WATCH | The 30-Knot Steel Explorer: Exclusive Look Inside the New No Limit 13.20
How does a Dutch yard combine commercial lifeboat pedigree with twin Volvo Penta IPS drives? I Examine her Corten steel architecture, her low-profile air draft, and her objective realities
As I mentioned in the video, this was a different kind of Yacht Buoy feature. If you have subscribed to my channel for any length of time, then you will already know that I was the first YouTuber to feature the Arksen 85, Safehaven Marine’s T-2000 Voyager and later, the Archipelago 45, so you might already know that, from time to time, I do feature brand new hulls on the channel.
Ordinarily, I show you around boats which are already on the market, or that I have ended up on board after an owner’s invitation.
But when I was visiting No Limit Ships to film two of their 1550s, and they told me about the 13.20, then I just knew that I had to film her during the final stages of her build process. I also had a good inclination that my readers and viewers would absolutely love this boat.
By the time the video goes out, there is a good chance that Hull number 1 of the 13.20 will be ready to hit the water. I can only imagine how excited her owner must be to take delivery of this fast, steel-hulled CE Cat ‘A’ vessel and show her off to the explorer yacht community.
In the yacht tour video, I promised that I would highlight three things in this article: the history of the yard, where they sit today as a builder, and what I think stands out on the 13.20. If you have not watched the video yet, then here it is:
Who Are No Limit Ships?
No Limit Ships is a Dutch yard, based in Groningen, which is in the north of the Netherlands. Their story started back in 1996, when yacht designer Evert Stel and builder Piet Wierenga were forced to take shelter during a storm, and watched in awe as a KNRM lifeboat punched through the rough Wadden Sea.
That is where the idea for a serious, offshore-capable pleasure boat that matched the seakeeping and speed ability of the KNRM lifeboat came from. And when you think about it, the concept makes total sense.
I have often thought that a private motor boat version of the Shannon RNLI lifeboat here in the UK would make a fantastic platform for adventurous explorer yacht enthusiasts who are not put off from boating by the sight of large waves.
Being a former RNLI volunteer myself, I can say first-hand that the design philosophy behind search and rescue vessels is worth its weight in gold. You cannot put a price on peace of mind or safety at sea.
After a few years of trial and error, and a demo model called ‘Meander’that Gasunie tested as a guard vessel and Rijkswaterstaat once called “the last boat to return in bad weather”, led to the first models being launched in 1999.
Today, No Limit Ships is run by Piet’s sons, Peter and Bart, who, in 2024, became co-owners. So, essentially, No Limit Ships is run by a boatbuilding family with a track record of building 28 No Limit yachts and 29 Blauwe Stad commercial vessels, with professional clients including Van Oord dredging and the Port of Rotterdam.
If you browse through my channel, then you will spot that I have covered several of their boats, including Friend Ship, a No Limit 1550 featured back in June, and the No Limit 1640 Odyssey, filmed on the same Groningen trip.
One of the things that connects each of their boats is the same underlying philosophy behind each model and hull number: deep-V hulls, steel below the waterline (unless a client specifically requests aluminium), aluminium above the waterline to help keep weight down, and a build standard that complies with commercial standards, rather than just complying with private motor yacht standards.
Indeed, the owner of ‘Friend Ship’ has been buying No Limit vessels since 2001 and chose to build two at the same yard. This kind of loyalty not only tells you a lot about the build quality, but it also tells you a lot about the ongoing relationship No Limit Ships has with its clients.
Once the handover is complete, the relationship continues. I am yet to meet an owner of a No Limit Ships who does not stay in contact with the yard. Not because they are having issues, but because the yard makes an effort to keep in contact with their clients because, well, they love hearing about the adventures their clients have with their vessels.
Where the 13.20 Sits in the Lineup
The 13.20 cannot be regarded just as a “smaller No Limit”. By the yard’s own admission, the 13.20 is proof that great things come in small packages and that a smaller LOA does not mean that you have to compromise on seakeeping or long-distance offshore cruising, regardless of what the weather is doing.
The current range of boats on offer comprises three base models.
Before the 13.20, the entry point for a No Limit Ship vessel was the 15.50, a 15.5-metre steel and aluminium explorer-style motor yacht fitted with twin Volvo D9 engines at 575hp each. She can power all the way up to 25 knots, or she will comfortably motor along at her displacement speed of 9 knots.
The choice is yours, and the range at speed is a massive selling point for clients who want the safety of steel, coupled with the speed of a planing GRP vessel.
Next up is the 16.40, which is developed from the yard’s professional 1640 PRO workboat and the 16.40 FB, which is an aluminium flybridge version that runs twin Volvo Penta IPS900 pods pushing her aluminium hull to a top speed of 32+ knots (I got to experience a sea trial on this boat - scroll through my playlist for the video).
No Limit ships also builds the Blauwe Stad Line, a tugboat-styled touring vessel in 8.8 and 10.4 metre versions that have been coming off the production line since 2004.
They also build the No Limit 17.50 FB and non-FB version, which, despite never having been on board (as it currently operates in Canadian waters), is one of my favourite mid-range explorer yachts.
I aim to head over to Canada at some point to film the 17.50 FB, but that depends on how many paying subscribers I have on my newsletter, as it is thanks to my paying subscribers that I can fund these trips aboard (I never take a payment for reviewing a boat, as my journalistic independence is very important to me).
The Boat in the Shed
At 13.20 metres, this model is the smallest private vessel that the yard currently builds. She shares the same deep-V Corten steel hull as her larger siblings, and also has in common the fact that her superstructure is made from aluminium.
Twin Volvo Penta IPS600 pod drives power her, but if an owner wanted to, then a different propulsion and power set-up can be spec’d. At the time of writing, the boat is yet to go through her speed trials, but expect a speed somewhere in the region of around 30 knots.
Her air draft is just 3.2 metres, so low enough for bridges and canals that would otherwise stop most CE Cat ‘A’ vessels in their tracks.
Below deck, she will have an owner’s and guest cabin, a walk-in shower with Grohe fittings, zoned underfloor heating and an induction galley with integrated fridge/freezer.
She will be kitted out with a full Raymarine nav suite as standard (twin Axiom2 Pro displays, Evolution autopilot, Quantum radar, AIS, an Airmar weather station, all networked over SeaTalk NG). She will come equipped with a Victron power system with roughly 15kWh of LiFePO₄ batteries, and a Northern Lights 5kW generator for time at anchor.
The rest of this article is for my premium subscribers, who make the whole ‘Yacht Buoy’ outfit possible, so if you are already a paying subscriber or you become one, then I would like to say a huge thank you for making all of this possible.
In the premium section below, I cover:
What hull number one actually means: why being the first of a new model is a genuine, albeit exciting, consideration and what I would want confirmed before ordering my own
Corten steel, explained in full: what this material buys you below the waterline.
IPS Drive: why IPS drives are a very clever option for this boat
My honest assessment of the 13.20 as a proposition: who this boat actually suits, what she likely costs and what it would realistically cost to own one
PLUS much more, not just in this article, but in all of the articles I have written and am yet to write!
What Hull Number One Actually Means…[article continues below]
