Moonen launches 36.3m Martinique Moonshine

by Moonen Yachts 27 Apr 07:29 PDT

Last week Dutch luxury yacht builder Moonen Yachts proudly welcomed the owners of MOONSHINE to the christening and launch of their new 36.3m Martinique (119ft) in The Netherlands.

The newly christened MOONSHINE is yard number YN204, the sixth Martinique from Moonen’s successful fast displacement steel hull design. Moonen is working closely with Neal Esterly from Fraser Yachts who is representing the client as their broker.

MOONSHINE will be delivered before the summer season and will spend this year cruising the Mediterranean and the Caribbean before reaching her new home in San Diego, California.

Neal says that his clients chose Moonen Yachts to build MOONSHINE because they wanted to build at the very best yard in their size range and type of yacht. They wanted a very capable yacht so they could do more extensive cruises.

They also required customisations to suit their tastes and how they intended to use the yacht – including changing the length of the yacht.

“The size was important because they wanted to keep the yacht at a specific location which had a 119ft limited length,” Neal explains.

Moonen Yachts Project Manager John Bechtold thanked the owners and their for a close and productive cooperation.

“It was a real honour and a pleasure to develop and build MOONSHINE together with the owners, crew and construction team,” John says. “From day one, they have challenged us to refine the yacht to their tastes and intended use. And that has certainly been successful.”

The owners specified a rich and characterful interior design in collaboration with the team at Hollander Yacht Design, a Dutch studio working on their first project with Moonen Yachts.

The Main Salon fills with light thanks to full height windows and new window details. The sliding doors with no sills create a natural transition between inside and outside.

The award-winning Martinique exterior design by Dutch designer René van der Velden allows natural light in, offers spectacular views out, and creates seamless indoor-outdoor connections.

The steel and aluminium Martinique has a maximum speed of 17 knots thanks to her fast displacement naval architecture, plus long-range transatlantic capability. The Martinique is exceptionally comfortable, spacious, quiet and stable with a surprising interior volume at 345 Gross Tonnage.

The launch of MOONSHINE follows the launch earlier this year of LUMIÈRE, the fifth yacht from Moonen’s premium semi-custom Martinique design. The seventh Martinique, the 37.4m (122ft) YN205, is also under construction at the Moonen Yachts shipyard.