52M Royal Huisman’s “Special One”, special, supersize and not impossible to build

Making her debut at the 2024 Monaco Yacht Show, Royal Huisman’s Special One showed the world just how special she is. Her list of superlatives is long, but to take it from the top, at 52 meters / 171 feet, she’s the world’s largest true sportfisherman and powers out to fishing grounds at 30+ knots. She’s also a superyacht in every sense of the word with five staterooms for the owner’s party, including two stretching full beam. Beautiful walnut joinery, exotic stonework, and bespoke furnishings dominate the interior. She features a unique, three-person pneumatic glass-enclosed elevator, and showcases the first yacht installation of a commercial grade 3D sonar fish finder. Designed for multi-generational living, Special One has indoor social spaces on three decks including formal dining, and exterior living spaces on six. She sets a new benchmark in the world of big game fishing boats, and she does all this while staying below 500GT.

Meeting the owner’s brief

The owner’s goal for this yacht – his first custom order – was for the ultimate luxury sportfishing yacht. He is a passionate fisherman who loves spending family time on the water. Now that his son and grandsons were taking fishing holidays with him, he had outgrown his US-built Viking 92 sportfish. While giving up nothing in terms of fishability or the speed at which he could access fishing grounds, he wanted to be able to accommodate the entire family on long expeditions, offering them a superyacht environment. His goal was to entertain larger numbers of people in comfort, especially for time aboard while the fishermen are not actually reeling in their catch. Because the yacht might be operating in remote locations while chasing large ocean-going fish, reliability was a top concern.  He assembled a team that included Pascarelli Consulting as his representative, Bush & Noble for expertise on sportfishing equipment, and Hampshire Marine for technical expertise, as well as trusted crew members to develop specifications for a new build.

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The owner’s team approached Vripack early in 2020 about the feasibility of a supersize sportfishing boat. After seeing the initial sketches, the idea excited the owner and then the practicalities of how much bigger the boat could be started to be put on the table during June and July 2020. Despite the onset of Covid-19, discussions with Vripack progressed to tighter specifications as the look was defined. The yacht was to have the iconic profile of an American sportfisherman but the designers quickly realized that they couldn’t simply scale up a standard large sportsfisherman to 52 meters / 171 feet. “It just wouldn’t look right,” said Vripack’s Bart Bouwhuis, “and there was the issue of providing a main deck owner’s suite.” Working the speed requirement into the equation, it was obvious the yacht would need to be built of aluminum to limit weight. Fitting in all the gear on the list plus the intention of luxury finishes led the owner’s team to zero in on a few northern European, and then exclusively, Dutch yards.

Two yards responded that it was, in their view, “impossible” to contain the conceptualized yacht within the specified 500GT; another declared it would have to be completely redrawn and re-engineered because the engine room was “impossible”. Someone commented that only a sailboat builder could build a yacht that dense and technically complex within a challenging weight budget. Sportfishing yachts have extremely fine entries and pronounced shapes in their forward sections, not unlike sailing yachts. For sailing yacht builders, working in tight spaces with a constant eye on weights and balances is all in a day’s work.

The owner’s team’s next inquiry was to Royal Huisman, a shipyard with an impressive heritage. Its reputation is largely built on a superlative portfolio of unique and tailor-made aluminum sailing yachts, at least 30 of which measure beyond 40 meters / 130 feet. Known for its ability to tackle complex and innovative projects and those pushing boundaries of traditional yacht design, Royal Huisman was then nearing completion of the extraordinary 58.5m / 192ft motoryacht Phi, the longest motoryacht below 500GT. That yacht, too, was a project many said could not be built.

Moving forward with confidence

Vripack refined its initial design via CFD and built a model for a tank study at the MARIN Institute in The Netherlands. The model test validated the CFD numbers, and preliminary calculations supported the feasibility of meeting the speed requirements based on a certain horsepower for the powerplant. The owner signed a contract with Royal Huisman in late 2020. The shipyard team began engineering the yacht with its entire team under Covid lockdown. Working independently off 3D files stored on the company’s mainframe allowed those in all the engineering specialties to simultaneously collaborate and work off real-time adjustments and data to keep the project moving forward. Interestingly, just like when engineering a sailing yacht, Royal Huisman’s engineers used 3D programs to locate “net space” meaning voids, nooks and crannies, between structure and the back sides of interior spaces and furniture, and fitted a in a surprising amount of storage.

Noting that a sportfisherman of this scale has never been created before, the Vripack studio applied its “most radical naval architecture ever” on this hull with the goal of dramatically lowering resistance and, consequently, reducing fuel consumption. They steered away from a traditional deep-V hull and gave Special One a semi-displacement hull form with a single chine, anti-chine-slap spray rail and a sharp bow entry angle for a comfortable ride. Its shape is optimized to reduce resistance at both cruising speed and top end.

Royal Huisman proposed building the boat in Alustar, which is both stiffer than a traditional alloy and 12% lighter. To meet the speed requirement, materials were weighed going into the hull and the entire vessel was weighed at intervals during construction. Stability and seakeeping were key elements of the brief and CFD guided weight distribution along the entire hull bottom. With the absence of a central skeg, Special One has a rather special turning behavior. Instead of leaning significantly outboard as a yacht carves a tight turn, Special One’s captain can give full rudder at full speed with the vessel heeling no more than 3.1 degrees — even without the assistance of stern-mounted interceptors and a pair of 6.5-ton / 14,300-pound gyros to dampen close to 80% of roll. This allows an aggressive turning circle diameter of just 2.5 times the ship’s length. Agility, plus the ability to reverse at 8 knots, is crucial to successful sportfishing.

The luxurious interior of a superyacht

Vripack also designed the interior of the boat and this synergy optimized the available volume and controlled the weights per speed requirements. This holistic approach also insured that interior and exterior spaces would flow seamlessly. The owner describes his style as “understated.” The contemporary interior has a clean, somewhat masculine style centered on family comfort. It is a calming environment with contrasting materials to add interest rather than fussy decoration.

The open plan main salon sets the tone for the yacht’s refreshing, relaxed uncluttered look. The result is an inviting space with walnut wood veneers, white furnishings and simple window treatments, Italian marble and warm indirect lighting. Of course, the paired back look does have a deeper function – that of keeping to the strict weight budget. 

For consistency, the joinery veneer was mostly sliced from a single walnut tree with an 85cm / 33 inch diameter. Its paired with stained oak cupboards and ash flooring. Significant amounts of leather, both on walls and furniture frames, soften the interior look as well as dampen sound. In some areas, the custom furniture frames serve subtly as hand holds. Cabins are carpeted but the primary social spaces feature ash floors in patterns for interest. The wooden oval floor in the formal dining area, for example, is a unique parquet containing 237 pieces of ash and wenge inlays.

The owner wanted nothing but the best sound system aboard including indoor areas, decks and even crew spaces. In total there are 150+ speakers aboard. It isn’t just about volume, however. The system, designed by Focal Naim, is all about surrounding a space’s occupants with a rich, blanket of sound. 

A focal point of the main salon is a glass cylinder that encases a three-person vacuum elevator  linking the main deck, upper, and bridge decks. This unusual bit of transparent technology makes a space-efficient solution, but even more important, it weighs less than one ton while a conventional, mechanical lift would have tipped the scales at two and a half times that. The elevator requires no hydraulics pit beneath it as a compressor attached to a vacuum tube does all the work. A floating spiral staircase in dark and light wood wraps around the elevator for more conventional travel between interior decks.

The salon’s color scheme is largely neutral with off-white sofas and armchairs in a contemporary style, arranged as two L-shaped seating areas. The décor is highlighted by teal accents and the aforementioned dark walnut cabinetry. White painted window mullions have decorative inlays of oak strips. the overhead is a mix of white leather and gloss-painted strips for interest. Ambient lighting is built into the toe kicks off the walls as well as the custom furniture. This multi-use room has an oval dining table forward with seating for eight under a modern, low-profile chandelier. While large windows port and starboard invite looking out, the aft glass bulkhead invites guests outward onto the mezzanine deck. 

While all large sportfishing yachts have a mezzanine deck with seating overlooking the cockpit where guests can safely watch the unfolding theater of the sea, that aboard Special One is like no other. Comfy shaded seating areas offer the option of looking aft or ahead toward the main alfresco dining area.  Like everything else about the yacht, it provides spaciousness, luxury and interest for all generations 

Under cover of the overhanging upper deck and sheltered additionally by louvers port and starboard, this ambitious and inviting mezzanine flows from the main salon, past the alfresco dining area, to a big terrace where curved, plush sofas allow guests to observe fishing action, or simply watch the miles roll away. Backlit pillars echo the elegance of the interior, as does the show-stopping bespoke hand-blown glass chandelier over the dining table. A passarelle can roll out from under the mezzanine directly to the dock for the owner’s comfort disembarking.

Twin curved stairways link the mezzanine to the large cockpit below. To accomplish the yacht’s primary purpose, this fishing cockpit, tuna tubes, floodlights, and saltwater ice chip machines to preserve the catch in a pair of fish boxes below the cockpit sole. Two boarding doors make it easy to boat a large fish. A fish prep station where the lures are prepared has multiple grab boxes to support not just fishing but catching in every environment whether still or trolling. A retractable fish finder can be operated in the down position at speeds up to 18 knots. 

Opening off the cockpit is a bait and tackle room. Here anglers find a display of rods, reels, spooling machines and live bait freezers. Outside, the fish fighting chair is a bespoke work of art that can be raised or lowered per the angler’s wishes. The custom outriggers are the longest ever made for dragging baits well clear of the hull. For comfortable water access, there is an articulating stairway that can be lowered from under the platform, but it can also rise and swivel to create an alternative gangway to a dock or quay.

MY Special One

The owner’s suite forward on main deck is reached by a private sloping corridor that spares its occupant from negotiating steps. It has panoramic windows for thrilling views across the bow. Rare, book-matched Panda marble wraps the bathroom, which features heated floors. Indirect lighting and air conditioning vents are neatly hidden in ceiling details that mimic the curve of the double-thick windows, Bespoke artwork and a circular panel of twinkling LED lights above the bed add personalization. A desk, settee and cupboards tuck under the forward windows, creating a grand but uncluttered space. 

Guest cabins — a double, two twins and the forward VIP — branch off a long corridor on the lower deck in typical sportfisherman style. The ensuite guest cabins are all finished to identical standards and change only in their color schemes. They look richly appointed in walnut joinery contrasting with bright with walls and overheads. Those familiar with sportfishing yachts will no doubt marvel at the large windows afforded each cabin.  

Because balance and proper trim were essential for speed, crew quarters are divided with two forward of the engine room, adjacent to the crew mess and a spacious galley, and three aft of the engine room. The aft cabins are accessible directly from the lazarette or the engine room, which also includes a connection to the forward crew areas that have direct access to the main deck pantry.  

While the main salon is all about relaxation and dining, the sky lounge on the deck above is the nucleus of entertainment. A backlit bar with three fixed stools sets the scene. A bespoke blue glass chandelier is matched with a glassware display cabinet forward that spotlights a bronze art piece. 

One deck higher still, in the open wheelhouse, the state-of-the-art bridge with its twin helm seats adjoins a second guest lounge of sumptuous quality — a must for the owner who likes to navigate and socialize with his family members in equal measure. A pair of raised sofas aft in the wheelhouse gives the owner a private, cozy corner with a clear view of the sea and keeps him close to the captain when underway. Aft of the bridge is sunny, open deck seating.

Special One’s open flying bridge one deck above gives the captain an unprecedented view, while the top tier observation deck is a small lookout post with controls perfectly positioned at a stand-up helm station for unobstructed views for the captain while backing down on a fish. This is a unique space featuring bench seating to watch the action 14 meters / 46 feet below.  Adventurous guests are offered the option of seat belts when the action heats up or seas increase.

Take a bow

Forward, unlike a smaller production sportfisher, the generously flared bow has high bulwarks to deflect spray. While the owner originally requested just the garage and some bow seating, the available space of the exceptionally long foredeck allowed the designers to create a unique lifestyle space for the family with a cinema under the stars. The roof of the tender garage opens to reveal a large exterior cinema screen. A watertight, corrosion-free permanent projector compartment features its own cooling ducts. Custom carbon fiber poles with integrated lighting slot into the deck to hold a canvas windbreak and awning, creating a sheltered private area.

At night, Special One fairly glows, courtesy a custom exterior lighting system powered by lasers and jointly developed by Royal Huisman and Fibr8.com. This development transmits light via fibers less than 1mm / 0.04 inch in diameter that bend freely into a wide variety of 3D line effects. Lasers don’t experience gaps in the light beam like LEDs and are less prone to failure. Notably, the two companies previously collaborated for this innovative, trend-setting exterior lighting on Royal Huisman’s motoryacht Phi. It is just part of the wide range of innovations available to clients of the shipyard.

Picking the powerplant

In selecting the powerplant to push the yacht to the owner’s demand of 30+ knots, several elements came into play. Even though the yacht would be built of Alustar aluminum alloy, a material with the best strength-to-weight ratio, the required dimensions for five staterooms and the weight of luxury features in combination with special elements for deep sea fishing would be considerable. The naval architects’ figures allowed estimation of required horsepower to push this package to the desired speed. At the time the project started, there were no engines readily available that could produce that power in a pair. At first a three engine set up was studied. Although that might have delivered on the owner’s original dream of a 35-knot-boat, such a power plant would have not only increased weight dramatically, but eliminated two guest cabins – a non-negotiable item. And so Royal Huisman’s engineering team committed to a two-engine layout for its feasibility and stability studies. Although the shipyard’s engineers were a bit stunned by the height of the yacht in the renderings, working with Vripack’s naval architects and their own calculations soon gave them confidence in the yacht’s stability. “Stability was never a big risk for us,” a spokesman said, “but reaching the speed was a continuous challenge.”

The solution lay in trusting the specs of yet unknown MAN engines. A new model was in development and could meet the construction schedule. Their most powerful high-speed marine engines to date, a pair of V20s, could provide the needed power, but crucially, the compactness of the units would allow them to fit into the relatively tight quarters of the boat’s engine room. To take maximum advantage of the thrust promised from these engines, state-of-the-art, five-blade propellers were designed to fit in semi-tunnels. The propellors, also tested at MARIN, feature overlapping blades to cover 140% of the wheel diameter. At full power, the tips of these blades are turning at 181km/h / 112mph. She accelerates from 0 to 30 knots in 46 seconds. Special One is special indeed.

Meeting Gulf spec

Because the yacht should be able to operate in the Gulf region, the entire engineering plan created by Royal Huisman required building to what is known as “Gulf Spec”, meaning an anticipation of relentless sun, exterior temperatures up to 45°C / 113°F, 60% humidity and seawater of 38°C / 100°F for “cooling” the onboard systems. A substantial amount of engine room ventilation is needed to keep its ambient temperature within a range that does not require derating the engines, At the same time, the engines themselves require huge amounts of clean air for combustion. The solution was to provide the engines with their own air intake channels. Air from other vents is cooled by six fancoil units and ducted strategically about the engine room. 

The HVAC cooling system is the largest single system on the yacht. Routing large ducts throughout the various levels of the yacht was impossible due to space. The solution, borrowed from sailboat thinking, was to split chilled air into many smaller ducts that snake through the boat. To make sure the yacht had sufficient cooling, Royal Huisman not only took into consideration the outside temperature and humidity, but also calculated the heat load coming from the exterior surfaces and glass based on the direction the yacht was facing. For example, the sun’s radiation heat on the owner’s cabin can vary depending on if the yacht is pointing toward or away from the sun.

MY Special One

Returning to roots

As cutting edge a project as Special One was for Royal Huisman, she brings the shipyard full circle to its roots. Building boats for local fishermen was the core business of Royal Huisman for decades after the shipyard was founded in 1884. Similarly, Vripack’s heritage from its founding in 1961 began with designing a range of sportfishing yachts and fishing boats. Thus, a shared Dutch background and a joint drive for innovation became an unspoken foundation for this project.

“While others said, “impossible,” we never say no,” said CEO Jan Timmerman. “Instead, we are happy to take on challenges, embrace innovation and ensure every project we engineer and build is tailormade to the highest standards and as unique as every client. We were honest with the client that we had never built a yacht like this before, but we were certain that we could. With each project we sign, we begin by mapping the core competencies required and where we may need to add strength. Then we assess where we can find those skills or abilities in people we hire or in companies we partner with.”

Jan Timmerman continues: At Royal Huisman, our heart is still firmly in the sailing world. However, moving forward, we welcome more creative challenges, continuing to redefine possibilities in custom motoryacht building. I’m predicting that every now and then will come along a special motoryacht project, perhaps one that others say is impossible.”

The owner says that building his first full-custom superyacht “has been a dream come true. To have shared every step of that experience with my family has made it even more memorable. The admiration from the docks that we received everywhere is quite unique, underlining that Special One is a worthy icon”.