"Special One": Petri steep! - XXL sportfisher from Royal Huisman and Vripack

Sören Gehlhaus

· 29.03.2025

A bow like the neck of a vase: even without the V-hull shape of traditional sportfish formats, the foredeck deflects spray to the sides - even at 32 knots and waves.

Well equipped: Aft scuppers prevent the ingress of water when travelling astern (up to 7 knots), but the flaps do indeed guide the fishing cockpit after a wave shower.

Slicing or pushing: Vripack's "Super Displacement" design is efficient with compact 20V units from MAN in both gliding and displacement travel.

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Photo: Guillaume Plisson

Many owners go abroad for their passion for fishing. But the owner of "Special One" wanted a sport fisherman and superyacht in one, with volume and Vmax. The 52 metre long result could only be achieved by a shipyard such as Royal Huisman and the different thinkers at Vripack.

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Topics in this article

Vripack's "most radical construction"
Final in the Angel Arena
A third engine would have meant two cabins less
The MAN engines were still being trialled
"Special One" combines two usage habits
Technical data

Turning up the sound in a crowded harbour - only those who are sure of a powerful sound system dare to do so. "Special One" contains over 150 speakers from Focal. And similar to the decks of the 52-metre-long Sportfisher, a continuous sound structure is built up: First, nervous synths are paired with Sting's falsetto vocals, then the drumset and Mark Knopfler's guitar kick in. It gets louder riff by riff. This does not detract from the excellent sound, even the wind is unable to disperse the sound waves. Marnix Hoekstra from Vripack has put on "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits and is standing happily behind the DJ desk on the fully extended foredeck. A sports fisherman with a front cockpit? The "Special One" owner is not just interested in big fish.

On conventional Sportfisher formats between 44 and 90 feet, which are extremely popular in the USA, the foredeck is lavishly long and, above all, sheer - without railing, use not intended. The deck is a simple lid on the dramatically concave hull in the style of a vase with a curved neck. From the front, the narrow, pointed bow sections are reminiscent of sailing yachts.

Vripack's "most radical construction"

The practical benefit of the sensual front: displaced sea is channelled, and in the event of swell, the spray does not simply rise up, the air-water mixture is artfully distributed to the sides. Otherwise it would probably splash up to 18 metres to the "buggy top" of the "Tuna Tower", the roof of the mini helmstand that crowns the conical superstructure. The new flagship of the global "Big Game Fishing" fleet retains the characteristic features that have been established over decades and have hardly changed. However, the hull is a hybrid shape, which Vripack considers to be the "most radical design" in the history of the company, which was founded in 1961 and also operates as a design studio with Bart Bouwhuis and Marnix Hoekstra at the helm. The Dutch turned away from the traditional deep-V hull and wanted to drastically reduce drag and fuel consumption, both when cruising at 14 knots and under full load.

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If water does come into contact with the sloping teak deck at the front, it drains away via slotted scuppers. There are three loudspeakers in each of the slits and twelve in the carbon rods of the bimini. Marnix Hoekstra jokes: "It's a speaker carrier. The crew also have exactly the same speakers in the galley, mess and cabins." Behind the DJ booth, the roof of the tender garage opens up and becomes a cinema screen, with a watertight compartment for the projector and its own cooling ducts.

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Things are no less loud and dramatic aft in the cockpit. Rod holders around the cockpit, on and above the central fighting chair and the extensions of the upper deck provide information about the fishing ambitions. There is a lot of work to be done before the carbon fibre tips of the rods bend. Live bait such as small tuna experience constant water movement thanks to a redundant pump system; a glass front provides information about their condition. The outriggers on the side of the upper deck, which are stiffened by stays, deliver bait to areas three to four times the width of the yacht. Once a bait has bitten, the line is transferred from the fairly rigid rods to the literally flexible rods further down by opening a carabiner.

Final in the Angel Arena

The final is held in the 28 square metre fishing arena. Belts or harnesses similar to those used in windsurfing are then put on and the handball-sized Alutecnos reels run hot. Finally, the catch, if it doesn't go back into the sea, ends up in crates under the cockpit with crushed ice from saltwater ice machines. On the port side, there is a room for bait and fishing tackle, spooling machines and freezers with more bait. The 45 centimetre wide, wonderfully strong teak cockpit is not due to the desire for superyacht flair; it is the gold standard among sport fishermen and unbeatable in terms of durability and hygiene. "The owner is a passionate sports fisherman. Now that his son and grandchildren are going on holiday with him, he had outgrown his Viking 92 Sportfish," reports Royal Huismans CEO Jan Timmerman.

A third engine would have meant two cabins less

However, bigger should mean no less fast. On board, Hoekstra picks up on the yacht-sportfisherman dilemma: "In principle, it was about weight and performance. Lightweight construction was a matter of course with Royal Huisman. But you would have had to sacrifice two cabins for the third engine. That was not an option; the five-cabin layout with owner's suite on the main deck was a given. So we agreed on 'only' 30 knots." Before knocking on Vollenhove's door, the owner team approached motor yacht shipyards in northern Europe. Most of them turned them down: too narrow, too complex, too daring. An internal discussion led to the theory that only a sailing yacht shipyard could realise such a dense and technically complex yacht within ambitious weight specifications. "We designed and built it as if it were a sailing yacht. In other words, very light and very stiff," confirms Timmerman. Royal Huisman knows all about meticulous adherence to weight specifications. Sailing yachts made of aluminium primarily leave the Huisman halls.

The mechanical engineer reports on white smoke sessions modelled on the European Space Agency's (ESA) Concurrent Engineering Challenge. If things come to a standstill somewhere, all disciplines come together in a room with two large screens onto which everyone can project. Only when white smoke rises do they disperse. The vacuum lift, which has also been used on yachts in the USA for over a decade, was also negotiated there. In the glass cylinder, a compressor takes you up two storeys from the main deck without the need for a hydraulic shaft. This saved space, but much more important was the weight of less than one tonne and thus a saving of 1.5 tonnes compared to mechanical lifts. The commercial-grade sonar was subsequently added to the specification. It moves out of the hull in front of the engine compartment and remains there like an opposing periscope at speeds of up to 18 knots.

The MAN engines were still being trialled

The next challenge was the air conditioning system with the all-complicating specification "Gulf Spec". Outside temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius, 60 per cent humidity, 38 degrees warm sea water and even the heating of the outside surfaces and glazing depending on the position of the sun were taken into account. The target was 18 degrees Celsius in the living areas and "cooling" of the on-board systems at all times. Six fan coil units cool and distribute air from various inlets in the engine compartment. Under no circumstances did they want to have to throttle the two 4,400-kilowatt twenty-cylinder engines on the way to the fishing grounds. The MAN engines were under development at the start of the project, were derived from the V16 series and were more compact than the most powerful high-speed engines to date. And yet they weighed 15 tonnes each.

Hoekstra says in the engine room: "These are build numbers two and three, the first one has remained at the MAN plant as a test engine." The thrust into the water is provided by specially developed propellers with five overlapping blades, the tips of which rotate at 181 km/h at full power. "Special One" proved them right, immediately travelling at 21 knots during sea trials, initially with one power unit, and now accelerates from 0 to 30 knots in 46 seconds. The turning circle diameter is only 2.5 times the length of the ship, and reversing is possible at seven knots, which is important when fishing.

Like all sportfishers that are built high by design, the 52-metre boat calls out in all weathers. "One of the most important factors was to prevent rolling movements, as older people and children also come on board," emphasises Marnix Hoekstra. Two gyro stabilisers from Veem, each weighing 6.5 tonnes in Huisman's weight calculation, prevent rocking during displacement travel or standstill. The Vripack designer reports how the captain gave full rudder during test runs at 32 knots and a maximum heel of 3.1 degrees was achieved without any stabilisation or trim tabs. Due to the lack of a central skeg - which would have cost about one knot of top speed - "Special One" would slide a little through the turn. Controlled, of course.

"Special One" combines two usage habits

All of the sideboards are fitted with a sliding rail to prevent things from getting in the way when the boat is in position. As on sailing boats, the density of handrails is high, and a slope instead of steps levels the corridor to the owner's cabin. The proportion of leather is higher there, and Panda marble is used in all bathrooms. Vripack has standardised the interior, with walnut veneer from a single tree as the first choice of material. Ash flatters the feet, with stained oak and aquamarine-coloured textile details appearing occasionally.

The interior fittings hug the hull and superstructure to maximise the use of space and accommodate all amenities. Like the bar on the upper deck with its backlit front and a wine cabinet with 300 bottles. One deck below, the dining area sits above an oval inlay of 237 ash and wenge elements. Money for nothing? Not at all. Dire Straits' hymn to the supposedly easy money can be applied to both sides. The shipyard, designers and many others created something unprecedented. And the client got a lot for a lot: a "sports ship" that is also a vehicle for relaxation.

Despite its focus on the Gulf region, "Special One" has shown itself to be a keen traveller, including at the America's Cup off Barcelona. The 52 metres are sure to attract attention: "The admiration we receive everywhere on the docks is unique and underlines the fact that 'Special One' is already an icon. I look forward to many more experiences on board with my family, friends and those we meet along the way. She really is something special," concludes the owner. At night, the seamless and robust exterior laser lighting, which Royal Huisman developed with Fibre8 for the "Phi" motor format, causes a stir. The Dutch company is currently building two 80-metre yachts. Why not tackle another yacht with a narrow hull and long mast, but without sails? For a second XXL sportfisher Michael Jordan the perfect customer. The basketball legend is currently sailing a two-yacht strategy consisting of a 74-metre-long mother ship and an 82-foot sports fisherman. Still.