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The firsT of Amels’ limiTed ediTions 180 vessels To begin consTrucTion hAs been lAunched: A 55 meTre ThAT offers A wATer-born fAmily home And high-Tech office spAce
Enge
lber
g
words: Caroline Whitephotography: Bugsy Gedlek; Jeff Brown/Superyacht Media
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engelberg
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In a build shed by the North Sea in Holland, wedged on a bench between ebullient yard
workers, Amels’ marketing director Victor Caminada is
hunched in thought. Like the throng of workers, he is
there to celebrate the naming of the 55 metre superyacht
Engelberg that towers above us, but is searching for a
way to describe the category of boat she is. Engelberg is
not a sistership to the 11 boats in neighbouring sheds,
but neither is she unrelated. She is not part of a series,
but is not a from-scratch custom build either. ‘Just call
her a Limited Editions,’ he decides. So we have. But the
description requires explanation.
Amels began as a commercial yard in 1918. It built its
first yacht – a 48.2 metre, Katalina – in 1980, continuing
with 57 metre My Gail III and 42 metre Jamaica Bay
among others. In 1991, the Damen Group bought the yard
and made it the yachting arm of its commercial
shipbuilding empire. Amels continued to produce some
of the largest custom yachts in Holland, but the profits
ratio on these behemoths did not satisfy Mr Damen the
CEO. Eventually he announced that Amels would translate
the Damen Group’s recipe for success in commercial
shipbuilding into its yachts: use standardisation to enable
the build of technically complicated ships.
‘Everyone was saying no,’ recalls Caminada. ‘Anybody
Most of Engelberg’s stunning furniture is made by Metrica, a company that regularly works on new builds carried out by Amels. The yacht’s unusual meeting table (top left) features a rising command chair and a metal engraving of the world on the table’s surface
Engelberg is not a sistership to the 11 boats in neighbouring sheds, but neither is she unrelated. She is not part of a series, but is not a from-scratch custom build either
who is going to buy a 50 metre-plus boat doesn’t want to pull
up in a port in the Mediterranean and see the same boat next
to it.’ Mr Damen’s retort was that these people did not object
to seeing the same luxury car as their own in the next
parking spot – and certainly didn’t mind that it had the same
engine. With a high degree of customisation in the interior
design and just enough on the outside, he argued, yacht
engelberg
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engelberg
owners would be won over. Especially when they got so
much in return.
‘We were able to deliver boats fast,’ says Caminada. ‘We
have a time saving of about half of a custom build because
we have done the design and engineering. We have a cost
advantage also because we distribute development costs
over many boats. Also it has a big quality benefit because
if you pay attention you get better at things. In terms of
building it’s very predictable – this launch party was
planned a long time ago.’
The mix has been a success. Since the first Limited
Editions, the 171 Deninki, 14 have launched and 11 more
are being built. Limited Editions have what Caminada
calls a ‘100 per cent repeat client rate’ – in other words,
previous clients who have bought a new boat have
ordered it from Amels’ range. Since owners usually go
up in size for their second yacht, the Limited Editions
Engelberg’s interiors feature splashes of
bright reds and oranges to provide contrast and
warmth to her beige and grey palette. Blues and
greens, inspired by colours of the sea, provide cooler
highlights
range now includes the 199, 212 and 242. In the middle
is the 180, of which Engelberg is the first model.
Engelberg’s owner, a Zurich-based industrialist, came
to Amels through Jeroen Minnema, a broker for Ocean
Independence and the owner’s rep. When negotiations
for an existing 50 metre yacht dragged on, the owner
knocked the deal on the head and decided to build new,
but he didn’t want to wait years. ‘I proposed Amels
because it’s a top-quality Dutch shipyard, and because
of the limited amount of time of the actual build,
combined with the customisation,’ says Minnema. ‘None
of these yachts are the same.’
The parts of Engelberg that could not be changed
include the spacious, well laid-out engine room with
two MTU engines, each offering 2,100rpm, and two
massive silencers; the central staircase; structural
bulkheads and the basic style of the exterior.
Engelberg’s curving lines strongly resemble the
smaller Limited Editions, in particular the 180 Step One
(launched before Engelberg, but started after her). They
share the elliptical shapes of the forward windows and
side decks on the main deck, the bulge of the upper
deck balcony forward and the wave-like side
superstructure up top – altogether it is a natural, flowing
form. Engelberg’s most distinctive element of exterior
design is her grey hull paint, with an orange highlight
just above the waterline. The superstructure is painted a
very pale shade of grey too.
While the look may not be as radical as that of the
scimitar-bowed Limited Editions 199, the basic design
offered to Engelberg’s owner has developed significantly
since the Deninki was launched. Customisations that
work well – for example an owner’s office or a helipad
– become options at the start of the next boat proposed
by Amels.
The elliptical shapes of the forward windows and side decks and the wave-like side superstructure up top... altogether it is a natural, flowing form
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engelbergengelberg
As the size of these designs has grown, the extra
length has been concentrated in the stern. From Deninki,
which simply had an aft storage space, this part of the
boat has grown to become the large beach club we see
on Engelberg, with a sauna and steam room, all tiled in
brightly coloured cartoon characters. Engelberg also
features a customised foldout bathing platform, allowing
guests to comfortably board or disembark the yacht in
water or on shore; it can even launch a jet ski.
But in terms of customisations, this is the tip of Engelberg
in more than one sense. There are more windows in the
upper saloon than is standard, and stainless steel child-proof
gates are at the tops of exterior staircases. Another new
touch, at the forward end of the main saloon, are sliding
doors port and starboard of the dining table that open on to
the side decks, from which custom balconies fold out.
Upstairs a wide-body upper saloon was chosen to
maximise indoor space, but again sliding doors are on
either side. Here, instead of balconies there are railings
nearly flush to the side of the boat, ‘creating a French
balcony, where you can lean outside and get a fresh
Enea picked out the soft green-blue tone of a sea urchin shell as a recurring colour for fabrics, while blinds are pine-tree green
While much of Engelberg is an adult’s world, some areas – such as pools and play areas – are designed to be child-friendly, as well as child-safe, allowing the owner to use the boat as his office and family home
breath of air’, as Minnema puts it. Both sets of doors
have been made to recede into the superstructure
without blocking the windows on either side.
Most customisations in public areas have been made
to emphasise the connection between the interior and
exterior. This is largely down to the involvement of Enzo
Enea, who is responsible for the interior design and
décor. Enea, a well-known Zurich-based landscape
architect who has branched out into residential interior
design, had not worked on a boat before. ‘We normally
work from outside to inside,’ says Enea, ‘so the opposite
to what architects or designers normally do.’
Daniel Küpfer, project and management director at Ocean
Management, the management division of Ocean
Independence, worked on the contract for the boat and
explains Enea’s approach: ‘His philosophy is that the
surroundings flow into the interior. He does not look at the
interior space as insulated. The idea of (exterior designer)
Tim Heywood was also that you look from inside to the
exterior and that matches perfectly with the interior architect.’
Enea picked out the soft green-blue tone of a sea urchin
shell as a recurring colour for fabrics, while blinds, for
example, are pine-tree green. ‘We were inspired by the
coast,’ he says, ‘so we took the colour of the shells, the
sand, the rocks and the sea.’ The exterior cap rails are
teak left unvarnished so they will weather naturally to a
grey that complements the exterior paints.
Complementing this natural palette the predominant
wood in the main saloon is brushed teak, the forward
dining table a darker mahogany, and the curved chairs
in a neutral tone are highlighted with strips of soft green
leather (made by Metrica, like most furniture on board).
In the seating area further aft the tones are teal and
sand. As on Step One, a staircase starboard aft leads
directly down to the four good-sized guest cabins, while
fair-sized crew accommodation (about a third the length
of the boat) is on the lower deck forward of the
amidships engine room.
The upper deck saloon is tailored to evening use, the
wood darker, a mini grand Steinway in the corner and
forward a grey velvet sofa with coral cushions. In the
corner, surprisingly for this otherwise social space, is a
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engelberg
desk (with computer and phone) that hints at a major
customisation theme on Engelberg.
‘We put a lot of security features in, which are
confidential,’ says Kupfer, ‘and [the owner] wanted to
have a communications system which interacts with his
communications system ashore – to a very high degree.’
To provide this the yard installed 50 miles of cabling.
Living spaces are set up so the owner doesn’t have to
choose between leisure and connectivity in any part of the
yacht. This is particularly notable in the master cabin,
forward on the upper deck, which features an imposing
wooden Metrica partition: it forms the front to a desk and
communications hub on the aft side and the headboard of
a king-sized bed on the forward side. The cabin offers
180-degree views forward, a customised fold-down balcony
on the port side, a chic, curving seating area starboard, plus
a grand bathroom with spa pool and mirrored dressing
room aft. The brass that surrounds the windows all through
the upper deck takes on a romantic Nautilus-like appeal at
this end, with bolted circular port holes.
But the space that most boldly blends business and
pleasure is the aft deck and its ‘command seat’ designed
by Enea. The wooden desk (with integrated seat and
console that rises automatically) extends in a sweep
down and aft, becoming a coffee table at its extremity,
where guests or colleagues could gather. ‘From here the
owner has contact with the bridge and his offices around
the world,’ says Minnema. To complete the imposing
look, the coffee table portion of the structure is inlaid
with a stainless steel map of the world.
Even the sundeck offers the chance to combine play
with work – albeit physical work. Forward of serious-
looking gym equipment is a shaded bar, raised spa pool
and lounge area. Between the bar and spa pool, the set
of curved-glass sliding doors that act as a windbreak are
a particularly nice piece of work, designed by Amels and
built by RVS Montfort of Holland. ‘It’s a one-off item,
which was designed especially for this yacht,’ says
Minnema. ‘It’s made in stainless steel and carbon and
required many engineering hours.’
The bridge area too is a combination space, not only
boasting the good visibility and top-of-the-range
equipment expected from a Dutch yard, but also a large
comfortable seating area, where the owner can enjoy time
with his captain and be a part of the yacht’s progress.
Engelberg’s multi-use, in-touch spaces show why the
Limited Editions concept works so well: most owners
are busy people who demand quality and individuality,
but don’t want to wait around for their dream boat.
‘There will always be a group of owners who love to
start with a blank sheet of paper, no doubt,’ says
Caminada. ‘We think there is a larger group of owners
who are very time pressed, who want it to happen very
quickly, don’t want to be in endless meetings, have
technical risk, have financial risk, have
delivery time risk. To those kinds of
owners this concept appeals.’
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The owner’s suite features a work console, allowing him access to shore communications and the bridge (main image). Guest rooms are equally well-appointed with themed décor
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engelberg
EngElbErg AmelsLOA 55mLWL 49.65mBeam 9.4m Draught 3.35mDisplacement 720TGross tonnage 670GTEngines 2 x MTU 16V 2000 M70, 1,050kW @ 2,100rpm each
Speed (max/cruise) 15.5 knots/13 knots Range at 13 knots 4,500nmBowthruster 110kWGenerators 2 x 155kW Northern Lights M1066H; 1 x 80kW Northern Lights M1066T
Stabilisers Naiad zero-speedFuel capacity 115,000 litresWater capacity 17,000 litresOwner and guests 14Crew 16Tenders 1 x Yachtwerft Meyer custom; 1 x Pascoe MOB
Construction Steel hull, aluminium superstructure
Classification Lloyd’s @100A1, SSC Yacht Mono, LMC G6, UMSNaval architect AmelsExterior styling Tim Heywood
Interior design Enzo Enea; Focus Yacht DesignOwner’s representative & broker Ocean Independence t: +41 44 390 25 75 e: [email protected] w: oceanindependence.comYacht management Ocean Management t: +41 43 399 22 77
e: [email protected] w: oceanindependence.comBuilder/year Amels/2013 Vlissingen, The Netherlands t: +31 118 485 002 w: amels-holland.com e: [email protected]
The upper saloon is made for socialising, yet it still features a ship-to-shore communications console
Curved-glass sliding doors separate the spa pool from the sundeck’s seating area
The owner’s cabin features a custom fold-down balcony
The engine room is one of the few parts of an Amels Limited Editions that may not be customised
The yacht features an advanced communications infrastructure, for the owner’s corporate command and control needs