The Vripack Doggersbank legacy requires little introduction. The fleet of rugged offshore vessels have remained so enduringly popular since their 1970s debut that more than 700 models have been built to date. With the arrival of the Doggersbank 77’ Offshore, the Dutch design studio has proven that even the most appealing of designs can be modernised to suit an owner’s needs.
In penning the exterior, interior and naval architecture for the Doggersbank 77’ Offshore – the largest model that Altena Shipyard in the Netherlands has built to date – Vripack has built upon its pocket explorer expertise and released it onto a bigger stage.
Now, an adventure-hungry serial boat owner with a detailed list of requirements and an appetite for excellent design has affirmed the brand’s reawakening.
“The owner had a specific desire for an owner-operated 77-foot (23.5m) Doggersbank with a narrow beam and single engine,” says Vripack co-creative director Bart Bouwhuis. “The result of our naval architectural design focus is an efficient hull shape coupled with a highly interesting propulsion package.”
Designed with a bulbous bow that has been optimised using Vripack’s in-house computational fluid dynamic analysis, the 77’ Offshore is the first Doggersbank in the world to be fitted with a single engine PTO/PTI hybrid propulsion system. It enables the boat to cruise silently on batteries for up to two hours at six knots, with a fuel burn of just 50 litres per hour.
“An efficient propulsion system, high level of comfort and the elimination of noise at low speed epitomises what Vripack’s holistic design is all about,” adds Bouwhuis. “By pairing onboard comfort with performance redundancy and efficient design, we ensure the owner’s time spent aboard is nothing short of perfection.”
The 77’ Offshore also sits just below the 24m threshold, making it the largest owner operated Doggersbank in the fleet. The yacht’s compact length and beam were mandated by the owner’s recent purchase of a harbour berth on the northwest coast of North America where the yacht will be kept.
Other design stipulations include a nozzle to protect the propellor and rudder from driftwood, which is common in the area where the boat will cruise. There are open portholes for natural ventilation, noise cancellation in the full-beam owner’s state room and unusually spacious lower deck accommodation built to the latest and noise cancelation criteria. Both the generous VIP suite forward and twin guest cabin enjoy ensuite bathrooms.
The full custom interior enjoys a supersized laundry and utility room on the lower deck, a watch bunk in the bridge for night crossings, and clear visibility from the main salon to both the bridge and lower deck via an open spiral staircase that links all three decks and is topped by a skylight. The interior features fine quarter-sawn American walnut and neutral base fabrics. It’s paired with chic decorative soft furnishings in warm tones that reflect North America’s radiant Indian summers.
With the keel scheduled to be laid in early September 2023, the Doggersbank 77’ Offshore is set to deliver in 2025.
“Owning a durable, Dutch-designed, steel-hulled explorer built in the Netherlands has been a long-held dream for this owner,” says Bouwhuis. “Realising his own full-custom Doggersbank is something he’s delighted to be able to tick off his bucket list.”
