Most 24-metre yachts are designed around crew. Solea wasn’t. The latest Zeelander 8 was commissioned by an owner who had already spent weeks living aboard a smaller Zeelander without permanent crew, and wanted the larger yacht designed so it could still be enjoyed the same way.
Starting with a Zeelander 7
Before Solea existed, her owner had already spent time on a Zeelander 7, weeks aboard at a stretch, running the boat himself with no permanent crew, using it as both a workplace and a place to rest. That period became the starting brief for something larger.
Founder and chairman Sietse Koopmans says the owner arrived at the yard already knowing what he wanted more of. Koopmans describes the finished yacht as one of the most personal builds Zeelander has produced.
What gets harder when the boat gets bigger
Moving from a Zeelander 7 to the larger Zeelander 8 without adding crew brings its own problems. More length and more systems usually mean more hands are needed for docking, positioning and day to day running. Joystick docking and gyro stabilisation take on much of that handling load. None of it eliminates the need for crew altogether, but it makes owner operation far more practical. Spare berths remain on board for owners who want crew along for some trips.
Koopmans puts the appeal down to the owner’s working life already being full of other people. Running a yacht without a crew, he says, means there are “no schedules to coordinate, no staff to manage, no professional distance to maintain.”
A main deck built for staying aboard
No two Zeelander 8s share a main deck plan, and Solea’s was drawn around what her owner had valued on the smaller boat, with considerably more space available this time.
The saloon is arranged around a large dining table rather than a bar, reflecting an owner who prefers entertaining at anchor over entertaining underway. The galley sits inside that same space instead of being walled off, so whoever’s cooking stays part of the conversation. Zeelander’s curved sliding window, a feature carried across the whole range, opens the saloon onto the aft deck.
Aft, where most Zeelander 8s carry a bar with stools, Solea has an oversized L-shaped seat instead, sheltered from the weather and set slightly apart from the rest of the deck. It’s built to match the owner’s favourite spot on his old Zeelander 7, and it now anchors the whole aft layout.
Speed, and what it costs to get it
Solea is the fastest and most powerful Zeelander 8 built so far. Her four Volvo Penta IPS-1350 engines produce a combined 4,000hp, enough for 40 knots on sea trials, a first for the model.
Zeelander quotes interior sound levels of 65dBA at full throttle, low enough that conversation on board doesn’t need raised voices at speed. Zeelander attributes those sound levels to the IPS propulsion system and the yacht’s engineering package rather than any one design feature. Cruising range holds up alongside the performance numbers: Zeelander quotes 630 nautical miles at a 32-knot cruise, extending to roughly 2,700 nautical miles at a 7-knot displacement speed.
Tender and water toys stowed within the hull
A Williams 435 jet tender sits in a dedicated side bay, along with Seabobs and flyboards, all stowed within the hull rather than lashed to the deck.
Interior finish
Rather than following the lighter palette used aboard Silver Dawn and Mojo, Solea takes a darker direction. Swamp oak appears throughout the interior for the first time in the Zeelander range, paired with premium leather and Porsche Agate detailing. Outside, the metallic grey hull continues the more understated theme.
Delivery and Monaco
Solea will make her public debut at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show, running from 23 to 26 September, where visitors will get their first opportunity to step aboard the third Zeelander 8 built since the model’s introduction.
