Holland & Italy dominate Euro Superyacht scene

A sign that the worldwide recession has bitten deep and wide can be taken from the relatively dormant s t a t e of the European super/ megayacht scene.

Confidence does seem to be returning; all the important yards in Holland and Italy have work and the U.K. based designers are busy. Holland and Italy dominate the stage. The demise of Brooke Yachts in the U.K. soon after the completion ofStefaren seemed to signal the end of an era, although the recent fire at Pendennis Shipyard set back an otherwise encouraging attempt at recovery.

The largest British motor yacht currently available is a mere 66 ft. (20 m), although Sunseeker has announced a 77-ft. (23.6-m) model for early 1996. Germany has a number of quality yards involved in the field, most notably Abeking & Rasmussen and Lurssen, but the numbers are small, and this country's most valuable contribution to the market appears to be in the field of high power marine diesel engines.

The French concentrate mainly on sailing yachts and Greek builders attempt to serve only the home market for tax reasons.

The status of the Dutch custom yacht industry is outstanding. Historically a maritime nation, it faced high wage levels when, in the early seventies, other yacht building countries were turning to volume production, against which most Dutch builders found it impossible to compete. Instead they opted for a high quality custom strategy, last year increasing Holland's share to nearly 30 percent of the 100-ft. (30-m) or over luxury yachts.

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cializing in steel and aluminum superyachts with capacity to build vessels up to 328 ft. (100 m). Around five Feadships are launched each year, and 1994's collection included the 167-ft. (51-m) Double Haven, the 156-ft. (47.5-m) Tatasu and the 154-ft. (47-m) Yemaja.

Feadship's success lies in its ability to combine superior naval architecture with the very latest in technology, materials and craftsmanship.

An example of this is the 171 ft. x 30.5 ft. (52 m x 9.3 m) Rasselas, where the owner required a modern day yacht incorporating every facility, but with ties to long standing naval tradition.

Naval architect Frits de Voogt was required to produce the modern classic.

To a large extent, this has been achieved by the provision of a main deck passageway around the entire vessel — popular on yachts 30 years ago, and a traditional naval touch. The yacht's classic interior styl-ing was designed by John Munford.

Rasselas has a maximum speed of 15.4 knots from a pair of Caterpillar 3512 marine diesels, each developing 1,280 bhp at 1,645 rpm. The vessel is currently on her maiden voyage in the Caribbean.

Amels Holland BV was formerly a commercial shipyard, but since converting to super/megayacht construction in 1980 has built nine vessels to considerable critical acclaim. Currently being built is a 246-ft. (75-m) steel hulled motor yacht with both interior and exterior styling by the energetic London- based Terence Disdale design team. The company's most recent launch was Maupiti, a diesel electric powered 151-ft. (46-m) expedition superyacht.

Established in 1880, the family run Hakvoort Shipyard stepped up production in 1994 with Lady Marina at 164 ft. (50 m), the company's most ambitious project yet.

Considered to be one of the most significant recent vessels of its type and the undoubted star of last year's Super Yacht Show in Nice, much has been written about the elegance of the design by Don Starkey and the standard of workmanship by Hakvoort.

Lady Marina's owner wanted an aft engine room allowing guest accommodation to be located in the center of the vessel, putting as much distance as possible between sleeping guests and machinery. This demand provided a challenge to naval architects, Diana Yacht Design International, as concentrating the weight aft in a displacement craft would increase the tendency to pitch in heavy seas. This weight distribution problem would normally be compounded by the inclusion of heavy V-drive gearboxes. In fact, these were avoided by the development by Diana of aft hull sections permitting short straight drive trains with only slightly more down angle than normal.

This allowed the full power from twin 1,361-bhp Caterpillar 3512TA diesels to be transmitted to the fivebladed Lips propellers resulting in a maximum speed of 16 knots. Oceanco, the Monaco based design, build and marketing company, used the Hakvoort/Don Starkey combination to complete Caprice, a 123-ft. (37.5-m) MWM powered, 21- knot sports yacht. In the meantime, the company bought the Kees Cornelissen Shipyard in Holland where the 163-ft. (49.8-m)Achiever was finished. Designed by the late Gerhard Gilgenast, Achiever employs a pair of 1,530-hp MTU diesels to give a 17-knot top speed. The company reports that three more vessels are under construction at its newly acquired facility.

Italian superyacht builders are striving hard to recapture the halcyon days of the 1970s when they could command almost 40 percent of the market. With a pickup in theeconomy, and aware that many buyers prefer not to wait two years or more for delivery, leading Italian yards are pioneering the building of superyachts "on spec." Carp Navi - W de Vries Lentsch has a 115-ft. (35-m) motor yacht available for immediate delivery, a 100- ft. (30-m) version under construction, and plans for a new 131-ft. (40- m) design. The yard's in-house designs are similar, featuring a steel hull, light aluminum superstructure and conventional propulsion Circle 273 on Reader Service Card systems with MWM Deutz diesels. In many ways they tend, as a 16- knot craft should, toward the classic rather than modern school — with vertical windows, open deck space and a high bow with a pronounced bulb for stability.One of the two 115-ft. (35-m) vessels currently under construction at Baglietto has been sold and should be ready for delivery in May while work continues on the other. One hundred-ft. (30-m) and 125-ft. (38- m) versions are also being built, awaiting customers. All these motor yachts are built entirely of aluminum alloy in more typical Italian streamlined style and use MTU engines of various powers to produce speeds in the region of 30 knots. Interestingly, one of Baglietto's most recent deliveries wasOpus (featured on this month's cover), a 93-ft. (28.3- m) KaMeWa waterjet propelled craft with a maximum speed approaching 50 knots. This craft has all the looks and excitement of an offshore raceboat but with a megayacht style interior. Cantieri Navali San Lorenzo in the charming port of Viareggio now has a five boat range, all in fiberglass with wood interiors and in the 30+ knots category, which starts at 57 ft. (17.4 m) but will, with the first launch scheduled to take place this month, be crowned by a 100 ft. model. Blue Velvet, a 102-ft. (31-m) Frank Mulder design is a recent launch from near neighbor Codesca. Two 3,480-hp MTU diesels drive waterjets through ZF gears to provide the 42- knot top speed.