Many a yacht owner can recount fond memories of sharing their favorite water activities with their children. Several are making new memories with their grown children and now grandchildren as well. The owner of the yacht Special One certainly can relate. To say he’s an avid sportfisherman and cruiser is an understatement. In seeking a way to combine these passions and share them with his growing family, he decided a bigger boat was in order. A much bigger boat, it turns out—with quite specific, non-negotiable characteristics, like 30-plus knots of speed. When other shipyards told him no, Royal Huisman told him yes.
At 171 feet (52 meters) and therefore the world’s largest true fishing yacht, Royal Huisman’s special yachtfisherman didn’t start out as a record-setter. Rather, the owner wanted something more capacious than the Viking 92 he’d been enjoying because his grandsons and adult son were regularly joining him. His ownership team, comprised of individuals knowledgeable about sportfishing and technical needs, contacted Vripack in early 2020. An initial round of sketches ticked the right boxes for the owner. As the conversations continued, the goal became how to incorporate more superyacht comforts and luxuries for his entire family on long voyages, while still plying favored fishing grounds. It wasn’t a simple task of “just” increasing scale or amenities. Volume needed to remain beneath 500 gross tons, for example, and compromising speed was a non-starter.
Vripack did succeed, developing a six-deck plan respecting volume, space, and performance parameters, plus air-conditioning needs for Persian Gulf temperatures. The design additionally included the main-deck master and classic sportfish styling the owner wanted. These, along with lightweight aluminum construction and other stringent technical needs, led the owner’s team to contact a few Dutch builders. But, each told the owner’s team their goal was either impossible or not within the yard’s comfort zone. Vripack confirmed the parameters were indeed possible via tank tests. Interestingly, at some point, a shipyard representative mentioned sailboat builders had the know-how to build in tight spaces while respecting performance needs. That led to contacting Royal Huisman—and a contract for the yacht Special One in late 2020. “When others say it can’t be done, we say, ‘Okay, show it to us,’” Jan Timmerman, the managing director, says.
Using Alustar aluminum, 12 percent lighter and 20 percent stiffer than traditional aluminum, was a given. Although building a fast power yacht wasn’t an issue, thanks to launching the head-turning yacht Phi in 2021, its team still had homework to do. It had never built a sportfisherman. Furthermore, sportfishing isn’t exactly a common lifestyle in The Netherlands, nor for Royal Huisman’s clients. “We fish in the Netherlands with a pole, and we catch from the dyke,” Timmerman jokes. Learning what equipment was of prime importance came first, followed by determining how to make it all fit. The engineering division’s experience in using 3D programs to identify every possible unused nook worked. Consider that sailing superyachts are still quite narrow despite being quite long. The same thought process that allows the yard to build them went toward using voids in overheads and even the backs of furniture for systems and stowage.
Power is particularly important for a sportfishing yacht. It’s for reaching fishing grounds quickly, for example, plus backing down on pelagics to make reeling them in easier. To meet requirements for the yacht Special One, initially studies focused on a triple-engine package. No typical two-engine packages had the right horsepower. When the studies showed the third engine would compromise weight and eliminate two staterooms, though, attitudes adjusted. Notably, MAN had an upcoming powerplant, a V20, that it pledged would be ready in time for a two-engine solution. It was compact, too. Ultimately, the engine more than suited the needs. According to Timmerman, Special One went from 0 to 32 knots during sea trials in just 45 seconds. He also says she can complete a U turn in two and a half boat lengths at 30 knots. Equally notable, he adds, she heels just three degrees at full speed in turns.
The owner of Special One is thrilled with the performance, and how all of her amenities turned out. “To build my first full custom superyacht has been a dream come true,” he says. “To have shared every step of that experience with my family has made it even more memorable.” The family spends time together in the open-plan saloon, on the bridge deck, and of course out on deck. Walnut paneling envelops the five staterooms and social spaces, creating a casual, laid-back atmosphere also complete with white furnishings. It’s simple but not simplistic. Oak cabinetry, ash soles, Italian marble, and an abundance of leather panels for walls and furniture frames all come into play. Particularly striking is the oval sole in the dining area, with 237 inlaid pieces of ash and wenge.
Parts of the décor are as practical as they are pretty. Significantly, leather furniture frames are helpful handholds while the yacht is underway. Additionally, the rounded glass elevator is a vacuum elevator. It’s two and a half times lighter than traditional mechanical elevators in yachting. “We’re the first one in the industry applying a vacuum elevator,” Timmerman says, noting it’s akin to the canisters zipping through tubes at banks.
From the sound emanating from upwards of 150 speakers throughout—including in her lounge-turned-dance-club—to her fishing prowess, the yacht Special One “is already an icon,” her owner says. “The admiration from the docks that we receive everywhere is quite unique,” he explains. “I look forward to many more experiences aboard with my family, friends, and those who we meet along the way. She truly is a special one.”
Royal Huisman royalhuisman.com
Vripack vripack.com
More About the Yacht Special One
LOA: 170’6” (52 meters)
Beam: not available
Draft: not available
Guests: 10 in 5 staterooms
Engines: 2/5,900-hp MANs
Range: 1,030 nautical miles at 12 knots
Builder: Royal Huisman
Stylist: Vripack
Naval Architect: Vripack
Interior Designer: Vripack
Leave a Reply