Commercial Lines, Private Comfort: Evaluating the €349k Pilot 50
Built in steel by VDL Shipyard, this 32-tonne motor yacht borrows heavy-weather pilotage DNA for genuine offshore cruising. We examine the reality of her engineering.
Each day, I check dozens of websites and listings to see what is currently on the market or what has appeared that I might have missed. Whenever I see a boat with the commercial lines that I fell in love with as a kid, my instinct is always to take a detailed look at the boat in question and what she offers for her asking price.
When I saw this steel-hulled Pilot 50, I immediately recognised her lines. If you are already familiar with Dutch coastal explorer-type motor yachts, then you too might also recognise this boat (I recently featured an aluminium-hulled version on my channel, which you can watch by clicking HERE).
For readers who might not already know, pilot boats are the vessels that go out in weather and sea states that 99% of other boaters want to venture out into. An incoming ship needs a harbour pilot, regardless of how big the waves are. Pilot boat crews are incredibly brave when it comes to the conditions in which they have to venture out. The economies of many nations rely on them being able to do their jobs.
If you want to see a pilot boat up close and personal, I also have a video on my YouTube channel that features a boat tour aboard a brand new SafeHaven Pilot Boat that you can watch by clicking HERE.
Pilot boats often have a high freeboard and a pronounced bow flare, both design features refined over generations of pilotage services. They help a boat stay drier and, more importantly, more stable when embarking and disembarking a pilot on and off ships coming into or leaving port. During my time in the Royal Navy, we would often embark pilots when entering certain harbours around the world.
When you first see the Pilot 50 that is featured in this article, someone who is not familiar with this particular model might indeed ask whether she has any commercial pilotage history, or whether the look has inspired her.
In the case of this boat, being a Willem Nieland design, her lines are indeed inspired by workboats. She is not a conversion; instead, she is a purpose-built private motor yacht, so if you have been looking for a boat that resembles a pilot boat, then this could be a perfect option.
She was built in 1998 by VDL Shipyard, and she is currently listed for sale for €349,000, VAT paid, lying in the Netherlands (broker details below).
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The reason why commercial pilot boats look the way they do, although there are many variations, is not down to aesthetic preferences. Raked, flared bows and generous forward freeboards help a boat to stay drier during inclement weather conditions.
So, the same benefits would apply to a private owner of a boat that has similar lines to that of a commercial, or working, pilot vessel. After all, if you do not mind the motion of heading out to sea during rough weather, then why not enjoy it with the peace of mind that comes with knowing that the hull beneath you was specifically designed to operate in the conditions in which you find yourself.
As well as the wonderful lines, this gnarly weather operation is exactly what this boat was designed to endure. She is 14.99 metres LOA, 4.82 metres in beam and has a draft of 1.45 metres. Her hull is steel, with a multi-chine configuration, and she has a displacement of 32 tonnes.
This is a serious amount of steel, and it shows in the way the hull carries its lines aft rather than pinching them in for outright speed.
Above the waterline, she emanates a completely different aesthetic. And this is where the “purpose-built motor yacht” half of the story takes over. She has central heating, air conditioning, a lush mahogany interior, hydraulic steering and an inside helm position for all-weather comfort.
You have probably already noticed the array of solar panels scattered across her coach roof (ten in total). She has two cabins, with a total of four berths, which is modest for a boat of this size, but remember, these are no production run vessels. Each one is built according to the demands and needs of the buyer.
Down in the engine bay, the beating heart(s) of this boat still carry the pilot boat DNA or, at the very least, comparison. She has Twin Volvo Penta TAMD73 EDC diesels (400 hp each) with 6,800 engine hours logged. In terms of fuel capacity, she can carry 4,000 litres of diesel.
The rest of the spec sheets tell a familiar story for this genre of boat; A Fishcer Panda generator and a Mastervolt Mass Combi 24/4000-120 charger-inverter give her the electrical capacity to run her AC and full galley away from shore power.
Add the ten Sunwave solar panels into the mix, and you have a boat that is designed to spend extended periods of time away from busy marinas. She has enough capacity for 1,250 litres of fresh water and can carry 500 litres of blackwater (in stainless steel tanks).
This article continues below, in “The Wardroom”. It is thanks to my premium subscribers that I can write about and film the boats I feature, as I do not earn any money from advertisers or sponsors, which means I can stay 100% independent.
In the premium section, I cover:
- Fuel burn and realistic range: my assessment of fuel burn and range, taken from the published fuel capacity and engine specification.
- What 6,800 hours means for these particular engines: what a survey should establish before anyone can say whether that number is a concern
- Steel hull maintenance at 28 years old: what ongoing upkeep on a hull like this one actually involves, and what questions I would ask before moving forward
- My honest assessment of €349,000: how she compares against other high-quality Dutch steel motor yachts of similar size and age currently on the market
What 6,800 Hours on a Volvo Penta TAMD73 Means…[article continues below]
