Last week saw delivery of the 88-foot sailing yacht Tulip. The largest vessel built by K&M Yachtbuilders to date, the magnificent all-aluminium superyacht Tulip is designed by the well known design studio, German Frers. The name – Tulip – is quite appropriate for a yacht with a Dutch owner. She will also be flying the Dutch flag.
Luxury sailing yacht Tulip by German Frers and K&M Yachtbuilders during sea trial on the North Sea
Together with German Frers Jr., the owner has designed an one-off yacht with a classic hull shape above the water line, but with modern features below the water line, such as a lifting keel and flat underwater ship. The success of this combination of classic and modern features can be seen in the upswept stern and modern superstructure. The ‘classic sloop’ Tulip superyacht in fact constitutes an innovative design in the yacht building industry as a whole.
During trial runs on the Wadden Sea and North Sea, both the owner and the designer German Frers Jr. were full of praise for the Tulip yacht. The 215 hp engine is almost inaudible when setting off, leading admirers on shore to confuse it with a hybrid engine. Seagoing behaviour is quiet and stable. One feels at ease when sailing, and it is quiet enough to take a nap, a meal or a rest for instance. Even at force 7 winds, as was experienced during one of the trial runs.
Participating in regattas is one of the owner’s wishes. The shipyard translated this into a lightweight construction for the ship. The use of lightweight materials in the interior, a light aluminium structure and carbon rigging has kept total ship weight at just 51 tons. Thanks to its lifting keel, the Frers 88 luxury yacht ‘Tulip’ has a variable draught from 3.20 m to 5.10 m. The draught of the keel is of course also advantageous in terms of sailing characteristics.
The superstructure strikes the eye, also because the rest of the deck has been kept clean and flush. The metallic ice-blue colour of the exterior of the superstructure has also been used to spray the 33 metre long carbon mast and Park Avenue boom. The deck is covered with teak, light grey rubbered, similar to the colour of the mast and superstructure. The cockpit is wide and long.
Frers 88 superyacht Tulip - view from above
K&M Yachtbuilders themselves have made the aluminium steering wheel with a 2.20m cross-section. The cockpit benches next to and behind the steering wheel can be rotated so that they disappear flush into the deck when not in use. The back rests of the fixed cockpit benches have been fitted with a glass screen that can be raised for additional shelter from wind and spray. Functional, but beautiful and innovative at the same time. The aluminium hull has been sprayed with a dark-brown metallic paint. The underwater ship is black. The design is completed by a gold-coloured border just below the freeboard.
To avoid breaking the sleek lines of the yacht with an anchor, a hydraulic anchor tipping system has been developed. When about to anchor, the stainless steel anchor beam is moved up from the flush anchor tray and across the bow of the Tulip yacht. As the anchor beam reaches far out from the bow, the chance of damage when lowering or pulling the anchor is small.
The sitting room in the deckhouse is the main on-board living area. Windows all around and in the ceiling bring in light and air, imparting a sense of spaciousness and openness. The dinner table, map table, television corner and refrigerator are all located here.
In front is the owner’s cabin. The floors, cupboard doors and drawers are leather-upholstered. The en-suite bathroom has a beautiful bright-red marble floor, and here again the cupboard doors are upholstered in leather. The wardrobe has a beautiful round door that also has shelves on the inside, to utilise all available space.
Both guest cabins also have their own bathroom with shower and toilet to ensure privacy for both owner and guests. The walls have a honeycomb structure, not only to reduce weight but also for its noise-insulating properties. All cabins have been finished with oak walls, while details such as coves and borders are made of dark rosewood. The guest bathrooms also have red marble floors and leather upholstery in the cupboards, in brown and red colours.
Superyacht Tulip - Exterior
The well-equipped galley has been strategically placed in the rear of the ship, within easy reach of both the sitting room and the crew area. There is a separate cabin for two crew members, with a bunk bed and a bathroom. The engine room, which is located below the sitting room, can also be reached from there. The technical area can be accessed through a flush hatch located next to the deckhouse.
Frers 88 yacht Tulip has of course been styled according to the taste and demands of her owner. Natural colours such as brown, beige and cream alternate with a powerful dark orange in the upholstery. Floors and cupboards have been finished with stitched leather.
Shipyard owner Eeuwe Kooi: ‘This ship is not just special for me and for our shipyard because it is our largest yacht to date, but also because we have really achieved this beautiful end result together with the owner. We first started talking about this more than three years ago. During preparation and construction we talked regularly, even daily during the last few months. You are literally building something together, and it’s very special to finally see the end result. I am not only proud of the yacht, but also of our shipyard employees. They have shown that K&M is able not only to build pure aluminium no-nonsense ships but also luxury cruisers.”
After a festive inauguration, the ‘Tulip’ yacht will set sail for the Mediterranean, where she will take up her permanent berth. There is a possibility to charter the ship.
Frers 88 sailing yacht TULIP Specifications:
Shipyard K&M Yachtbuilders, Makkum, Netherlands
Design German Frers Naval Architecture & Engineering
Material all-aluminium
LOA 26.83 m.
LWL 22.04 m.
Width 6.09 m
Draught 5.10 – 3.20 m
Displacement about 51 t
Sail area
Main sail 190 m2.
High aspect jib 140 m2.
Stay jib 78 m2.
Genaker 506 m2.
Code 1 336 m2.
Trysail 50 m2.
Storm jib 49 m2.
Engine Perkins Sabre 215 hp
Cabins 1 owner, 2 guests, 1 crew
Bathrooms 1 owner, 2 guests, 1 crew
Below is a choice of the exquisite charter yachts designed by renowned German Frers.
