Yacht Project Berlin Is Owners’ First Custom Superyacht

A year ago, a couple was in the midst of seeking a bigger yacht to buy. Initially, they were considering a semi-custom yacht, since they could personalize the entire interior much the same way they did their previous yacht. Upon speaking with Van der Valk Shipyard’s team, however, they changed their mind. When she’s finished next year, the 98-foot (30-meter) yacht Project Berlin will be their first fully custom megayacht.

The first conversations between the owners and the shipyard occurred in January 2025, according to Yoeri Bijker, the yard’s commercial director. A custom design made the most sense for a few reasons. “They are really building this boat for themselves, and not for charter nor for carrying many guests onboard,” Bijker explains. Additionally, “They anticipate staying on the boat for extended periods, from April ‘til October.” Conveniently, the couple liked what Van der Valk and Guido de Groot had done with raised-pilothouse configurations. Further convenient, “We had already made several studies to envisage what a more modern version of raised-pilothouse yachts we’ve built at Van der Valk would look like, so we had some initial artist impressions already,” de Groot says. “They were a good starting point for these clients.”

superyacht Project Berlin at Van der Valk Shipyard

Among the tailored touches, the yacht Project Berlin has a tender garage plus a lowering swim platform. Her wider-than-normal 23-foot (7-meter) beam affords ample decks, too. For alfresco areas, that means a sizable sundeck . A hot tub and wraparound sunpads are aft, with more sunpads plus seating fully forward. In between, the owners have a good amount of other seating and a dining area. There’s also a barbecue near the dining area. “Both indoor and outdoor living are very important to the owners in terms of the dimensions we have,” de Groot says. “We have worked really hard on maximizing the layout.”

To that end, inside, the yacht Project Berlin holds a few surprises. Firstly, she has just two guest staterooms, both VIPs, below decks. The typical four-cabin configuration “didn’t match the owners’ way of using this particular vessel,” Bijker explains. “In fact, that’s one of the reasons why they were leaning toward building something custom.” The owners’ suite, though, does follow tradition by occupying the full beam on the main deck. But, quite unexpectedly, the large windows to each side slide down to open. The saloon windows, which don’t have mullions between them, slide down to open, too. The saloon windows are nearly 10 feet (3 meters) wide by 6’6” (2 meters) high. “We have done drop-down windows before,” says Valentijn Roos, the yard’s project engineer, “but not at this size.”

Notably, the yacht Project Berlin has a waterline length of less than 78 feet (24 meters). This means she doesn’t require Tier III exhaust treatment, for instance. That in turn allows space for the tender garage. It partly extends into purpose-made, watertight section of the engine room, yet reportedly without hampering maintenance access. This was quite important to the owners and the shipyard. In fact, both agreed that crew access and overall crew welfare was crucial. Expect the megayacht to feature three crew cabins, a healthy-size crew mess, and a dedicated laundry area.

The owners should have Project Berlin, expected to cruise at 20 knots, in their hands next year. Construction on the hull is already finished, a major step following the official keel laying on November 27, 2025. Next up: finalizing the relaxed, comfortable, modern-looking interior. “It won’t be minimalistic, but quite playful in terms of ambience,” de Groot notes. “They’ve really enjoyed developing the interiors of their houses, so it’s going to be a nice project working with them.”

Guido de Groot Design guidodegroot.com

Van der Valk Shipyard vandervalk s hipyard.com