Moonen Shipyards

Netherlands-based yacht builders and marine suppliers cross the pond to meet demand.

Moonen Shipyards has delivered the first hull of its semi-custom Caribbean series.

Sofia stood apart from the crowd at the Cannes, Monaco and Fort Lauderdale boat shows. It was impossible to pass by her without noticing the flamboyantly yellow submarine perched on her aft deck. The sub certainly caught my attention, and when interior designer Frank Pieterse treated me to a tour of the yacht, I discovered the sub was merely a tease to the surprises within.

Moonen recently relaunched the seventh hull in the Moonen 84 line after a successful five-month refit at the yard. Etoile d’Azur, a René van der Velden design originally delivered in 2007 and still in the hands of her original owners, now boasts an extended flybridge.

We did a little snooping around a few shipyards to find out what they’re hiding. What we found were extraordinary designers and amazing craftsmen laboring in the shadows of the big yachts. We have the inside scoop.

Moonen Shipyard is ready to deliver its largest motoryacht to date, a 138-foot (42-meter) custom yacht called Sofia. She is the third yacht Moonen has built for the same owner. At the launch party, the owner confessed he is considering commissioning an even larger project, which dovetails nicely with Moonen’s expansion plans.