Drawing Board
The Zeelander 72 is an Art Deco stunner with super yachtlike features; Princess’ X95 Superfly ups the design ante.
Zeelander takes its design cues from the elegant commuter yachts of yesteryear—long, graceful sheers, gleaming brightwork and raked transoms define the brand language. The first launch, a 44-footer, was such a winner that the next was essentially a scaledup version. For the fleet’s 72-foot flagship, the Dutch builder felt it needed to push the styling envelope.
“The Z72 … is an evolution of the Z44’s and Z55’s design,” says Floris Koopmans, marketing coordinator at Zeelander, adding, “just like Porsche has done with the 911 over time, we intend to evolve [our] iconic look. We envision an evolution of timeless design.”
Like the aforementioned sports car, the 72’s styling has become more aggressive as the brief calls for a larger footprint. Koopmans mentioned the yacht’s silhouette is inspired by military vessels—evident in her somewhat utilitarian profile, high bow and industrial-style vertical vents—but her seductive curves and creature comforts outshine those serviceable traits.
Zeelander says the 72 is roughly double the size of the 55 in
volume and it looks to utilize this space for superyacht-level features. The fold-down transom (a design hallmark of the series) creates a massive, teak-clad beach club that can be further transformed into an alfresco stateroom with an optional, stowable queen berth; privacy curtains secure on four corners here via carbon fiber poles. Renderings confirm it would be a fine place to bookend the day. And if you feel that the large aft sunpad needs to do double duty, a Jacuzzi can be installed below it, the sunpad serving as its cover when not in use. It all fits quite well here.
A beach club of this magnitude would generally mean sacrificing protected tender stowage—not for the 72. The commodious tender garage is served by a starboard-side hatch; the athwartships compartment is roomy enough for a nearly 11-foot Williams RIB and some other water toys. If one chooses to jettison the port-side crew cabin, the garage can extend to full beam.
I nearly gave up trying to figure out how many people can be seated comfortably in her cockpit and airy salon—it’s certainly more than her three en suite staterooms (two amidships with queen berths and the forward master with a king) can handle. I’m drawn to the deck’s quartet of fixed bar stools: The area is protected by the hardtop overhang and easily served by the salon’s aft galley via the huge, electrically retractable sliding window.
Triple, 750-hp Volvo Penta IPS950 drives are standard power, with IPS options up to 1,000-hp apiece; the bigger powerplants should push the boat to 40 knots with the throttles pinned. Hull No. 1 will be ready to rock as well with, according to Koopmans, “the biggest JL sound system on all spaces—helm, galley, aft deck, foredeck, staterooms and even the swimming platform.” Her smashing design won’t be the only thing making noise when the Z72 splashes at the Monaco boat show next fall.