Van Dutch 40, Formula 1 tender

NEWS	PHOTOGALLERY

Very recently the new Van Dutch 40 managed to pull off the potentially impossible feat of holding its own in Formula 1 at one of the biggest races of the season. As partner of the Red Bull Renault team and in league with Patfer, which distributes the Dutch craft in Italy and Monaco, the Van Dutch 40 did a star turn at the recent 68th Monaco Grand Prix, the showcase par excellence for what has to be one of the most original and innovative powerboats ever built.

A gem of nautical technology and Dutch shipbuilding combined, it makes a breathtaking first impression, standing well out from any other boat on the market today in terms of its shape, lines, colours, interiors and pace on the water. It is so nimble out there on the waves, in fact, that it seems like it’s just caressing the water. The concept behind the boat is original too, as Patfer boss Patrizio Ferrarese, who was managing the 10 Van Dutch 40s used as tenders by the Red Bull team in the Monaco Marina during the race weekend, explains. “This is no ordinary boat. It’s something completely new. Much simpler, less pretentious, more human. I like to describe it as a minimalist boat but not one that will go unremarked.”

Ferrarese, who spent 32 years at the helm of the Monaco Boat Service Riva and thus should know a thing or two about quality, has no doubt about the value of this boat and the success already enjoyed by the 40’ top-of-the-range day cruiser is proving him right with no less than 35 sold in two years. Absolutely dizzying figures in these grim times. Designed by the ingenious Frank Mulder, the Van Dutch 40 is brilliantly built. Both hull and deck are vacuum-bagged fibreglass sandwich with Kevlar reinforcements at critical stress points. The result is a solid, reliable boat that’s light, agile on the waves, quiet and vibration-free. It has an Esthec deck that is not only very clean and linear, thanks to hideaway deck hardware, but also superbly elegant too. Engine-wise the choice fell on twin 480 hp Yanmars (but the engine room in this open in its original version is fitted out with two 260 hp engines), a classic in-line layout with V-drives and tunnels. This goes a long way towards achieving perfect weight distribution, improved performance (the 40 hits 38 knots at full throttle with complete ease) and lower fuel consumption.

As far as everything else is concerned, Van Dutch only went for the absolute best. This is a no-compromises day cruiser in that regard. Owners are offered absolutely ample scope to personalise their craft too. They can choose not only the colour of the hull but also the interior fabrics. Intriguingly, there are virtually no optional extras as the standard specification really does already include everything an owner could possibly want. “It wants for nothing and everything is absolutely first-class quality,” stresses Ferrarese. “On the other side of the coin, I think I can sum up this boat in a comment made to me recently which I took very much as a compliment. I was told that it looked like a ’poor’ boat. And it’s true in a way because it is simple – there’s nothing aboard that isn’t necessary. It’s a powerhouse of substance that, as it makes its silent, solid way through the water, can accommodate 10 people and allow them to genuinely enjoy the sea – that’s something that you only get increasingly rarely these days.”

Text Emanuel Richelmy / Photos Oberrauch, SEA&SEE