If it feels like more manufacturers are offering superyacht tenders and chase boats, they are. One of the newest is B-Craft, and with it comes a different approach to welcoming clients. The B-Craft Akoya tender not only offers extensive customization, it’s also on a tour of some of Europe’s best-known boating destinations. It’s an opportunity to take a sea trial and better understand the possibilities for those who want more choices.
Based in Belgium with construction in The Netherlands, B-Craft is a father-and-son business. Roeland and Joris Van Aelst are cruisers themselves and wanted to create a boat that they believed was missing. The majority of production boats handling wakeboarding, as one example, or chase-boat duties boast good performance, but don’t stow easily aboard a superyacht. Simultaneously, they limit personalization to colors and fabrics. Also, their purpose-driven sporty styling and layout doesn’t necessarily suit a more elevated guest-tender role.
The B-Craft Akoya brings it all together. The 28-foot (8.6-meter) craft supports watersports activity, especially with 450-hp Volvo Penta Forward Drive propulsion. A stern drive with forward-facing, counter-rotating propellers, Forward Drive results in smoother water behind the boat—with Volvo Penta specifically acknowledging how important this is for wakeboarding. The power package further pledges a cruising speed of 20 knots and a top end of 45 knots. To address its purpose as a more polished-looking megayacht tender, the B-Craft Akoya is the only boat where the wakeboard tower stows and deploys under a hatch. It also has seating for eight amid the 8’4” (2.55-meter) beam. You can opt for an automated bimini, side-boarding platform, and sunbeds, too. Equally important, B-Craft prioritizes broad customization, from accessories and fabrics to layouts and upgraded materials.
The upcoming Akoya roadshow is, according to the Van Aelsts, a solution to a common problem. “One of the biggest challenges for prospective boat buyers is finding the opportunity to experience a vessel in the environment where they actually intend to use it,” Joris Van Aelst says. “By taking the Akoya directly to some of Europe’s most popular boating destinations, we’re making it easier for clients to get behind the wheel and discover what makes the boat unique.” Having recently been in Lake Como, Italy, the boat is heading to Marina Dalmacija in Croatia for sea trials July 17 and 18, then again from August 8 to 12. It returns to Lake Como from August 15 to September 5. On-water demos are additionally being held in conjunction with the Cannes Yachting Festival and the Monaco Yacht Show.
As part of the roadshow, owners and captains can get better insight into B-Craft’s Akoya configurator. Currently available on the website, it lets you experiment with colors and finishes, among other things, seeing the results from a variety of different angles. Currently, the Van Aelsts say upwards of 27 million combinations are possible. They’re working on design packages, too, and intend to make their other models, the Akoya Cabin and Tahiti, configurable as well.
Appointments for the Akoya roadshow are available through a sign-up page on the website.
B-Craft bcraftboats.com
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