Moonen Sell First In New Caribbean Series

The new Moonen Caribbean series was introduced last month, May 2014 and it offers six different designs ranging from 26m (85ft) to 38m (125ft). They are all named after islands in the Caribbean, showing it could be a place where they could be spending quite a bit of their time when orders come and launching starts.

Martinique, the new project that's just been sold in the Caribbean series could be headed to the warm tropical waters when she is launched in 2016, with her construction is due to start shortly at the Moonen shipyard. She measures 36m (120ft) and is an innovation for the yachting industry as she will have a hull built of high tensile steel. Combined with Moonen's "enhanced length principle" (ELP) hull design, this will allow for an impressive turn of speed, low fuel consumption and high comfort levels for her owner.

The advantage of using high tensile steel is that the construction can be made significantly lighter than normal steel with the same strength, resulting in a lighter boat that retains the benefits of steel. This lighter construction allows for a higher speed than one would expect from a full displacement yacht of this size.

Her modern exterior design has sharp lines, vertical windows and a noticeable knuckle in the bow giving her a bold yet sleek appearance. The master suite is on the main deck and has amazing panoramic views out over the ocean. Other features will include a spacious country kitchen styled galley, a large saloon and outside space on the wheelhouse deck, a large swimming platform and an engine room designed for easy maintenance.

Below are the other megayachts in the Caribbean series

New 42m & 49m Moonen Designs

Moonen have just revealed two new designs a 42m (138ft) and a 49m (161ft) that both come in just under the 500 GT mark. These two designs have come from the design tables of Rene van der Velden.

42m Displacement

Moonen have always produced megayachts up to 35m but their recent launch of the 42m custom yacht Sofia (with a three man submarine) and these two new designs, is proving that Moonen have the ability to go larger for their clients.  

"We opened a new (second) facility in 2008 to accommodate larger superyachts," says Moonen managing director Emile Bilterijst. "In this hall we can build up to 50m, and even longer is possible with a few adjustments. But size isn't everything… We are also very aware of the requirement among many owners to stay under the 500 gross tonnage figure. These two new designs are our response to that desire."


The 49m Moonen has an aluminium hull while the 42m design features a beamy steel hull with an aluminium superstructure of the same size. "While primarily an indication of volume and as such related to the length, there are other factors involved with GT," explains Bilterijst. "A narrow, lightweight vessel with a reduced superstructure can have the same volume as a heavy, wide boat with a larger superstructure and still have a higher speed." 

49m Fast Displacement

Moonen Launches 42m Sofia

Moonen shipyards in the Netherlands have just launched their largest Superyacht to date, the stunning 42m (138ft) Sofia for a repeat client. She will now start sea trials with a delivery scheduled for November, after which she will make her first trip across the Atlantic for an extended cruise in the beautiful waters of the Caribbean. She is far from your average Superyacht as she features a unique 3 seated submarine that's located on the aft beach club deck, this is sure to wow onlookers wherever she goes.

The launch of Sofia was attended by the owner himself, who expressed his delight with the yard during a short acceptance speech. This is the third major Superyacht that he has built at Moonen and has confessed that he is already considering possibly ordering an even larger project sometime in the future. With these plans Moonen will be increasing their building capacity, so Sofia might not hold the size record at the yard for much longer.

Not long after the construction began the owners decided to extend the yacht by a further four feet in order to carry her 3 person submarine, 1 captain and 2 guests that's built by U-boatworx. This orchestrated one of the most creative and innovative design features that we have seen on a Supeyacht, the launching crane for the submarine. The crane is hidden under the aft deck and can be opened out to launch the submarine. This feature also doubles up to form an easy access dock for the tender by extending out over the water from the stern.

There are many high tech features on Sofia, including an integrated foil bridge, a full kaleidoscope video server with multi-room control (including lighting, blinds and climate control) via iPad, a galley equipped with professional stainless steel equipment, a thermal camera on the top mast and a MOB (man overboard) system with personal tracking. She is a very exciting yacht and we are looking forward to seeing her interior styling and images of her sea trials in the future.

She will be able to accommodate 10 guests with the owners full beam suite forward on the main deck, with the guest accommodation on the lower deck consisting of 2 double and 2 twin cabins all of which are en-suite.

New Moonen Designs

Dutch Shipyard Moonen Yachts are moving into the future with two stunning new modern designs. Rene van der Velden has drawn the modern lines of the 100ft raised pilot house seen in the above image, while Nick Mezas is responsible for the new fast displacement concept that is been offered in three lengths ranging between 18 and 24 meters. These designs have been created for the owner that is looking for a contemporary modern design by the renowned Dutch yard. Emile Bilterijst, Managing Director of Moonen Yachts comments;

'These new designs will help us serve an even more varied clientele looking for an unconventional approach. It is Moonen's direct response to changing market demands'.

This is the right direction for the yard to progress, capture the market and overtake their competitors in the industry with their modern designs. The 100ft design features a raised pilothouse, an owners stateroom forward on the main deck and probably 3 guest cabins below on the lower deck, but this has not been confirmed. One of the challenges that they faced was with the raised pilot house which would usually take away the space for the flybridge, but Moonen overcame this by incorporating narrow walkways to increase the beam so that the tender could be stored in an aft lazzerette instead of aft on the flybridge. Now owners and guests will be able to enjoy the full flybridge without the inconvenience of the tender. This is the perfect yacht for an owner looking for a modern yacht but keeping with the Moonen style of a gentleman's yacht.


The second design by Nick Mezas as stated above it will be available in three different lengths 18, 20 and 24m. 'We have had several enquiries from entry level owners, and it is vital that we do not price ourselves out of this area' says Bilterijst. Moonen believe that this compact and stylish little yacht will attract young families who will want to have minimum crew and steer the yacht themselves. This was all taken into account when the yacht was been designed.

The interior design is an open plan layout in the saloon/wheelhouse area creating more room for family interaction when owner and guests are steering the yacht to their next destination. She will include 4 guest rooms froward on the lower deck and will be able to reach speeds of up to 22kts. We are looking forward to seeing the finished product in the near future.

Moonen Progress With 42m 'Sofia'

The Dutch shipyard Moonen are making fast progress with the construction of their largest yacht to date, the 42m (137ft) Sofia. As with any custom project design alterations are still being made to meet the owners requirements, as for an earlier change the owner decided to extended the yacht by a further 4 feet so that she could carry a 3 person submarine, 1 captain and 2 guests that is built by U-boatworx. The owners involvement in the project adds a sense of excitement at the shipyard as they make progress in a key milestone in the yards history.

Some of the recent changes that the owner has made are an upgrade in the dashboard to an integrated foil bridge and a highly sophisticated entertainment system, that has the multi room Samsung Smart LED TVs, lighting, blinds and climate control all controlled via an iPad, now that's technology for you.

One of the best creative and innovative design features that we have seen on a Supeyacht is the launching crane for the submarine. The crane is hidden under the aft deck and can be opened out to launch the submarine. This feature also doubles up to form an easy access dock for the tender by extending out over the water from the stern.

She will be able to accommodate 10 guests with the owners full beam suite forward on the main deck, with the guest accommodation on the lower deck consisting of 2 double and 2 twin cabins all of which are ensuite. Mega Yacht Global will be keeping a close eye on this very exciting project and its progression over the coming months.

New Moonen 100' Expedition Yacht

Moonen Shipyards in the Netherlands are making excellent progress with their new build the Moonen 100ft explorer, which is for a repeat client who wishes to explorer the world in style and comfort.

Vripack and Moonen Shipyards have teamed up in the design and engineering of this pocket explorer, with Vripack responsible for the design, naval architecture, engineering and interior design, while Moonen takes care of the detail and interior engineering. The hull and superstructure are built and the outfitting is scheduled to start in February of this year with a launching date in the spring of 2013.

The Moonen 100 will travel exceptionally long distances with her new owners so Vripack have designed her with high levels of fuel-efficiency that will increase her range, reduce costs and minimise the yachts environmental impact. This has been achieved by her efficient hull shape, bulbous bow and efficient propellers and engine that give her a range of 5,000nm at 10kts. She will have three large suites for the owner and guests giving extra comfort on the long trips and a gym in the lazarette for guests to keep in shape. If keeping in shape isn't for them then they can relax on the sundeck, on sun beds or in the jacuzzi.

For those of you planning to visit the Dusseldorf Boat Show (Boot Dusseldorf) that started yesterday running until the 29th of January, the model of the Moonen 100 will be on display at Vripack's booth, Hall 07A No. F24.