{"id":133171,"date":"2024-10-16T06:20:37","date_gmt":"2024-10-16T05:20:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/?post_type=review&p=133171"},"modified":"2024-10-16T06:21:08","modified_gmt":"2024-10-16T05:21:08","slug":"zeelander-z5-review-its-a-boat-only-a-handful-of-people-will-ever-be-able-to-own-and-that-is-a-huge-part-of-the-appeal","status":"publish","type":"review","link":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/reviews\/aft-cabins\/zeelander-z5-review-its-a-boat-only-a-handful-of-people-will-ever-be-able-to-own-and-that-is-a-huge-part-of-the-appeal","title":{"rendered":"Zeelander Z5 review: 'It\u2019s a boat only a handful of people will ever be able to own and that is a huge part of the appeal'"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zeelander Yachts was established in the Netherlands in 2002 with the express intention of becoming a boutique builder of genuinely special boats. It would take six years of development before its first two motor yachts would hit the water and the smaller of those, the Z44<\/a> was, by all accounts, a superb boat.<\/p>\n

It was full of elaborate curves, premium design cues and the kind of intricate detailing that can only be achieved with the unstinting application of time and money. We were so impressed that, in spite of its radically exclusive price point, it came away with top prize in its category at the MBY Awards<\/a> – and more than 15 years on, Zeelander has unveiled the natural successor to that model with a yacht that is reportedly longer, beamier, quicker and quieter. It\u2019s known as the Zeelander Z5 and even as it sits impassively at its Rotterdam berth, it exhibits all the classical Zeelander hallmarks we\u2019ve come to relish.<\/p>\n

\"\"

: Whether you opt for two or three IPS-650s, the Z5 is more to do with quiet luxury than outright pace<\/p><\/div>\n

One boat, four lengths<\/h2>\n

The guiding principle at Zeelander is very straightforward. They produce just one style of boat but they offer it in four lengths. As a result, whether you opt for the Zeelander Z5, the Z6, the Z7 or the new flagship Z8, the DNA in terms of style, deck management, fit-out and application is powerfully consistent. Like every other boat in the fleet then, the Zeelander Z5 is a creative reinterpretation of the lobster boat, with as much emphasis on outdoor entertainment as on sheltered luxury.<\/p>\n

The day-boating duties are broadly split between a main deck saloon and a deep, sociable cockpit with an expandable aft deck but, once again, it\u2019s the aesthetic that really defines this boat.<\/p>\n

\"\"

The cockpit is delightfully deep and secure<\/p><\/div>\n

It comes with twists, curves, inclines and inflections in every element of the design. From the timber to the mouldings, the steelwork and the glass, it appears that no curve is so difficult that it\u2019s not worth doing \u2013 and while that could easily result in a boat that feels fussy and overworked, the organic purity of the Zeelander\u2019s form is a rare and special treat.<\/p>\n

Article continues below…<\/em><\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\n\"Zeelander-Z44-running-shot\"\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\tCredit: Zeelander Yachts\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/div>\n
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\n Zeelander 44 review: Extraordinary quality more than justifies hefty price tag<\/a>\n <\/h2>\n <\/header>\n
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\n \n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n

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\n\t\t\n\"Motor-Boat-Awards-2019-All-Winners\"\n\t<\/figure>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\tThe winners collected their prizes at the Corinthia Hotel London last night (May 7)\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t<\/div>\n
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\n Winners of the 2019 Motor Boat Awards revealed<\/a>\n <\/h2>\n <\/header>\n
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\n \n <\/p>\n <\/div>\n <\/article>\n <\/section>\n\n

As you would expect, whether you\u2019re watching the sun glint off the custom- built, mirror-polished cleats and grab rails or running your hands over the stitched leather upholstery, the finish also feels supremely bespoke and that\u2019s because it is.<\/p>\n

Each model apparently takes between 16,000 and 24,000 man hours to create and the price, as well as the character, of a Zeelander motor yacht fully reflects that. But although its style, purpose and fit-out remain true to the Zeelander blueprint, the new Zeelander Z5 also exhibits some practical upgrades over the Z44\u2026<\/p>\n

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With its facing dinettes and high-low tables, the sheltered cockpit is a brilliant day boating zone<\/p><\/div>\n

Three-part day space<\/h2>\n

While the Z5 has a perfectly serviceable sunpad at the bow, the bulk of the good stuff happens in the saloon, in the cockpit and at the convertible transom. The pilothouse<\/a> structure is orbited by a set of raised walkaround side decks and framed within a swept S-shaped sheerline that lifts toward the bow. It uses a virtually unbroken curve of wraparound glass to augment that sumptuous style and that pays big dividends on the inside too. Whether you\u2019re driving from the twin helm seats or reversing them to create a raised dining area for six, views through the virtually mullion-free windows are superb.<\/p>\n

Opposite the dinette is a starboard galley. Once again, it majors on style with its curved edge and slender proportions but it\u2019s perfectly practical too. It comes with a fridge, a sink, a wine cooler and an induction hob and it leads very naturally, through a curved starboard door and sliding port window, into the aft cockpit.<\/p>\n

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The helm\u2019s seatbacks reverse to become part of the port dinette<\/p><\/div>\n

Here, a pair of facing dinettes (L-shaped forward and C-shaped aft) creates a deeply sociable zone that is sheltered by extended mouldings on both sides and by a beautifully engineered telescopic sunshade that extends from the wheelhouse roof at the push of a button. And though deep and safe, ease of movement is excellent back here, thanks to a couple of innovations the old Z44 lacked. The drop-down tables enable the seats to covert into sunbeds and there are weighty side gates loaded onto magnificent stainless steel hinges on both sides of the cockpit, radically improving access from the pontoon.<\/p>\n

But there\u2019s still more because if you want to open things up a bit, that impossibly pretty reverse transom can be folded down, creating an extended aft platform that adds another 65ft2 of deck space. Again, freedom of movement is excellent, thanks to curved companionways that wrap around the back end of the stern bench.<\/p>\n

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The transom opens aft, revealing integrated sunbeds and a multi-function ladder<\/p><\/div>\n

There are more improvements over the Z44 here as well, including integrated backrests for the two aft platform sunbeds that rise out of the deck, providing a lovely spot to lounge and face aft at water level. Hinge them back down though and you have space for a table and freestanding chairs. There\u2019s also a hydraulic ladder tucked away at the aft end that can either rise up as a passerelle or drop down beneath the surface for easy access to the water.<\/p>\n

This beach club set-up is not completely issue-free though. For instance, you need a good bit of room aft to deploy that folding transom and that\u2019s fine for the most part, because who would choose to deploy the beach club while sitting at a pontoon? But if you need unobstructed access to your engine bay, it could still pose a problem because the main hatch can\u2019t be lifted while the transom is in the vertical position. And then there\u2019s the tender situation.<\/p>\n

Given the nature of the transom and engine bay design, those who choose to rig this boat with three engines will have nowhere to stow a tender. A moderate draft of just 96cm certainly helps mitigate that difficulty but if you\u2019re set on having a tender on board, then you\u2019ll need to peg back your performance expectations and run with twins instead.<\/p>\n

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The owner\u2019s mid cabin uses an unusual layout to mitigate the impact of plunging deckheads<\/p><\/div>\n

Unusual lower deck<\/h2>\n

Down below, the cabins have the look and feel of an A-list wellness retreat. A curved semi-spiral staircase takes you down to a central atrium, which is lavishly lined with a mix of mirrored surfaces, upholstered bulkheads and macassar ebony panelling. In spite of its sultry looks, it provides some unexpectedly practical features too.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s plenty of concealed storage on the way down the stairs and when you get to the bottom, there\u2019s a fridge beneath the switch panel, plus a freezer and a microwave on the port side. It\u2019s not a galley, nor even a breakfast bar, but if you want a lazy day in bed and the main deck galley feels like a stretch too far, it\u2019s a handy spot for grabbing drinks and nibbles.<\/p>\n

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The galley is better featured than its swept lines suggest<\/p><\/div>\n

Ahead of this space, in the vee of the bow, sits a twin or double guest cabin that could easily serve as a day lounge. That said, the hull windows end further aft than the bow cabin begins so the only natural light forward is achieved by means of an overhead hatch that opens onto the foredeck ahead of the low-level island sunbed. That\u2019s by no means critical, as most people will in any case tend to use this space as a baggage hold for day parties but it remains a handy asset for weekends away.<\/p>\n

The washing and toilet facilities are also quite useful. They are divided between a port heads compartment and a starboard wetroom, in the ideal position for access from the main deck, just between the atrium and the bow cabin. And if this set-up strikes you as slightly unusual, the owner\u2019s full-beam mid cabin is even more so. It uses a transverse double bed to starboard, a lavish dressing table to port and a mirrored bulkhead at the aft end.<\/p>\n

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The owner\u2019s starboard side gets a large dressing table and the best views on the lower deck<\/p><\/div>\n

There\u2019s no room for a private bathroom here and the deckhead height does fluctuate a lot but the bed set-up makes good use of that by placing the head end away from the starboard bulkhead and recessing a TV into the angled deckhead above the pillows. The port side makes equally good use of the extra headroom beneath the saloon dinette with hanging storage fore and aft, but there\u2019s still not room for a six-footer to stand fully upright, so on balance, the Zeelander Z5 is a better day boat than cruiser.<\/p>\n

Imperfect but perfect<\/h2>\n

When you get underway, the first thing that strikes you is the quietness. Zeelander\u2019s claimed sound levels of 70dBA at wide-open-throttle are fully borne out \u2013 and that only serves to reinforce what a thoroughly relaxing drive (or chauffeured conveyance) this is. However, this is a heavily built boat and we have a dozen or so people on board, so the top end is by no means fast.<\/p>\n

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Though windowless, the bow cabin is a pleasant spot for a couple of guests<\/p><\/div>\n

At 31 knots, it delivers broadly similar performance to that of the Z44, but you can of course swap those twin IPS-650s for an American-inspired triple rig for speeds in the region of 40 knots. In all cases, though, it\u2019s fair to say that this boat is more about easy cruising comfort than whip-crack performance and we suspect it will remain so, however you choose to rig it.<\/p>\n

If the drive feels imperturbably solid, serene and statesmanlike, though, it has to be said that the helm layout feels a bit odd.<\/p>\n

The wheel and throttle span the two helm seats in a way that seems to favour neither position, so you\u2019re not quite sure whether to sit to port and stretch for the wheel or sit to starboard and stretch for the throttles. There\u2019s also a chaise longue to port that positions the head of an aft-facing guest at your port shoulder. There\u2019s no side deck access and no opening side windows to aid with communication either, but what you do get to uprate the seamanship side of things is a large overhead sunroof, plus the option of a berthing helm on the starboard side of the cockpit.<\/p>\n

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It\u2019s a boat only a handful of people will ever be able to own<\/p><\/div>\n

As for the cruising efficiency, well again, loading a metric tonne of journalists on board probably doesn\u2019t help. While Zeelander\u2019s quoted estimates talk of 455 miles at 30 knots, we\u2019re seeing fuel flow in the region of 180 litres per hour at 30 knots for a range (with a 20% margin in hand) of around 265 miles from those 2,000-litre tanks.<\/p>\n

Even when we drop it to 20 knots, the range continues to hover around the 300-mile mark and while that remains well short of the quoted figures, it\u2019s plenty for most realistic applications on a boat like this.<\/p>\n

Zeelander Z5 specifications<\/h2>\n

LOA:<\/strong> 48ft 3in (14.7m)
\nBEAM:<\/strong> 14ft 1in (4.3m)
\nDRAFT:<\/strong> 3ft 2in (0.96m)
\nDISPLACEMENT:<\/strong> 16,500kg
\nFUEL CAPACITY:<\/strong> 2,000 litres
\nWATER CAPACITY:<\/strong> 600 litres
\nENGINES:<\/strong> Twin\/triple Volvo Penta IPS 650s
\nRCD:<\/strong> B12
\nCONTACT:<\/strong> zeelander.com<\/a><\/p>\n

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\"\"If you enjoyed this\u2026.<\/h2>\n
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Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht<\/a> world and at the luxury end of the market.<\/p>\n

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers<\/a> and save at least 30% off the cover price.<\/em><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n
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Zeelander Yachts was established in the Netherlands in 2002 with the express intention of becoming a boutique builder of genuinely special boats. It would take six years of development before its first two motor yachts would hit the water and the smaller of those, the Z44 was, by all accounts, a superb boat. It was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4647,"featured_media":133183,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[1620,1593],"review_manufacturer":[],"review_category":[48],"review_type":[],"review_award":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/133171"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/review"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4647"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133171"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/133171\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":133194,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review\/133171\/revisions\/133194"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/133183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133171"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133171"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=133171"},{"taxonomy":"review_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_category?post=133171"},{"taxonomy":"review_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_type?post=133171"},{"taxonomy":"review_award","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mby.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_award?post=133171"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}