The 39.92-metre aluminium motor yacht refuses to accept the logic of its own size. The question the project keeps raising is a simple one: what does a 40-metre yacht look like when the owner insists it perform, finish, and feel like something twice as large?
The answer, it turns out, requires approximately 78 different materials, a team of four design and engineering studios, and a fundamental rethink of what a boutique shipyard build can achieve.
The Brief: Owner-Driven, Scale-Constrained
The brief was shaped from the outset by a specific owner preference: he drives his own vessels, so the yacht had to stay manageable in scale while delivering a finish associated with 60- or 70-metre projects. Cristiano Gatto Design, brought in after a conversation at the Palm Beach International Boat Show in March 2023, developed the general arrangement and interior from an original concept profile by SFG Design. “The goal was not simply to build a boat,” Cristiano Gatto has said of the commission. What emerged was a yacht the designer himself describes as a micro-megayacht — a term that captures both the ambition and the constraint.
Design: 78 Materials and a Visual Argument
The exterior lines are deliberately sporty, with the interior architecture designed to hold a visual dialogue with the hull profile rather than contradict it. Inside, ebony wood and fine leather sit alongside custom furniture pieces that were, in part, the original spark for the collaboration. The material palette — across approximately 78 finishes — reads less like a specification sheet and more like an argument: that craftsmanship at this scale is a choice, not a given.
Engineering: Canal Locks, CFD, and a Shallower Shaft
Engineering the yacht required navigating a specific set of constraints. A maximum beam of 8.50 metres was imposed by canal lock limitations, while the hull still needed to satisfy unrestricted navigation certification. Ginton Naval Architects resolved this through extensive computational fluid dynamics work, with outboard-placed rudders enabling a shallower shaft angle that reduces vibration and improves comfort underway. The result is a round-bilge, fast-displacement hull in lightweight aluminium, powered by twin MTU 16V2000 engines, with an expected cruising speed of 19 knots and a top speed in the low 20s.
Structure: Holding It Together
Diana Yacht Design carried the structural engineering, integrating styling, layout and hull form into a single coherent structure — a more complex task than it sounds. The aft section alone required simultaneous resolution of a transformer swim platform, outboard rudders, a transom door, and two drop-down balconies, all without compromising the profile. Large main-deck windows and an open interior layout reduced the available structural support points, demanding careful engineering to maintain integrity throughout.
Layout: Liveability Over Headcount
The layout itself reflects owner priorities rather than charter convention. Two large VIP ensuite staterooms occupy the lower deck where a comparable production yacht would typically carry four. The master suite takes the full beam forward on the main deck, with opening windows that mirror the salon glazing. On the sundeck, a spa pool, wraparound sunpads, seating, dining and a full outdoor galley with barbecue complete a package that prioritises liveability over headcount.
A Threshold Moment for Van der Valk
For Van der Valk, Shine marks a threshold. As the largest yacht the Waalwijk-based shipyard has launched to date, she represents both a statement of technical capability and a proof of concept: that bespoke, owner-driven builds at the 40-metre mark can carry the same ambition — material, spatial, and engineering — as projects considerably further up the size scale. Sea trials and final commissioning are now underway ahead of delivery for the 2026 summer season.
