With half a century of heritage behind it and over 1200 of its motor yachts launched, the Dutch Van der Valk yard has a proven track record in the sector for premium motor yachts between 15 and 40 metres. Its recent successes include the 36.80-metre Santa Maria T, a finalist in this year’s World Super yacht awards. But as the introduction of the Beach Club line makes clear, no-one at Van der Valk is resting on their laurels. In addition the following new build projects are under construction at the shipyard: 18M, 23M and 27M Fly bridge, 26M and 27M Raised Pilothouse and 25,5M Trawler.
A new kind of space
“The Beach Club line is the product of many months of research & development with designer Cor D. Rover and Ginton Naval Architects,” explains Van der Valk sales director Patrick Lankhuizen. “The aim was to create something that would be genuinely innovative and give clients not only an unprecedented feeling of space but far more space in reality. Most yacht concepts are focussed on either the exterior or interior volume – our goal was to optimise both.
“We achieved this by dispensing with the normal engine room and placing the revolutionary Volvo Penta IPS propulsion system (of which the Van der Valk shipyard has succesfully installed approx. 70 units) in the swimming platform area, where the height is still around 1.6 metres. This, by patent protected, arrangement makes the most of an aft area of the vessel that is rarely used, freeing up a great deal of volume for interior and exterior facilities. As a result the Beach Club line has the same amount of space that is usually found on far bigger yachts.”.
Making the most of space
The Beach Club line will be offered in a range starting from 60 ft (18.6 metres). Construction on the first Beach Club 600 hull – the 60 ft (18,6m) version – will start in December 2016. The all-aluminium Beach Club 600 is driven by a twin Volvo Penta IPS-950 drive train boasting a top speed of approximately 24 knots.
The Beach Club 600 will feature three main outdoor zones to optimise the “al fresco” lifestyle that many Van der Valk owners enjoy. The enormous foredeck area spans some 25 square metres and offers various layout options, including fitting a Jacuzzi. There is a 17-square-metre cockpit deck with an outside steering position. Last but not least, the beach club aft includes both a smart swimming platform and a sun lounge area within its 14 square metres.
A new way of thinking
The interior of the Beach Club line also makes the most of the possibilities which this new way of design thinking opens up. The forward owner’s suite is a fabulous place and there are two separate saloons on the yacht. The spacious upper lounge has an inside steering position and panoramic views while the huge lower deck lounge includes a galley and dining area, all with direct access to the swim platform via curved glass sliding doors.
The overall roomy ambience is further enhanced by the liberal use of glass, with all-round views from the two lounges and the master suite. There are also various glass inserts in the hull, giving an additional air of class to an exterior profile which exudes modern elegance.
“When the first Beach Club is launched in 2017, it will represent a mini-revolution in motor yachting,” concludes Lankhuizen. “As well as offering a true innovation in terms of space, the yacht will be completed to the highest standard of Dutch quality and detail that has made the Van der Valk brand so successful. The Beach Club line is a synthesis of rich experience with future-oriented thinking that takes the desires of today’s and tomorrow owners fully into account.”
