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Of all the boats we saw at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, the most extraordinary was this 52-metre, six-deck Special One by Royal Huisman, which proves that very different yacht types can be combined into a single hull. Commissioned and built for Prince Turki bin Muqrin of Saudi Arabia (whose father owns the 85-metre Lürssen Solandge), it resembles a large US sportfishing convertible but with three times the length, two times the number of decks and way more interior volume. Yet, despite its size, Special One still performs like a proper fishing boat, with speed, manoeuvrability and power – coming from twin V20 MAN 4500 engines that deliver a top speed of 32 knots.
“We were presented with this idea of engineering the world’s largest sportfish, but with a luxurious superyacht interior,” says Jans Timmerman, CEO of Royal Huisman, the Dutch shipyard best known for large, fast and lightweight sailing vessels. “We enjoy a challenge, especially when someone says it can’t be done.”
To reach the desired speeds, Special One opted against increasing the size of the engine room – as, apparently, that wasn’t conceivable – and instead decided “to build it light and stiff like one of our sailing vessels,” explains Timmerman. So, they employed lighter interior materials and used clever design, such as creating sloped corners by following the interior contours (which would typically be covered in a straight edge by wood panelling) and that also maximized the cabin space. Even more innovatively, they created a lightweight pneumatic elevator to connect the six decks. “It moves via air pressure, like the old tube system in offices that used vacuum pressure to send containers around with messages,” says Timmerman. “This is the first time an elevator like this has been used in a yacht.”
At its heart, Special One is a serious fishing vessel to travel the world hunting billfish, with live-wells for tuna baitfish, refrigerated salted-ice fish boxes for catches, an elaborate bait station, outriggers, and dozens of rod holders, as well as a custom mahogany fighting chair built by a US specialist and shipped to the Netherlands. But there’s also equally an abundance of space – including five staterooms – and the kind of luxurious opulence that can only be delivered on a superyacht. “It’s a calm, friendly interior,” says Hoekstra. “The owner wanted it super subtle.” The walls are composed of walnut (with veneer sliced from the same tree to provide consistency across the interior) with stained oak trim. The floors are a lighter-coloured ash. And there are wonderful indulgences like a 300-bottle wine cellar, a massive forward-facing owner’s suite, and natural light from the oversized window. Most unusually there’s even a DJ station built into the large, open foredeck and there are more than 150 high-end audio speakers installed across the interior and exterior.
“Most other shipyards could not have built this yacht because it’s extremely complex from a technological point of view, extremely dense, and had a very strict weight target,” said Bart Bouwhuis, the other co-creative director at Vripack. “A sailboat builder understands how to build in tight spaces, and a sportfish has pronounced hull shapes, not unlike a sailing yacht.” In other words, it was like marrying the best elements of fishing and sailing for what promises to be a very happy union.
