BART VAN DEN HOVEN INTRODUCES THE NEW VOYAGER 61 - Van den Hoven Jachtbouw

“WHAT LUXURY!…

That’s the feeling I get when sailing on our new Voyager 61.” The words of Bart van den Hoven onboard the yard’s latest flagship.

It’s stunning weather on this June day, which is great news for the team busy with a photo and video shoot of the Voyager 61. And it’s got to be said – the boat’s beautiful light-blue livery brings out the very best in the design’s lines as she shimmers on the water.

The Voyager 61 is seriously photogenic and it’s a pleasure to talk to Bart about this remarkable pocket superyacht from the comfort of the driver’s seat on the flybridge.

How did you come up with this design?

The Voyager 61 was developed in partnership with the renowned and hugely experienced Dutch superyacht designer René van der Velden. He has successfully managed to retain the characteristic lines of a Van den Hoven and addressed our requirements for lots of space for the interior and moving around the yacht. The yacht’s performance also had to make sailing long distance at high speeds a pleasure.

The design takes good account of the fact that many owners and their guests like to spend the vast majority of their time outside on these kinds of long trips. The exceptionally spacious and super-comfortable flybridge meets this ambition, offering a large second helm station and room for eight people to enjoy sunbathing on the loungers. There is an outside galley with a grill, washing basin and fridge too. And, as you can see, we are sitting in a great position high up on the fly, with panoramic views of the water and environment.

The large size of the flybridge can partly be attributed to the vertical front window in the saloon, which increases the length of both by 1.5 metres. Inside, the spaciousness makes the Voyager 61 truly feel like a superyacht. She looks great too and oozes character. This is a yacht that you would feel equally at home in glamourous locations such as the Côte d’Azur, Ibiza and Italian Riviera.

How do you like building in aluminium?

Well, it is really quite different, let me tell you. From the development stage on aluminium is work for specialists with an excellent reputation who know their business. Building and welding with high-quality aluminium is a different technique that requires a lot of experience. We apply the highest quality requirements and brought together the best from the market to do this job. The result speaks for itself, a stunning yacht that meets our stringent demands.

Is the Voyager for a different public?        
The Voyager 61 reflects a desire among some of our clients to sail longer distances and not take long between destinations. They want to visit new coasts and are perhaps looking for fresh adventure. With a top speed of 22.5 knots, owners will be able to travel further in less time, while still enjoying the core values such as high levels of spaciousness, finish, comfort and performance they were familiar with on their previous Van den Hoven. The Voyager 61 offers an ideal blend of good speeds, great looks and reliable value for money.

But we’re also receiving feedback from new groups whom we hadn’t been able to serve before. Last week, we had a client visit us who had a Princess but wanted more options to arrange the interior layout. And that’s possible, of course, as every Voyager is made in aluminium and fully custom-built. People feel that the Voyager has a high-quality superyacht feel, and they love it. The quality is also reflected in the gorgeous stainless steel on board, the finish of the woodwork, and the huge engine room. There’s also a crew area behind the engine room that’s currently in use as a storage  space and a laundry with washing machine and dryer.