Biggest sportsfish yacht: Royal Huisman turns hull of 52m aluminium whopper

Dutch superyacht builder Royal Huisman has given a construction update on its next project, which at 52m will be the biggest sportsfish yacht in the world.

Designed in collaboration with Vripack, the all-aluminium Project Meteor (previously known as Hull 406) was bought at the end of 2020 for an undisclosed sum, and last month the hull was turned, marking a key milestone in the superyacht project, which is due for completion late next year.

Turning the hull of a superyacht of this size is a substantial engineering challenge, and required Project Meteor to be rolled out of the build hall and lifted by four enormous cranes, as the video below shows:

With an LOA of 171ft, Project Meteor trumps the 144ft Trinity Marlena, which is currently the world’s largest sportfish yacht.

The Middle Eastern owner’s identity is being kept under wraps (all Royal Huisman will say is that they’re passionate about fishing) but the owner’s representative is project management firm Aqua Marine.

The design team is being led by Dutch naval architects Vripack who are aiming to marry the form and utility of an American sportsfishing boat with the very best superyacht technology and comfort in what has been described as “a boutique penthouse hotel interior”.

The helm position sits fully six decks up. Royal Huisman has a well-earned reputation for building some of the world’s best-quality super-sailers but also has a handful of equally impressive motoryachts to its credit.

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“Project Meteor is a sportfisher on steroids,” says Vripack Co-Creative Director Bart M. Bouwhuis. “It has the true proportions and long flaring bow of a typical American sportfish boat paired with the harmonious feel of a luxurious superyacht. It’s a supersized model with super chic curves, realised on a grand scale.”

“The world’s first true sportfish superyacht is a very exciting order,” adds Royal Huisman CEO Jan Timmerman. “It is good to know that our reputation as the home of the world’s finest sailing superyachts is now expanding to embrace the world’s most distinctive motor yachts.”

At 52m, Project Meteor may be the world’s biggest sportsfish yacht, but she is not the world’s largest superyacht by a long chalk. That honour goes to the 180m Azzam, which is soon to be surpassed by the in-build 183m REV.

This article Biggest sportsfish yacht: Royal Huisman turns hull of 52m aluminium whopper appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Source: https://www.mby.com/news/biggest-sportsfish-yacht-royal-huisman-build-52m-aluminium-113988