From Maverick to Coy Koi, and Tivoli to Gayle Force – the smallest private Marshall Island flag boat to ever venture to the Southern Peninsula – It’s clear to see how the Doggersbank brand’s reputation precedes it. Now, with the larger 77’ Offshore, a new era of robust, owner operated adventures has begun.
The Vripack-designed Doggersbank 77’ Offshore is the largest Doggersbank to be constructed at the Altena Shipyard in the Netherlands to date. It is also the first Doggersbank in the world to be fitted with a single engine PTO/PTI hybrid propulsion system that enables the boat to silently cruise for up to two hours at six knots. The batteries are charged through the PTO/PTI which is connected in line to the yacht’s single main engine, therefore providing redundancy.
“The 77’ Offshore joins a large fleet of American-owned Doggersbanks, but this is the first semi-custom Doggersbank built for a West Coast owner, so it’s quite a moment.” Says Joost Mertens, Doggersbank’s sales director.
The full-custom design package supplied by Vripack ensures comfortable, safe and long-range exploration on a proven concept, with extensive hull optimization using Vripack’s in-house Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis. The yacht’s length and beam, mandated by the owner’s harbour berth on the northwest coast of North America, means it sits just below the 24m regulatory threshold, and is the largest owner operated Doggersbank in the fleet.
“The 67’ and 77’ Doggersbank Offshore models are designed with myriad features that make them suitable for self-piloted adventure,” says Mertens. “Both incorporate a foldable mast, a powerful bulbous bow and stern thruster that highlight the brand’s explorer heritage and adaptability.”
The efficient PTO/PTI hybrid propulsion system delivers a high level of comfort and noise reduction at low speed, epitomising what the Doggersbank brand has come to represent. Other custom requests from the owner include a nozzle to protect the propellor and rudder from driftwood, which is common in the area where the boat will cruise, openable portholes for natural ventilation and a full-beam owner’s state room. Optimised hull lines ensure the yacht is both comfortable and highly fuel efficient, with a tank arrangement that allows for a staggering 2,500nm range with just under 50 liters per hour fuel consumption at a cruise speed of 8 knots.
The full custom interior enjoys a supersized laundry and utility room on the lower deck, a watch bunk in the bridge for night crossings, and clear visibility from the main salon to both the bridge and lower deck via an open spiral staircase that links all three decks and is topped by a skylight. The interior features fine quarter-sawn American walnut and neutral base fabrics. It’s paired with chic decorative soft furnishings in warm tones that reflect North America’s radiant Indian summers.
With the keel scheduled to be laid in early September 2023, the Doggersbank 77’ Offshore is set to deliver in 2025.
“Owning a durable, Dutch-designed, steel-hulled explorer built in the Netherlands has been a long-held dream for this owner,” says Joost Mertens, Doggersbank’s sales director. “Realising his own full-custom Vripack-designed Doggersbank is something he’s delighted to be able to tick off his bucket list.”
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