Please select your home edition
Edition
Palm Beach Motor Yachts

Damen Yachting celebrates milestone steel cutting of new YS 53 design

by Amels and Damen Yachting 16 Feb 2022 01:02 PST

Damen Yachting has introduced a brand new design in its Yacht Support range - the YS 53 series. The first build of the completely new 53-metre vessel (175 ft) will be delivered in 2023.

Offering the most seriously fun set-up you can dream of, the YS 53 supports today's most innovative Owners with thrilling mega-tenders, mesmerising ocean adventures and unforgettable celebrations on board.

Strategic shift

Following a 2-year design and development phase, the first steel cutting at Damen Yachting's Antalya facility brings the YS 53 to life. The YS 53 replaces the original Yacht Support YS 5009, which debuted in 2009 based on workboat platforms from Damen's commercial division. To date, Damen Yachting has sold almost 20 Yacht Support vessels as well as providing ongoing global support and refit services for its fleet. However, the new YS 53 marks a significant shift in Damen Yachting's strategy, as Rob Luijendijk, Director Sales and Product Management, explains.

"Over the last decade we've helped Owners to realise an amazing variety of very challenging dreams," Rob says. "Each dream requires an innovative solution for something that has never been done before. So we have a very experienced team and a deep understanding of how to support our clients. We realised that our new series needed to be both highly flexible and customisable, but also designed from scratch for the yachting market. That's how the YS 53 began."

Design features

To create the YS 53, Damen Yachting went back to the drawing board. An inhouse team of naval architects developed a completely new hull form in collaboration with the Damen Research Laboratory in the Netherlands. The YS 53 is strongly focussed on highly demanding performance, efficiency and comfort with a wide range of upgraded features for the yachting lifestyle. Damen Yachting has also completed the exterior and interior design.

"The YS 53 exterior design starts with a familiar functionality, but there is more than meets the eye," says Wouter Kleijpoel, the Design Manager who led the team of Damen Yachting designers who created the concept. "It's playful, muscular and emboldening, you believe anything is possible. I think it's an exciting design."

Under 500 Gross Tonnage, the YS 53 will carry 6 to 12 guests or up to 16 staff, plus captain and crew. The vessel features a huge 15-tonne deck crane (33,000 pounds) and two Rolls Royce MTU main engines delivering a total 4,480 kW (6,000 horsepower) for a top speed of 19 knots. The vessel will also be fully IMO Tier III compliant, reducing harmful emissions by 70% for full range operations.

Family heritage

The YS 53 is built by Damen Yachting, the yacht building division of the global Damen Shipyards Group. A family business for almost a century, Damen grew from a simple boat builder to a global multinational with 35 shipyards around the world, delivering more than 6,500 ships of all shapes and sizes - including the most high-tech naval ships and offshore research ships. With the Damen family's entrepreneurial spirit, Damen Yachting focuses on yachting solutions, including Amels superyachts, SeaXplorer expedition yachts and the Yacht Support range.

Related Articles

5.5m Alpen Cup at Fraglia Vela Riva Day 2
The Jean Genie extends lead The Jean Genie (GBR 43, Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Ruairidh Scott) extended their lead to 11 points after three more races on Friday at the 5.5 Metre Alpen Cup at Riva del Garda, Italy. Posted on 2 May
52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Cup Day 3
World champions Gladiator lead into the weekend after a second day with no wind The standings remain the same at the 52 SUPER SERIES Saint-Tropez Sailing Week after a day with insufficient wind to race. Posted on 2 May
Transat Paprec Day 13
Cap Saint Barth has lit the fire! Competitors in the Transat Paprec - a race organized by OC Sport Pen Duick - and those familiar with the charts have become accustomed to it: Cap St Barth has been at the forefront since the start. Posted on 2 May
National Family Island Regatta of the Bahamas
Observations from the outside of the 69th running of the event I have much experience racing sailboats of many sizes in many settings, and much experience as a race organizer for national and international sailing events. This year I attended a Bahamian Wooden Sloop Regatta for the first time. Posted on 2 May
Team Race World Championship returns
In a month's time when the New York Yacht Club Harbour Court The past decade for team racing has featured the emergence of a new, spectator-friendly format and the continued spread of the discipline around the globe. Posted on 2 May
MS Amlin re-signs with Kiwi race team
Leading European insurer MS Amlin have renewed their sponorship of Aotearoa Ocean Racing, Leading European insurer MS Amlin have renewed their sponorship of Aotearoa Ocean Racing, enabling the newly formed team to take part in a series of races in Europe later this year. The team is still seeking sponsorship for The Ocean Race 2027. Posted on 2 May
60th Anniversary Congressional Day 2
Monnin in the hunt for semi-final spot Switzerland's Eric Monnin and his Capvis Swiss Match Racing Team delivered a faultless performance today, the second day of the 60th Long Beach Yacht Club Congressional Cup. Posted on 2 May
Antigua Race Week Day 4
One-third of the classes started the penultimate day with boats tied on points at the top Racing at this year's Antigua Sailing Week is so close that one-third of the classes started the penultimate day with boats tied on points at the top of their respective leaderboards. Posted on 2 May
5.5m Alpen Cup at Fraglia Vela Riva Day 1
The Jean Genie makes strong start to title defence The Jean Genie (GBR 43, Peter Morton, Andrew Palfrey, Ruaridh Scott) took a commanding lead on a very tricky opening day of the 2025 5.5 Metre Alpen Cup at Fraglia Vela Riva, on Lake Garda, Italy. Posted on 1 May
21st Sandberg PalmaVela Day 1
Magic Carpet E wins two from two on her debut The Maxi class officially opened racing today at the 21st Sandberg PalmaVela, completing two W/L races in which the newest elite 100-footer, Magic Carpet E, dominated with two clear victories in what was its first-ever races. Posted on 1 May
Zhik 2024 DecemberMackay Boats 728x90 BOTTOMRooster 2025