Home > News > At the shipyard: Turning tradition on its head with the Moonen 110

Moonen Yachts is a small but mighty Dutch shipyard, situated in the very heart of the Netherlands in Den Bosch; not your first guess for the location of a yacht manufacturer building superyachts up to 50 metres in length. Moonen has been going strong for more than 40 years, and continues to build a steady stream of well crafted semi-custom superyachts that are rightfully stamped with the Dutch quality seal of approval. One of the most recent additions to the yards portfolio is the 34-metre Moonen 110, a gentleman’s style yacht with graceful lines that harks back to the successful Moonen 84 and 97 builds. Designed by René van der Velden and with naval architecture and engineering by Diana Yacht Design, the vessel has a stellar pedigree. The first yacht of the new design, hull YN202, is now in-build on speculation with a May 2023 delivery date, and the yard has reconsidered its traditional construction methods, tying in experts across the field of yacht construction to streamline the build process and reduce lead times. With facilities for the outfitting, carpentry and engineering onsite in Den Bosch, Moonen Yachts’ hulls and superstructures have always been constructed at partner yards, but for the Moonen 110 the company decided to broach a new partnership. Talsma Shipyard in Franeker, neighbouring Harlingen on the north east coast of the country, has a sterling reputation for its steel work. The hull of YN202 was built at the yard during the course of five months. Construction began in June 2021, utilising the traditional method of building upside down and turning the hull once complete. “At Talsma Shipyards we always build our hulls upside down. This makes building easier, since the building floor and deck are both flat and it reduces the time spent working above the head,” the shipyard commented.It is also advantageous from an access perspective, allowing the team to reach and fabricate small spaces, welding from a downward direction rather than upward. The easier it is to construct and fabricate on a large scale, the faster the production process, and the completion of a 34-metre hull in only five months is no small feat, in a large part facilitated by the decision to build upside down. For Nick Tot, Naval Architect with Diana Yacht Design who manages the Moonen projects, the main consideration with the construction process is that the team have a level deck to build on, accounting for the addition of the bulwark once the vessel is rotated. Before the vessel is turned, stays are bolted to the keel of the hull so that when in sailing position, she is independently supported from the bottom. It then requires four cranes to synchronise the slow rotation of the hull, using straps to support it from each side to prevent it from overturning or flipping too quickly, which could cause major damage, both to the hull and to the surroundings.In order to calculate the placement of the straps around the vessel, to ensure it doesn't pivot fore or aft, Diana calculated the weight of the hull and the centre of gravity, feeding that information to the crane drivers. For the entire team, this is a major milestone in the construction of the vessel, and also a cool event to witness; John Bechtold, Moonen’s Project Manager of YN202 commented at the time “It is a very special moment to see the first hull of the new Moonen 110 ready in her sailing position.” For the team, the turning represented a demonstration of the success of the collaboration between Diana Yacht Design, Talsma and Moonen, and the end to the first construction phase which had been an intense and instructive process.Once the vessel was right-side-up, she was floated at the yard and transported to Moonen’s facilities in Den Bosch and here Diana once again stepped in. Nick Tot arrived on site to carry out the first inclination test for the hull, to ensure the original calculations were accurate for the weight displacement of the hull and superstructure. Tot explained how the inclination tests today very much resemble traditional methods. First the team measures the fore and aft draft to calculate the weight of the hull, then using weights on the deck which are moved from side to side, they can calculate the heel of the vessel using a very simple pendulum. The pendulum is made from fishing line or piano wire, a weight is hung from the end and then suspended in a trough of water and placed in the central line of the vessel. As the weights are moved across the deck, the team then records the deflection of the pendulum and uses that to calculate the heel. After the vessel is completed another final inclination test is conducted. “It is where theory and practice meet for us and of course the classification bureau is onboard with us during this final inclination test to ensure we are meeting the needs of the classification standards.” Photo: Diana Yacht Design Once checked and approved, YN202 was then towed all the way south, joining the Meuse River, arriving in Den Bosch at the Moonen facility in December 2021. Here the Moonen team quickly got to work with the priming and sandblasting of the steel, beginning the insulation of the hull and the loading of the engine room. During the construction of the hull, another Dutch shipbuilder was working on the construction of the aluminium superstructure. Like Talsma, Willems Boven-Leeuwen is an expert in its field; aluminium construction. The partnership with Willems was also a new cooperation for Moonen, and together the shipyards worked with DIANA to build the yacht's deck with the extrusion deck method, the first Moonen to feature this new construction technique. With Willems situated just up river, the superstructure was built and arrived in Den Bosch shortly after the new year. In March the hull and superstructure were joined, yet another major moment in the build of the vessel. One might consider that these various players from across the Netherlands, all involved in one build, might be a case of ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ but according to John Bechtold the reality is quite the opposite. “Imagine it instead as a collaboration of world-class surgeons. Of course we have to bring everything together and smoothly, but we looked for the best experts to build this vessel, like in an operation, not every surgeon can do everything, but you want the right person for the right job, and that is really what we have brought together for the Moonen 110.” 

Victor Caminada, Moonen’s Head of Sales added, “The result has been a faster build, of even better quality because every element of the vessel has been developed by specialists.”  There is a real sense of something new and exciting coming together with the build of YN202, and it is clearly a wave the shipyard is continuing to ride. Since the takeover by the current shareholder’s Matthew and Louise Baxter in 2019, the company is driving even more closely toward the creation of premium semi-custom superyachts, and YN202 is one of the first fruits of this labour. While the major stages of the yacht’s construction are now complete, the task turns to Moonen’s own team to complete the works. On site the shipyard has an extensive carpentry and design facility who are currently building the crew quarters, ready to be assembled in the coming weeks. All cabinetry and built-in furniture is constructed by the in-house carpentry team, and they are now working closely with the designers for the construction of that fixed furniture. The team at Moonen Yachts also completes the paintings and installation of the entire interior, working closely with the architects to incorporate all of the clients specifications.YN202 is currently on the market, and one thing the team are very capable of is the modification and adaptation of their hulls after purchase. An excellent example is the recent sale of the 37-metre Moonen Martinique which was built on speculation. The owner came into the project late and requested a new interior design, as well as the lengthening of the vessel by more than a metre, major structural work. The team were able to design the new interiors and begin construction in only two months, demonstrating the ability to be adaptable to the owner’s wishes. The first Moonen 110 will be launched in 2023, representing the very best of Dutch yacht building expertise. 

This article was originally published in Issue 41 of SuperYacht Times newspaper. To read more stories like this one and to never again miss another issue of the SuperYacht Times newspaper, subscribe here.

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