Doggersbank 77 Offshore Yacht Keel Laying Set for Fall

With more than 700 deliveries since the 1970s, the Doggersbank design fleet from Vripack proves its mettle in oceangoing voyages and even some of the toughest conditions globally. These true explorers attract adventurous souls, and will soon have yet another adventurous soul as a fellow owner. A serial yacht owner has commissioned a custom version, what Vripack calls a Doggersbank 77 Offshore yacht.

To say the fleet owners are adventurous is actually an understatement. The owners of the Doggersbank Gayle Force, for example, ventured nearly non-stop to Antarctica from northern Florida aboard in 2018. It was just one part of a yearlong voyage taking them to the Galapagos and other far-flung regions, too.

The buyer of the Doggersbank 77 Offshore yacht is pretty audacious himself. Additionally, he had a thorough must-have list when he began working with the Dutch design studio. Among them was something where he could be the owner-operator, with a narrow beam and sub-80-foot (24-meter) LOA. The dimensions were dictated by a berth in the Pacific Northwest, which will be the yacht’s home port. Further must-haves were a single engine and a Dutch-built boat.

the Doggersbank 77 Offshore yacht is for an American

Altena Yachting is taking care of construction, which starts in September. The shipyard likely is not familiar to most owners and consultants in the international yachting community. However, it builds all-custom trawlers, canal cruisers, and yachts, including a number of Doggersbank designs. (Doggersbank projects have taken shape at a variety of shipyards worldwide.)

While the inclusion of a steel hull and a bulbous bow won’t surprise anyone, several of the other features certainly will. For instance, this Doggersbank 77 Offshore yacht will be the first of the fleet with a single-engine, PTO/PTI hybrid propulsion system. Briefly, it combines a diesel engine with an electric engine to provide flexibility, save fuel, and reduce emissions. In fact, Vripack says the owner will be able to cruise on batteries alone at 6 knots for up to two hours. Simultaneously, this operational mode will burn just 13 gph (50 lph). Since the waters of the Pacific Northwest often have driftwood, not always visible on the surface, either, a nozzle will protect the prop.

the Doggersbank 77 Offshore yacht will have walnut inside

As for creature comforts, a VIP suite and two twin guest staterooms will accompany the master suite below decks. Vripack says they’ll all be unusually spacious, plus have strong noise cancellation. When the owner is running the yacht at night, he’ll have a watch bunk in the wheelhouse. Portholes will open to allow fresh air to flow through as well. Conveniently, a large laundry area and utility room will be below decks. On the main deck, meanwhile, an open spiral stairway will keep the sightlines clear fore to aft. Finally, all three decks, connected by the stairway, will show off American walnut and warm furnishing tones.

Upon delivery, the Doggersbank 77 Offshore yacht will be the largest owner-operated project in the fleet. “Realizing his own full-custom Doggersbank is something he’s delighted to be able to tick off his bucket list,” says Bart Bouwhuis, Vripack’s co-creative director.

Delivery takes place in 2025.

Altena Yachting altena-yachting.nl

Vripack vripack.com