NASSAU – Dutch superyacht builder Van der Valk Shipyard has just completed sea trials with its fast 20m Edge 65 that boasts a striking propulsion setup: four Mercury Verado 12-cylinder outboards of 600 HP each for a forty knot top speed.
The yard calls the Edge 65 “a sporty blend of luxury cruiser and offshore speed machine.” Each outboard has four four-blade, fixed-pitch propellers—four right-handed and four left-handed, a configuration more common in America than in Europe. Expect more of that.
Dutch shipyards that deliver very high-end, custom-made yachts, small and large, are falling in love with America, home of fast motor yachting, dramatic offshore fishing and rich, demanding clients.
Wajer Yachts and Vanquish Yachts, makers of sleek motor yachts, have stepped up their sales and service points along the eastern seaboard, from Miami to Long Island, NY.
Van der Valk Shipyard recently trialed its Edge 65 (naval architecture by Studio Delta; exterior and interior designs by Cor de Rover and Carla Guilhem Design, respectively) in the Netherlands and the Bahamas.
The robust outboard line-up means no engine room, more indoor living space and a 48 sq. m (517 sq. ft) fold-out platform. Van der Valk says its Edge 65 will sail primarily in the waters around Florida and the Bahamas. The Edge 65 is the third motor yacht ordered by a family of owners that spans three generations. The previous ones were the LeVen and Lady Lene.
The outdoor experience on Van der Valk’s latest construction project is enormous. The interior structure features fully opening doors at the rear of the main deck, which features an open-plan kitchen.
The first Edge 65 has a hull in Aston Martin Racing Green, making it seems to blend in with the Bahamian water. Van der Valk says the Edge 65 can come with a two-room layout, a larger master suite, a separate bathroom, and switching to inboard propulsion. The yacht can also serve as a high-end chase boat for larger superyachts, providing access to shallow bays while the mother ship remains at anchor.
