WAALWIJK – To find repeat clients, Van Der Valk Shipyard breaks no sweat. In recent years, it sold three of its pocket superyachts to three members of one family.
The 19.6m Edge-65 it is now building is the sister ship of the 27.4m (90ft) LeVen, the yard delivered in 2019 to the parents of the Edge-65. And it delivered the 10.5m (34ft) Lady Lene in 2022 to the grandparents.
The Edge 65 is a collaboration between Van der Valk, exterior designer Cor D. Rover, interior designer Carla Guilhem and Studio Delta Naval Architects. It has a draft of under 1m (3.3ft), ideal for the shallow Bahamian waters where the owners plan to spend much time. The 4x600HP Mercury V12 Verados deliver a top speed of over 40 knots.
“Thanks to Mercury Marine’s new automatic switching technology, the boat’s total weight comes to just over 30 tons,” says Van der Valk General Manager Bram Kooltjes. “This project will prove that it can offer a high-quality aluminum yacht of Dutch quality with this propulsion.”
For optimal cruising, Van der Valk collaborates, for the first time, with the Swedish company Petestep, which has developed a revolutionary hull technology. “Combining such speeds on a boat of 65ft superyacht quality comfort was a demanding task,” says Petestep CEO Jonas Danielsson.
“We worked closely with CFD software experts on a series of simulations to see how the boat would behave in all types of water. Three hull deflectors are arranged in a V-shape to push water down and back, making for less wet surface area and more lift and forward thrust. The result is a substantial reduction in drag, an increase in speed and dry sailing for those on board.”
“Together, we designed a kind of floating cabana with an optimized amount of enclosed living space and the ability to sit as close to the water as possible,” says designer Cor D. Rover. For future Edge-65s, Van der Valk will also offer inboard propulsion. The yard is already working on a second hull.
Van der Valk’s fleet spans 30 models of mostly 25 to 30m. The yard is known for its sleek Flybridge line – 15 of which have been sold since 2007. It includes the new 26m aluminum-hulled Dutch Falcon that blends a sleek-lined superstructure with lots of glass.
The Dutch Falcon marks a significant milestone: it carries the 10,000th Volvo Penta IPS-30 engine with triple IPS 1050 drives. “With a wide-open throttle, Dutch Falcon easily attains 25 knots,” says Sales Manager Yoeri Bijker. “That’s impressive for a 26m yacht. The IPS was revolutionary from the outset and remains so today for efficiency savings, less fuel use and noise. And for yards like us that have much experience with IPS installations, it is virtually plug & play work.”
The Dutch Falcon has the Humphree zero-speed stabilizers with carbon fiber fins and an efficient roll reduction system at anchor and underway. The aft deck is 4.5m long, big enough to house and launch a Williams 395 SportJet tender.
