The yard
Heesen dates from 1978, when Frans Heesen took over a shipyard in the harbour of Oss, in the south of the Netherlands, and began building aluminium boats. Aluminium remains its signature, and since 1992 the yard has also built steel displacement yachts. Its 37 and 44-metre series of the 2000s were among the early superyachts built on a shared hull and engineering platform. Its fast displacement hull form, developed with Van Oossanen Naval Architects and first used in 2013, is designed for fuel economy at speed and a steadier ride. Today Heesen builds in aluminium from 37 to 70 metres and in steel from 42 to 55 metres, with full custom projects from about 60 metres, and the yard can build up to 83 metres.
The models buyers look for
Heesen offers its yachts in three ways: Series yachts, built on speculation for a short delivery; Smart Custom yachts, which take a proven hull and adapt the superstructure; and Full Custom projects, designed from scratch. Most Heesens on the brokerage market are between 37 and 55 metres: aluminium yachts with semi or fast displacement hulls, and steel yachts with fast or full displacement hulls. Among recent yachts, the 50-metre aluminium yachts with the fast displacement hull and the 55-metre steel yachts are the most listed. Older Heesens of 37 to 44 metres, from the 2000s, bring the yard within reach at a lower price. Listings sit mostly in the Mediterranean, in Italy, Spain, Greece and France, with others in Asia-Pacific and the United States. The market is smaller than for production builders, so off-market yachts matter here too.
Buying a Heesen
A Heesen is a superyacht with a technical record to match, and the inspection starts there: class and flag documentation, the maintenance and refit history, the hours and service records of the main engines and generators, and the crew who know the yacht. On an aluminium yacht the surveyor looks closely at the hull plating and its coatings; on a steel yacht, at corrosion and the paint system. Once terms are agreed, we coordinate the survey through specialist surveyors in the yacht's home port, with the class society where the yacht is classed, and attend the sea trial. The findings set the final terms, through works before closing or an adjustment to the price, and we stay on the buyer's side through contract, closing and handover. Our guide to buying a yacht sets out each stage.
After the purchase
A yacht of this size needs a permanent crew, a management company and a maintenance plan from the first day. We coordinate berthing in the yacht's cruising grounds and arrange yacht management through selected management firms: crew, technical oversight, ISM and MLC compliance, and accounts. Flag and ownership structure decide where the yacht can cruise and whether it can charter, and are best settled before closing; our note on ownership structures explains why. A charter programme can follow once the yacht is registered and certified for commercial use. Balthazar advises from its headquarters in Dubai and from Monaco and Hong Kong, wherever the yacht is kept.