ZEELANDER

If you like your boats exclusive to the point of almost unattainable, there's a Dutch builder that can help...

-  Alex Smith

Zeelander Yachts was established in the Netherlands in 2002 with the express intention of becoming a boutique builder of genuinely special boats. It would take six years of development before its first two motor yachts would hit the water and the smaller of those, the Z44 was, by all accounts, a superb boat. It was full of elaborate curves, premium design cues and the kind of intricate detailing that can only be achieved with the unstinting application of time and money.

We were so impressed that, in spite of its radically exclusive price point, it came away with top prize in its category at the MBY Awards and more than 15 years on, Zeelander has unveiled the natural successor to that model with a yacht that is reportedly longer, beamier, quicker and quieter. It's known as the Z5 and even as it sits impassively at its Rotterdam berth, it exhibits all the classical Zeelander hallmarks we've come to relish.

ONE BOAT, FOUR LENGTHS

The guiding principle at Zeelander is very straightforward. They produce just one style of boat but they offer it in four lengths.

As a result, whether you opt for the Z5, the Z6, the Z7 or the new flagship Z8, the DNA in terms of style, deck management, fit-out and application is powerfully consistent. Like every other boat in the fleet then, the Z5 is a creative reinterpretation of the lobster boat, with as much emphasis on outdoor entertainment as on sheltered luxury. The day-boating duties are broadly split between a main deck saloon and a deep, sociable cockpit with an expandable aft deck but, once again, it's the aesthetic that really defines this boat.

It comes with twists, curves, inclines and inflections in every element of the design.