“A highly dynamic appearance well within the parameters of timeless design.”
Albert Hakvoort
Custom built in 2008 by the Royal Hakvoort Shipyard, the 45m I 148’ AWATEA is a triumph of Dutch design and workmanship. Her visually striking exterior, designed by Cor D. Rover, conceals a welcoming nautical interior with exceptionally large volume for a yacht under 500GT. AWATEA accommodates up to 14 guests in five staterooms with a splendid full-beam master suite on the main deck.
Built for global cruising, her full-displacement steel hull, flared bow and 11.5 knots cruising speed were chosen for comfortable, efficient passage making. She has a 4,600nm mile range and top speed of 13.5 knots. Flagged in the Cayman Islands and classed by Lloyd’s, AWATEA is MCA compliant although she has only been used privately.
THE STORY
“A modern motor yacht with the heart and soul of a sailboat”
Four years in the making and built to go anywhere, the 45-metre/148' AWATEA has the substance of a much larger vessel. Her all-Dutch build team was central to the result: Royal Hakvoort, Cor D. Rover for the exterior, Felix Buytendijk for the interior and Diana Yacht Design for naval architecture and engineering. It was a close, coherent collaboration in which seaworthiness, practicality and engineering were fundamental to the design rather than additions to it.
The commercial brief reinforced that approach. AWATEA was built to Lloyd’s and MCA standards and was the first Dutch motor yacht built under the new Dutch Commercial Cruising regulations.
AWATEA’s sweeping exterior lines give her a distinctive elegance, while her nautical interior is ingeniously laid out to provide exceptional space for her size. The result is a yacht in which the engineering and structural priorities are largely concealed beneath a coherent interior layout, generous spaces and sophisticated detailing. She feels relaxed and effortless precisely because so much thought went into what lies beneath.
THE REFIT
Renewing the Systems Behind AWATEA
(what you don’t see is what matters)
During the winter of 2025 and late spring of 2026, AWATEA underwent a comprehensive technical refit representing an investment of over US$5.5 million. Rather than just cosmetic improvements, the program concentrated on the renewal of critical engineering systems, scheduled lifecycle maintenance and technical upgrades. While much of the work is not immediately visible, it is essential to preserving the yacht's structural integrity, operational reliability and long-term value. Many of the contractors in this refit were part of the original build team and so were extremely knowledgeable about what to do to restore the yacht to better than new.
SHORT SPECS
“AWATEA’s build team was not afraid to push the envelope”.
BUILDER
Royal Hakvoort
YEAR
2008
REFIT
2026
LOA
45m / 147'7"
BEAM
8.80m / 28'10
DRAFT
2.95m / 9'8"
CRUISING SPEED
11.5 Knots
MAX SPEED
13.5 Knots
RANGE
4,600 nm @ 11.5 Knots
NAVAL ARCHITECT
Diana Yacht Design
INTERIOR DESIGN
Felix Buytendijk
EXTERIOR DESIGN
Cor D. Rover
GROSS TONNAGE
499
FLAG
Cayman Island
CLASSIFICATION
Lloyd's ✠ 100 A1 SSC
Yacht Mono G6 ✠ LMC
GUESTS
10 + 4
STATEROOMS
5
CREW
9 + 1
A Word About the Designers Behind AWATEA
Cor de Rover’s background is unusually technical. Trained under Frank Mulder, who brought a naval architect’s rigor to yacht design, he learned to combine technical discipline with clean aesthetics. AWATEA’s exterior is not aggressively styled, but carefully proportioned, making the most of her substantial volume and length while keeping the styling restrained. This is a distinctly Dutch approach to yacht design: design for how a yacht is actually used, rather than for an idea of how a yacht is supposed to be used.
Felix Buytendijk’s contribution was to make AWATEA feel like a proper yacht rather than a luxury hotel. He drew on the visual language of sailing yachts — mahogany, handrails, lanterns, coffered ceilings, nautical photography — but interpreted it through modern proportions, technology, comfort and exceptionally high-quality Dutch joinery. That combination is why AWATEA still feels classy nearly two decades after delivery.
THE VIDEO
Time for a quick tour...
Building Yachts for Over a Century...
Royal Hakvoort is a shipbuilder’s builder, and a Dutch builder at that. Hakvoorts are robust, seaworthy vessels; their materials, detail and finish are pure luxury.
Now in its fifth generation, Hakvoort has remained in the same family since 1919. More unusually, generations of craftsmen, from father to son, have built their working lives at Hakvoort, creating a continuity of knowledge and workmanship that is difficult to replicate.
This heritage was formally recognized in 2020, when Hakvoort was granted the Dutch Royal Warrant designation. This is no small matter reserved for companies with at least a century of continuous history in the same business, of national significance and with an impeccable reputation.
Royal Hakvoort doesn’t build the largest or most flamboyant yachts: its reputation has been earned over decades through ‘Dutch reliability’, competence, top-notch workmanship and the ability to build precisely what an owner wants.
KEY FEATURES
“Great engineering and expertise underpin an
effortlessly elegant yacht”
Outstanding build quality
from Royal Hakvoort Shipyard
Full displacement steel hull capable of comfortable worldwide cruising
Functional layout and exceptionally generous volume for 499GT
Extensive exterior space with dining options on three different decks
Versatile air-conditioned garage
finished to guest standard and
doubling as a gym or beach club
Maximum speed of 13.5knots and exceptional 4,600nm range at
11.5 knots
Five-stateroom layout with full-beam master suite on the main deck with 2.30m/7’6” headroom
New England maritime character,
superb Dutch craftsmanship
THE BEACH CLUB, TENDER AND TOYS
An Uncommonly Classy Beach Club
If you want to spend time by the water, double stairways lead down to the beach club and a massive fold-down swim platform. The beach club is air-conditioned and equipped with a full bathroom and shower. Beautifully finished with planked teak flooring, it can also be set up as a gym. When not in use for games and water sports, it houses the 7.5m tender and up to three jet skis and other water toys.
CONCEPT AND TEXT
Penny Hammond-Smith
GRAPHICS
Matthieu Vuillaume
PHOTOGRAPHY
Guy Fleury – www.guyfleuryphotography.com
VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY
Theirry Ameller
VIDEO & PHOTOGRAPHY
Cory Silken - www.CorySilken.com
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