard systems
and advanced IT/AV installations.
Being a relatively small nation has helped
increased the competitive edge. All the yards, designers
and subcontractors are within a 250km radius
YARDS IN BRIEF
w Claasen Shipyards | Zaandam
w Icon Yachts | Harlingen
w Moonen Shipyards | s-Hertogenbosch & Groot-Ammers
w Mulder Shipyard | Zoeterwoude-Rijndijk
w Hakvoort Shipyard | Monnickendam
w Vitters Shipyard | Zwartsluis
w Holland Jachtbouw | Zaandam
w Zeelander Yachts | Groot-Ammers
w Amels
VLISSINGEN
83m
w Feadship MAKKUM,
ALSMEER, KAAG
99m
w Heesen
OSS
65m
w Royal Huisman
VOLLENHOV
90m
w Oceanco
ALBLASSERDAM
95m
G E R M A N Y
HARLINGEN
zwartsluis
monnickendam
zaandam
Zoeterwoude-Rijndijk groot-ammers
Makkum
Kaag
Aalsmeer
OSS
ALBLASSERDAM
VOLLENHOVE
s-HertogenboschVLISSINGEN
B E L G I U M
F R A N C E
U K
D E N M A R K
A U S T R I A

new build round-up Focus Netherlands
Interior construction contractors Struik &
Hamerslag (S&H) also published a book this year
to mark its 50th anniversary, and threw a party
attended by almost the entire Dutch yacht
building community.
Marco Struik, the present managing director
of S&H, told SB how his father and his business
partner had started out like many other marine
contractors in Holland, working in the busy
commercial/offshore sector. A change of
direction was initiated in 1978 when a client
asked the company to do an interior refit on his
65m private yacht. Today, 85% of S&H’s *20m+
business is fitting out superyacht interiors, and
it employs a workforce of 200, with a high
degree of skilled in-house workmanship.
“We never shirk from a challenge,” says
Struik. “Our team pride themselves on being
able to come up with innovative ways to
produce interior assemblies. If we are asked to
create something unusual that has never been
done before, we just sit around a table,
brainstorm it and find a way.”
Creating new products
Locally based subcontractors and sub
component suppliers are an important part of
the superyacht construction industry in the
Netherlands. As the yards and designers create
ever larger and more technologically advanced
yachts, the specialists who support them are
also continuously developing, and
manufacturing new products to meet demand.
One of these is Hydromar based at Berlikum,
which has been in business since 1928.
Specialising in superyacht hydraulic components
and systems, the company designs and produces
passerelles, accommodation ladders, deck
cranes, tender garage cranes, swim platforms,
door and hatch systems, bow-thrusters and
steering systems. As an example of its creativity
and design capability, the company recently
developed and produced a flexible and efficient
tender garage solution. Using a custom tender
door system, it has made it possible to
manoeuvre large tenders within small spaces.
This provides the yard with a turnkey solution,
and a user friendly feature for owners.
Another speciality supplier is Lift Emotion. It
has produced some of the most stylish and
technologically advanced elevators for many
superyachts. According to its marketing director
Mike Brandt, it has designed and installed four
customised glass elevators for various yachts
this year, and supplied several Dutch yards
during 2014, including Oceanco and Feadship.
Brandt tells SB that the company is
constantly developing new concepts, often
triggered by the demands of a specific
new-build project. “For instance, our curved
glass elevator doors have been updated to meet
latest code requirements and more effective use
of space demanded by our clients. And our fire
rated doors have been upgraded to fit in smaller
lift trunks, and even to open centrally and
telescopically,” he says.
Another innovation from Lift Emotion is a
Lifebuoy Shooting Unit which launches a
Official figures published for 2013, reveal
Dutch superyacht builders undoubtedly had a better
year than 2012. No less than 36 new orders were signed
lifebuoy at the push of the button on the bridge
or near the bulwark. The company also makes
dumb waiters and crew lifts, as well as
undertaking custom-designed mechanical
handling projects from inception to installation.
Continued innovation
The Dordrecht-based Ship Motion Group has,
over the last several years, developed a
lightweight Retractable Propulsion System (RPS)
which is now available as a standard product,
and can be customised to the specific design of
the vessel. Ship Motion’s marketing director Jan
Bruggeman says that its RPS is the first
non-thruster type for the superyacht market,
and has been successfully installed this year on
a 33m carbon hi-tech racing/cruiser, where it
eliminates the propeller drag and makes way for
the highest possible performance when sailing.
Nominated for the 2014 Dame Design
Awards at METS in Amsterdam, the Ship Motion
RPS concept, has been trialled and refined
extensively on maxi-yachts competing in the
Volvo Ocean Race. The product is designed
according to DNV class with its lightweight
construction based on the exclusive use of
carbon and titanium materials.
The Netherlands, of course, has its fair share
of creative naval architects and engineering
consultants who are helping yards to push the
boundaries of their projects. An area of
improvement that gets everyone’s attention, is
finding ways to turn around a new build in less
time, thus freeing up capacity to take on more
orders, and attract more clients who want their
new yacht delivered as soon as possible.
Yacht design and engineering studio
Vripack, based in Friesland, has created over
7,000 yacht designs. It is known for its high
quality no-nonsense-go-anywhere yachts and
has been a global-player in yacht design, naval
architecture and engineering since 1961.
During the HISWA Yacht Valley press tour,
journalists were shown VriThink, a concept to
create a fresh mindset within its organisation,
allowing it to track and trace external global
trends, and be alert to innovations. Marnix J.
Hoekstra and Bart Bouwhuis, directors at
Vripack, have set themselves, and the Dutch
yacht building industry, a revolutionary target;
to realise better yachts in less time, and shorten
the build process by 25% by the end of 2019.
Official figures published for 2013, reveal
Dutch superyacht builders undoubtedly had a
better year than 2012. No less than 36 new orders
were signed, more than double the amount in
2012 (14). Deliveries were up – 23 superyachts
with a value of over *800m were completed.
The order book at the end of 2013 contained 66
yachts worth around *2.7bn and even this looks
likely to improve even further when the full
year figures for 2014 are released.
Struik & Hamerslag has a 50-year heritage of fitting out superyacht interiors

w AMELS
KEY FACTS:
w Size of yard: 100,000m2
w Number of on-site employees: 900 (including ‘co-makers’)
w Size it can build to: 200m
w Largest yacht built so far: 83m
w Web: www.amels-holland.com
Based at Vlissingen on the North Sea coast, Amels is part of the huge Dutch
family-owned Damen shipbuilding group. Amels specialises in building
motoryachts between 50m-83m, and in 2005 launched the Limited Editions
range of semi-custom yachts built on a proven engineering platform.
w yard overview
When talking about the Limited Editions
range Amels marketing director Victor
Caminada explains: “Really we are selling
the ultimate holiday. For our owners it’s
not about the nuts and bolts and how we
put it together. In the end they want to be
able to experience the best moments in life
with their family and friends. This end goal
is always uppermost in our mind when we
design and build a yacht.”
Caminada points out that just nine years
on from the inception of Limited Editions,
20 have already been delivered, all on or
ahead of time, out of a total Amels-built
fleet of 50 yachts. In 2014 the company
has maintained a 10% boost in sales
revenue, building on the same level of
growth enjoyed over the past eight years.
The size range available from Limited
Editions is expressed in feet: Amels 180,
199, 212, 242 and 272. Currently the
yard has 10 projects under way, with the
complete range under construction. Spring
2014 saw the delivery of two 180s, a 212
and three refits during winter 2013/14. A
90m refit project is booked for this winter
and will occupy the huge 200m Damen dock
originally used to build naval frigates.
Amels follows the principle that a build
concept with a lot of standardisation
will use regular and reliable sources of
subcomponent parts. Caminada makes the
Amels philosophy crystal clear. “If a company
specialises and makes a top quality product,
why should we try to make it ourselves?
No high-tech industry or modern company
does everything 'in-house' this is a forgone
concept,” he says. Amels uses a carefully
selected group of 'co-makers', those
whose products are QA approved
from the design stage.
Being in a group that has
built standardised heavy duty
commercial and military vessels
for generations was a
decisive factor in the
creation of the Yacht
Support series. This has worked very well for
Amels and Damen as a joint force, providing
the functional but ruggedly stylish range
of superyacht support vessels based on
its patented Sea Axe hull form. This design
is well proven having evolved from the
large Damen Sea Axe portfolio deployed in
challenging environments around the world.
The Yacht Support concept has been
taken to a new level to provide fast and
reliable back-up ships capable of speeds of
up to 25kt in just about all conditions. They
arrive ahead of the parent superyacht in
time to deploy tenders, toys, submarines
and helicopters. The division has a dedicated
four-person design team at Damen, who
work with owners to customise the layout
and interiors. Caminada says that there is
interest from some new clients in having the
Yacht Support design as a distinctive main
yacht. “Like having a Range Rover on land
instead of a normal saloon car,” he says.
The current Yacht Support range has four
variations: the 4008 (43m with 140m2
deck), the 5009 (53m with 200m2
deck),
the 5509 (58m with 160m2
deck) and
the 6711 (67m with 215m2
deck). Up to
now, four yacht support vessels
have been delivered. A third
67m is due for delivery in
spring 2016, and Amels is
confident that the concept
will continue to generate
new orders.
w Project name: AMELS 272
w Type: Limited Editions motor yacht
w Length: 83m (272ft)
w Beam (overall at hull): 14.54m (48ft)
w Draft (full load): 3.85 m (12.8ft)
w Gross tonnage: 2,827t
w Top speed: 17kt
w Range: 5,500nm
w Guests: 16
w Crew/staff: 26 + captain
200the size in
metres the yard
can build to
Amels’ marketing
director, Victor Caminada
If a company specialises and makes
a top quality product, why should we try to make
it ourselves?
Victor Caminada | marketing director
project of
interest

w feadship
KEY FACTS:
w Yards: Aalsmeer, Makkum, Kaag: 4 indoor slipways, 4 indoor docks
w Number of employees: 1,000 in yards (not including various subsidiaries)
w Web: www.feadship.nl
Feadship’s pedigree has an established world renowned standard for
superyachts developed over 160 years. Its current consortium of yards
includes its own design/engineering house and its present structure was
created in 1949 by the amalgamation of Van Lent, De Vries and De Voogt Naval Architects.
w yard overview
In February, Dick van Lent greeted press
visiting the Makkum yard as part of the
HISWA Yacht Valley press tour. He explained
that since 1949 430 yachts have been
launched and 40% of their owners are repeat
clients. “Apart from our high service level and
attention to detail during and after a new
build project, we are constantly innovating
and pushing ahead, which is why owners
return to us so regularly,” he says.
Where the Far East is concerned, van
Lent reveals: “Yes, we have been successful
selling the first superyacht to a Chinese
owner. But this was on the back of a
massive investment in Helix and making her
fully operational as a floating exhibition.”
(Helix was a 45m speculative build from
the F45 custom series.) “We will get more
orders from China, but we have to be
patient and stay focused on what the
Chinese are looking for in a yacht.”
The group’s order book looks healthy
and the build programme at all three yards
is very full as Feadship heads into 2015,
with seven yachts under construction and
two already delivered. Feadship’s marketing
and sales director Bas Nederpelt, says it is
confident of delivering three projects next
year, as well as completing a number of refits.
With a vast fleet the yard took the
commercial decision that it would only offer
refit services to Feadship-built yachts. The
Makkum yard has a dedicated refit team
on site. Refits can also take place at the
Aalsmeer and De Kaag sites.
The Feadship Heritage
Fleet (FHF) association was
formed in 2013 and aims
to unite owners of classic
Feadships that are over 30
years old. This year’s
Fort Lauderdale Boat
Show will see the
first gathering of the
FHF in the US.
One of this year’s
Feadship launches
exemplifies Dick van Lent’s assertion that
the yard’s innovative approach keeps clients
coming back, but also attracts new ones.
The 46m semi-displacement motoryacht
Como, was created for experienced
yachtsman Neville Crichton and drew
attention to Feadship’s pioneering use of
glass. A detailed research programme has
been ongoing since 2006 focusing on the
use of large glass panels, the deployment
of glass for strength and the influence that
glass has on interior comfort levels.
Out in the yard at Makkum during the
press tour, journalists observed work on
Hull No 1005 at a fairly advanced stage
of construction. Designed in-house by
Feadship group’s De Voogt Naval Architects,
and with interiors by Seymour Diamond,
the 92m (302ft) motoryacht was a hive of
multi-trade activity. At the Van Lent yard
in Kaag work on an even larger project was
well under way. At 101.5m Hull No 808 will
be the first vessel over 100m it has built.
Farouk Nefzi, Feadship’s marketing and
brand director says: “We can clearly see
a stronger new build demand, we wonder
if lead times might become an issue
again. We also see that reputable builders
are profiting from a stronger demand.
With regards to buyers the Russians still
dominate, but US customers are coming
back. Asian buyers are now active on the
pre-owned market but might be buyers of
the future.”
w Yacht name: Como
w Type: Semi displacement
motoryacht, aluminium hull
and superstructure
w Length: 46.2m (152ft)
w Beam: 9m (30ft)
w Draft: 2.2m (17.3ft)
w Crew: 8
w Guests: 8
3the number
of Feadship
yards
Farouk Nefzi, Feadship’s
marketing director
Apart from the sheer size of the build, the
project is challenging Feadship to maintain the
aesthetics of a yacht
Farouk Nefzi | marketing and brand director
Launch of
interest

w HEESEN YACHTS
KEY FACTS:
w Number of employees: 450. 325 at Heesen Yachts in Oss and 125 at
Heesen Yachts Interiors (wholly owned subsidiary)
w Web: www.heesenyachts.com
Based in Oss in the south of the Netherlands, the yard specialises in fast,
lightweight and fuel efficient yachts in the 40m-70m range as well as a
series of steel displacement yachts that account for about 30% of production.
w yard overview
The Heesen yard boasts eight fitting
out sheds, with separate halls for hull
and superstructure fabrication, and with
subcomponent manufacturing kept in-house.
This has given it an excellent reputation
for turning round projects on time, typically
within a two-year build programme.
In addition to its semi-custom aluminium
range, approximately 30% of the yard’s
production is steel-hulled fast displacement
yachts which can be built up to 70m in the
current facilities. However, in common with
many other yards, its clients seem to have
been gravitating towards larger yachts.
Sales and marketing director Mark Cavendish
confirms that this is a trend Heesen has
seen develop over the last few years. The
technical design team have had to push
the barriers of hull form efficiency and
construction weight.
Galactica Star became one of 2013’s
most talked about yachts with a Fast
Displacement Hull Form that enabled 30%
more efficiency compared to hard chine
yachts. It was created by van Oossanen
Naval Architects in collaboration with
Heesen’s in-house naval architects.
This year has seen the delivery of the
42m steel fast displacement yacht Alive,
the first motoryacht equipped with the Hull
Vane system, another innovation developed
in cooperation with the Oossanen design
team. In seas with 1-2m waves, the
yacht’s Hull Vane technology converts the
movement and generates 20% more thrust.
Alive is 35% more efficient than any other
yacht of her size and 35% less power is
needed to produce almost 16kt top speed
in flat sea conditions. Cavendish points out
that owners are focused on reducing fuel
consumption, and typically this new design
offers 30% less fuel usage.
The Heesen yard will soon begin building
a new facility on its existing site in which
it will be able to build yachts up to 75m.
Heading towards this size is project Kometa,
a 70m aluminium fast displacement yacht
due for delivery in 2016, which will be the
largest Heesen build to date. According
to Sara Gioanola, Heesen’s PR manager,
Kometa will be different due to a fusion of
three concepts embodied in the yacht’s
design. Gioanola points out that the design
challenge for the Heesen/van Oossanen
team was to produce a 70m yacht capable
of almost 30kt and the ability to cruise
economically and comfortably over a
4,000nm range. Heesen had to bring
together the features of displacement and
semi-displacement hulls by using the Heesen
fast displacement hull, with a uniquely
shaped fixed pitch propeller, and then adding
a Rolls-Royce booster jet to the propulsion.
Regarding the global market, Gioanola
adds: “Global activity has broadly
strengthened and is expected
to improve further in 2014-15
with much of the impetus for
growth coming from advanced
economies. In fact we are
currently seeing the ‘traditional
markets’ for superyachts coming
back – North American and
European clients are more actively
enquiring for new builds and
we recently sold a 50m to a
European client.
w Project name: Kometa
w Type: Fast displacement motoryacht
w Beam: 11.9m (39ft)
w Draft : 3.25m (10ft)
w Top speed: 30kt (at 50% load)
w Range: 4000nm at 12kt
w Crew: 16
w Guests: 12
450total number of
employees
Mark Cavendish, sales and
marketing director
Owners are focused on reducing fuel
consumption, and typically this new design offers
30% less fuel usage
Mark Cavendish | sales and marketing director
project of interest

w OCEANCO
KEY FACTS:
w Number of employees: 170
w Approved sub contractors: 350
w Web: www.oceancoyacht.com
Founded in 1987, Oceanco occupies a large purpose-built facility on the
outskirts of Rotterdam. The yard specialises in the 80m+ range of motoryachts.
The yard has immediate access to deep water, with only four hours to the open sea.
w yard overview
The Oceanco team prides itself on providing
game-changing features for its owners.
Over the years it has developed significant
technological milestones such as fully
retractable stabilisation at anchor in
conjunction with Rolls Royce, a patented
helipad construction and its pioneering
bonded windows which give an unbroken
profile to the superstructure.
Other requests from owners have been
attended to with similar enterprise. For
instance, an extra large onboard petroleum
storage facility for fuelling tenders and
toys, a gyro-stabilised aquarium and a ‘drive
on’ garage to enable the owner to arrive
onboard without leaving his car.
“All of these additional features have to
be class and flag compliant, and Oceanco
are totally committed to working with
the regulatory authorities during the
build phase to ensure that they meet all
legislative requirements,” says Robert Tan,
Oceanco’s sales manager.
This year has seen the yard deliver the
91.5m Equanimity, the first superyacht
designed and built to be fully Passenger
Yacht Code compliant. She is designed for
up to 26 guests onboard with provision for
29 crew, and the entire construction was
kept under 3,000t. Oceanco CEO, Marcel
Onkenhout, comments: “Working together
with Lloyd’s Register and Cayman Islands
Shipping Registry, we designed, developed,
engineered and built a magnificent yacht,
which will undoubtedly set new standards
in the industry.”
Another launch from
Oceanco this year has
been Y710, an 88.5m
motoryacht with a
striking exterior design
by Espen Øino. She
is fitted with two
4,828hp/3,600kW MTU
engines, and is capable
of reaching speeds in
excess of 18.5kt.
Apart from these
notable projects,
Oceanco has six
yachts between 85m-110m currently in
build. According to Michele Flandin, the
yard’s marketing manager: “We have a
very positive outlook for the custom-built
superyacht market in the 80m+ segment.
Even with our substantial order book we
can still accommodate new builds.”
Oceanco has eleven futuristic concept
designs already drawn up, for yachts
between 100m-120m, with renderings and
outline specifications available to discuss
further customisation with potential clients.
Among current in-build projects are sailing
yachts Y711 (84m) and Y712, a mammoth
three master. At 105m she will be the
largest supersailing yacht ever built in the
Netherlands. Y714, a 110m motoryacht, is
booked for the new building dock which is
due for completion at the end of 2014.
The new facility features innovative
technologies such as independently
segregated climate control and centralised
distribution of working air/welding gases.
The climate control will have air locks
between different working areas. The
whole dock, measuring 150m x 30m can
be pumped dry in 10 hours. Integrated into
the design and construction are 3,000m2
of
office space and 13,000m2
of workshops.
The new dock is attracting talent and
previous direct staff numbers of 135 is
expected to reach 200. There will be an
increase in subcontractor facilities to meet
future demands of a very full order book.
w Yacht name: Equanimity
(Hull no Y709)
w Type: PYC compliant motoryacht
w Length: 91.5m (300ft)
w Beam: 14.50m (47.5ft)
w Top speed: 20kt
w Guests: 26
w Crew: 29
11number of concept
designs drawn
up for 100-120m
yachts
Marketing mananger
Michele Flandin
We designed, developed and built a
magnificent yacht, which will undoutedly set new
standards in the industry
Marcel Onkenhout | CEO
Launch of
interest

w ROyal HUISMAN
KEY FACTS:
w Number of employees: 350 (including sister company Rondal)
w Size it can build to: A large degree of flexibility due to a number of
available associated facilities
w Web: www.royalhuisman.com
The yard is sited at Vollenhove, about 100km north of Amsterdam. Established
in 1884, it has always been managed by family members. However in October
2014, it announced a new key shareholder – Doeksen Shipyard Holding.
w yard overview
Following the stake from new majority
shareholder Doeksen Shipyard Holding, Royal
Huisman is entering a period of expansion.
The decision to take on new backers
reflects the yard’s growing order book as
well as its need for succession planning.
CEO Alice Huisman will continue her
current role as a valued shareholder and will
be joined on the board by Royal Doeksen
managing director Jan Willem Doeksen. The
yard has been keen to emphasise that there
will be complete continuity of the current
management and operational teams.
2014 has been a successful year for
the yard with three projects coming to
completion. Already launched are the 48m
(156ft) Hoek designed cutter Wisp, and the
51m (168ft) Hoek ketch, Elfje. A 37m (122ft)
all aluminium classic sloop is on target to
leave the yard by the end of the year.
Walking around the yard with Jurjen van ’t
Verlaat the company’s PR manager, it’s
obvious that the site has been optimised
for in-house construction. The layout has
been studiously adapted to provide the
most efficient logistical flow from the
various workshops into the main build
halls. Various elements are sub-assembled
to an advanced stage before moving
onto the yacht for final installation. “This
well-established modular production flow
minimises the amount of construction
personnel who are working on the yacht at
any one time, and enables us to achieve the
highest quality fit out,” says van ’t Verlaat.
Currently under construction and due for
delivery in 2015 is Sea Eagle, a 43m (142ft)
performance-orientated sloop, designed
by Germán Frers with interior styling by
Rhoades Young. Slated for 2016 delivery is
a Sparkman Stephens designed carbon
composite sloop. For 2017 completion is
the high performance 58m (190ft) sloop,
nicknamed ‘The Beast,’ with a 71m carbon
fibre mast, constructed in one piece by
Rondal, Huisman’s sister company.
The Huisman team has no intention
of sticking with the tried and tested, and
continues development of the DART 80
motoryacht project, working with
celebrated designer Andrew Winch. It has
a distinctive long bow and sheerline and is
devised to attract the keen sailor, as well as
the experienced motoryacht owner.
To complete its portfolio of projects the
yard’s Huisfit division has been kept busy
with a varied list of refit works during 2014.
The roll call of serviced yachts includes
71m (232ft) Lürssen motoryacht Skat, 93m
(305ft) Lürssen schooner Eos and 47m
(155ft) Royal Huisman sloop Hyperion.
Van ’t Verlaat tells us that the yard is
very happy with the progress of its
Huisfit concept. He explains:
“We are seeing a lot of
interest from owners wanting
to bring their yachts to climate-
controlled refit facilities in
Holland during the winter, rather
than incur the time and cost of
tenting and air conditioning
in the Med. The fuel costs
can be almost offset,
and they can then use
Holland as departure
point for cruising
to the Baltic and
Scandinavia in
the summer.”
w Project name: DART 80
w Type: Motoryacht
w Beam: 12m (39ft)
w Draft : 3.m (10ft)
w Top speed: 19kt
w Range: 6000nm @ 16kt cruising speed
w Crew/staff: 21
90largest yacht, in
metres, built to
date
Huisman’s PR manager,
Jurjen van ’t Verlaat
We are seeing a lot of interest from owners
wanting to bring their yachts
to climate-controlled refit facilities
Jurjen van ’t Verlaat | PR manager
project of interest

w in brief
Claasen Shipyards
w Location: Zaandam
w Web: www.claasenshipyards.com
Claasen has been instrumental in the
phenomenal revival of the J Class yachts
over recent years. And according to
marketing manager Anco Kok, its key
focus has been on classically designed
yachts, working in close cooperation
with the Dutch naval architect
Andre Hoek.
Kok says that the demand for classic
timeless yachts is higher than ever, with
a growing interest in superyacht racing,
combined with comfortable world
cruising. He continues: “The market is
picking up. During the Monaco Yacht
Show we received good enquiries for new
yachts. Our yard is involved in several
interesting other possibilities.”
Currently the yard has four projects in
build: two classic sloops, one of 38.4m
(128ft) due for delivery in May 2015 and
another one at 27m (90ft) projected for
completion in May 2016. Then there is a
23m (77ft) pilot cutter due for May 2017.
In January this year it started work on
a 45m J Class yacht, again from the
boards of Hoek Design, and known for
now as project J11. The design follows
the lines of the famous Tore Holm
designed Super J, which was drawn in
1937 for which Claasen has purchased
the plans. Her performance has been
extensively optimised wherever possible
to prepare for competitive racing in the
J Class fleet.
The Claasen yard has a highly skilled
work force, with capacity to build yachts
up to 45m (150ft).
Icon Yachts
w Location: Harlingen
w Web: www.iconyachts.eu
See Yard Insight p60
Jongert
w Location: Wieringerwerf
w Web: www.jongert.com
According to marketing manager Ted
Beelen, Jongert’s key focus is still on
producing sailing yachts in the range from
24m-50m built in aluminium or steel, and its
current facility has capacity for up to four
projects inside the shed, with up to a
possible 60m (197ft) build.
Currently the yard is busy with the first
yacht from a newly conceived future series
called the Performance Line. At 32m (105ft)
the new yacht, 3200P, will have a lifting keel
and performance-oriented hull shape, with
exterior and interior designs by UK-based
Rhoades Young naval architects.
Jongert is planning to have 28m
(92ft), 32m (105ft), 36m (118ft) and 40m
(131ft) versions of the new Performance
Line available in the future, and it
describes them as, ‘yachts you can
circumnavigate the world with and win
races along the way’.
Moonen Shipyards
w Location: ‘s-Hertogenbosch and
Groot-Ammers
w Web: www.moonen.com
In 2014 Moonen announced a new majority
shareholder for the company, and a
brand-new range of yachts called the
Caribbean series, offering models between
25.5m (85ft) and 38m (126ft.)
The new shareholder came with
personal conviction in the advantages of
owning a Moonen yacht, having taken
delivery of three of them over a 10-year
period including the 42m (138ft) fully
custom Sofia, which is a cross between
an expedition vessel and a classic
modern yacht.
Over the past 13 years Moonen has
delivered 15 yachts from its previous
classic superyacht range, including its 84,
94, 97 and 99 models. Now there are six
models available in the new Moonen
Caribbean series. They are all designed by
Rene van der Velden and will be
constructed from high tensile steel,
embracing what the yard are terming the
Enhanced Length Principle (ELP). This
focuses on maximising the usable internal
spaces of the yacht, while offering low fuel
consumption and high comfort levels.
Moonen has already signed two
projects from the Caribbean series since it
was launched in May of this year, namely
the 36.6m (120ft) Martinique and the
32m (106ft) Matica, which are both now
under construction.
Mulder Shipyard
w Location: Zoeterwoude-Rijndijk
w Web: www.muldershipyard.nl
Mulder has recently moved to a new
7,000m2
facility at Zoeterwoude which has
been purpose built with environmental
sustainability in mind, and allows Mulder to
construct custom motoryachts up to 45m
(148ft) in aluminium or steel.
Currently the yard is engaged in building
a 34m (112ft) motoryacht designed by Van
Oossanen naval architects with interiors by
Claydon Reeves. At 315 gross tonnes she
will be the largest yacht completed by the
yard to date and is due for delivery in
summer 2015.
Hakvoort Shipyard
w Location: Monnickendam
w Web: www.hakvoort.com
During the last couple of years Hakvoort
has been busy expanding its facilities to
accommodate construction of yachts up to
63m (207ft) with 12m (39ft) beam. The
investment also includes upgrading of
heating and ventilation systems in the
covered shed, thus ensuring high quality
application of paint finishes.
When SB visited the yard in June, work
was well advanced on the 61m (200ft)
displacement motoryacht Golden Age, with
contemporary styling from the boards of
Sinot Yacht Design, and naval architecture
and construction engineering from Diana
Yacht Design.
Following on from this, Hakvoort signed a
contract to build the 63.3m (208ft) Zeus, an
order that came its way within a few
new build round-up
We are very much a Dutch company, and
our new 50m superyacht will definitely be built
in The Netherlands
Ylja Venema | marketing director, Zeelander Yachts

months of signing the Golden Age project.
Drawn by Rene van der Velden, the yacht
is described as a modern classic with a
difference. In something of a return to
past glories, the yacht will feature a
concept called streamlining, integrated
into the design of the hull.
Vitters Shipyard
w Location: Zwartsluis
w Web: www.vitters.com
Today Vitters has a modern, energy
efficient yard of 21,300m2
, with covered
building space of 6,431m2
, and a staff of
80, where it can construct vessels up to
100m (328ft).
This year finds Vitters busy with an
order book of four projects, including an
eagerly awaited 85m sailing yacht, a 1,583
gross tonne yacht designed by Tripp Naval
Architects, that will be ready for delivery
in mid 2015. She will be built as a co-
operation between Vitters Shipyard and
Oceanco, where both yards will contribute
experience and knowledge from their
respective areas.
Other projects due for delivery from
Vitters in 2015 are sailing superyachts
46m (151ft) Unfurled, and the refit of 66m
(217ft) carbon composite built Hetairos.
And for delivery in 2016 is a 33m
(108ft) performance cruising sloop
constructed of carbon fibre composite.
Designed by naval architect Malcolm
McKeon, the lightweight hull is due for
delivery into Vitters yard in June 2015,
from its composite construction partners,
Green Marine in the UK.
Holland Jachtbouw
w Location: Zaandam
w Web: www.hollandjachtbouw.nl
Holland Jachtbouw is currently undergoing
an expansion project which will provide
three new halls and purpose built offices.
Phase one is nearing completion, and this
will comprise a 60m x 26m x 18.5m build
hangar, allowing it to construct and refit
yachts up to 55m (180ft).
Yachts in build by HJB at this time
include Project J8, the latest addition to
the J Class revival, which is expected to be
delivered in mid-2015. According to her
naval architects Hoek Design, she is fully
expected to exhibit spectacular sailing
performance, based on a software
programme it has developed to establish
the most favourable design characteristics
from the originally drawn J Class designs
from the 1930s.
Planned for arrival at Zaandam in
early 2015 from the Shipyard Made in
Moerdijk, is the aluminium hull for the
51m schooner Rainbow II. She will be
completed to a design from Dykstra Naval
Architects following that of the original
Rainbow built in 1897 and is scheduled for
delivery in 2017.
Zeelander Yachts
w Location: Groot-Ammers
w Web: www.zeelander.com
Zeelander was established in 2004 and has
already designed, built and marketed three
motoryachts under 24m. In May of this year
it introduced its venture into the
superyacht size range by announcing
details of the 49.9m Z164, a cruising
explorer yacht.
Zeelander’s founder and chairman Sietse
Koopmans, has invested his own time and
money in researching first hand, what an
owner would look for in such a yacht by
cruising the world in a 36m (120ft)
explorer yacht. Over a three-year period,
he visited 39 countries, covering more
than 60,000 miles.
The overall design of Z164 has also
been ongoing for more than three years,
and has been in the hands of a well proven
trio of studios – Vripack for naval
architecture, Sinot Yacht Design for
interiors and Cor D. Rover for styling.
Although the smaller Zeelander yachts
have been built in the US, the Z164 will be
built in the Netherlands at a yard location
yet to be revealed. Ylja Venema, the
company’s marketing director told SB that
Koopmans already owns a significant yard
facility in the south of the country and is
negotiating for an additional building shed
close by. She explains: “We are very much
a Dutch company, and our new 50m
(164ft) superyacht will definitely be built
in the Netherlands.”
Zeelander also has a Z82 and a Z128
(approximately 24m and 38m) under
development to complete its range.
Focus Netherlands
The Vitters-built Aglaia – a 66m sloop-rigged aluminium yacht

w CLAASEN
Yachts delivered
None this year
Yachts under construction
Name Motor/Sail Length Designer Delivery
J11 Classic Sloop 45m Hoek Design 2015
Hoek 126 Classic Sloop 38.5m Hoek Design 2015
Hoek 90 Classic Sloop 27m Hoek Design 2016
Pilot 77 Pilot Cutter 23m Hoek Design 2017
w FEADSHIP
Yachts delivered
Como Motor 46m Dubois/Redman Whiteley Dixon 2014
ROCK.IT Motor 60m Feadship De Voogt/Sinot 2014
686 Motor 83m Feadship De Voogt/Cristina Benardeau --
689 Motor 46m Dubois/Redman Whiteley Dixon –
690 Motor 44m Feadship De Voogt/Bannenberg Rowell --
808 Motor 101.5m Feadship De Voogt/Francois Zuretti/Peter
Marino
–
809 Motor 66m Feadship De Voogt/Eidsgaard Design –
810 Motor 57m Feadship De Voogt/Eidsgaard Design –
1005 Motor 92m Feadship De Voogt/Seymour Diamond/
Owner
–
w HEESEN
Yachts delivered
Elena Motor FD 47m Van Oossanen/Heesen/
Frank Laupman/Omega
2014
Monaco Wolf Motor SD 50m Van Oossanen/Heesen/
Francesco Paszkowski
2014
Galatea Motor SD 40m Van Oossanen/Heesen/
Frank Laupman/Omega
2014
My Sky Motor FD 51m Van Oossanen/Heesen/
Eric van Egeraart
2014
Alive Motor FD* 42m Van Oossanen/Heesen/
Frank Laupman/Omega
2014
16750 Motor FD 50m – 2015
16947 Motor FD 47m – 2015
17255 Motor FD 55m -- 2015
17350 Motor SD 50m – 2015
17145 Motor SD 45m – 2016
17470 Motor FD 70m – 2016
17650 Motor SD 50m – 2016
17755 Motor FD 55m – 2017
17850 Motor FD 50m – 2017
FD (Full Displacement) SD (Semi Displacement)
* Fast Disp with Hull Vane.
w HAKVOORT
Yachts delivered
None this year
Golden Age Motor 61m Diana Yacht Design/Sinot 2015
new build round-up
w Order book 2015 - 2017
w AMELS
Yachts delivered
Astra Motor 55m Tim Heywood/Amels 2014
Serenity J Motor 55m Tim Heywood/Amels 2014
Z Motor 65.5m Tim Heywood/Amels 2014
Not revealed
The Hakvoort yard and workshop
A build in process at the Heesen yard

w HOLLAND JACHTBOUW
Yachts delivered
Heureka Sailing Sloop 45m Bill Dixon 2014
Hull 95 Sail 46m Tripp Design/Rhoades Young 2015
J8 Sail (J-Class) 42m Hoek Design 2015
Rainbow II Sail 50m Dykstra 2017
Tripp 46 Sail 46m Tripp Design/Rhoades Young 2016
w jongert
P Line 3200 Sail 32m Rhoades Young 2015
w MULDER
Yachts delivered
Mulder 94 Motor 29m Vripack/Omega 2014
BN100 Motor 34m Van Oossanen/Claydon Reeves 2015
w ROYAL HUISMAN
Yachts delivered
Wisp Sailing Sloop 48m Hoek Design 2014
Elfje Sailing Ketch 46m Hoek Design 2014
Info restricted Sailing Cruiser 37m Dykstra/Rhoades Young/
Drake Design
–
Sea Eagle Sailing Sloop 43m Germán Frers/Rhoades Young 2015
Dubois Sloop * Sailing Sloop 58m Ed Dubois/
Rick Baker and Tom Morgan
2017
* Keel laying planned for early 2015.
w VITTERS
Yachts delivered
None this year
Project 85 Sail 84m Tripp Design
(in cooperation with Oceanco)
2015
Unfurled Sail 46m Germán Frers 2015
Focus Netherlands
w MOONEN
Yachts delivered
None this year
Model Martinique Motor 36.5m Rene van der Velden 2016
Model Matica Motor 32m Rene van der Velden/
Adam Lay Studio
2016
w OCEANCO
Yachts delivered
Equanimity (709) Motor 91.5m Oceanco/Andrew Winch 2014
710 Motor 88.5m Oceanco/Espen Øino –
711 Sail 84m Oceanco/Tripp Design
(in cooperation with Vitters)
–
712 (Solar) Sail 105m Oceanco/Dykstra/
Nuvolari-Lenard
–
Note: Oceanco has additional projects in its order book
on which it cannot publish information
The new dock in construction at Oceano
The design of Royal Huisman’s 58m Dubois sloop

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