HIGH SEAS

WITH ITS INSTANTLY RECOGNIZABLE LINES, THE NEW VANDUTCH 32 MAKES A TRUE AQUATIC STYLE STATEMENT

BY HOWARD WALKER

Can a boat be a rock star? It can if it’s a VanDutch. Celebs such as Leonardo DiCaprio, David Beckham, and most of the Kardashian clan have, at one time or another, been spotted lounging on one of the boat’s cushy sun pads.

And like a good rock star, it hangs out in all the cool places. Head to Monaco, Palma, or Saint-Tropez, and seemingly every few minutes a racy-looking VanDutch 40 or 48 will burble serenely into the harbor to offload or pick up some tragically hip party crowd.

The newest epicenter of VanDutch coolness is Miami, where the boatbuilder has just set up its latest VanDutch Center in the River District. As you’d expect, there’s a fancy sales office and a lineup of demo boats. But you’ll also find a private owners’ lounge serving up cocktails, plus an event space for a waterfront soiree with private, complimentary mooring. Brett David, who owns supercar mega-dealership Prestige Imports on North Miami Beach, is heading up the center—a move that only ups its rock star status since any local celebrity or proathlete in need of a new Lamborghini, Pagani, or pre-owned Ferrari is guaranteed to have David on speed dial.

As the name suggests, VanDutch was founded in Holland back in 2008. It launched its first model (the successful VD40 designed by famed Dutch naval architect Frank Mulder) the following year. In 2020, the Italian marine powerhouse Cantiere del Pardo acquired the brand and moved production to the yard’s sprawling facility in Forli. The VanDutch lineup now spans five Russian doll look-alike models, from the entry VD32, to the 40, 48, 56, and flagship 75. Each comes with that stunning, minimalist, almost spartan Mulder design featuring a near-vertical bow, huge wraparound windshield, flat and open foredeck, and oversize swim platform.

The showstopper of the range is also the smallest: the new VanDutch 32. Introduced last year, it was the fi rst to benefi t from Cantiere del Pardo’s design and boatbuilding expertise. Replacing the original VD30, it features a modifi ed hull that’s longer, wider, lighter, and even more sea-friendly.

Sporty day or weekend boats don’t come more versatile than this. There’s room aboard for up to eight in a party-ready cockpit with L-shaped seating for six and spots for the captain and fi rst mate at the helm. A huge pad at the stern can accommodate a trio of sun worshippers.

The cockpit also comes with a compact galley with a sink and a fridge, plus access to a small, unimaginatively designed cabin below decks. It offers a forward head with a wet shower and twin sofas-cum-single berths. However, at 6 feet, 6 inches, the headroom is impressive.

Everything is all about wipe-down, hoseout simplicity, with the decks, cockpit, and cabin fl oors fi nished in easyto-maintain synthetic teak. Same goes for the durable Silvertex upholstery and quickdry foam cushions.

As for power, VanDutch gives buyers plenty of choices, though all from the Volvo-Penta catalog. The base engine package is a single 430-hp Volvo V8 gas motor with stern drive, with an upgrade to a pair of 280-hp Volvo V6s. For more economical diesel power, you can get a single 380-hp Volvo D6 six-cylinder, or twin, compact, 300-hp D4 four-cylinders. You’ll need the twin gas motors to punch the VD32 to its top speed of around 45 knots.

Joystick steering is standard on the twinengine 32s. While this simplifi es docking, the crew will still need to take plenty of care shuffl ing up to the foredeck, where form over function does away with any handrails that might compromise the cruiser’s sleek lines.

With the opening of VanDutch’s Miami Center, expect to see plenty of these headturning runabouts on Florida’s waterways. They certainly bring a new meaning to the term “Going Dutch.” «

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