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Stratos Yacht: Boss of the sea

A resounding first: at MASTERS EXPO, the design of Lengers Yachts' first own yacht was launched: the Stratos Dutch Built 50. "For those who want the best of the best." Director-owner Bas Lengers on the realization of his dream.
Lengers Yachts

During the 2021 edition of MASTERS EXPO, I was at the Lengers Yachts booth talking with Bas Lengers. That was interrupted by an employee who excitedly shouted "he's here, Bas" and placed a showcase of model boats on our table. It wasn't actually meant for my eyes, but now that it was there... "This will be our first own yacht," the CEO of the now internationally operating yachting company confided to me. "Conceived and developed ourselves with the top Dutch yacht builders. It should be ready in 2023. That's all I can say about it now, except that quality has not been budgeted for. Everything I think should be in a ship is in it." It is now ten months later. I am once again sitting at the table with Bas, this time in his office in Muiden, with a fold-out laptop in front of me playing a video of the arrival of the yacht's hull in Lelystad, Lengers' new yard, but more on that later. "This was quite a moment, though. The first child was born!"

Highest quality standards

Bas does not hide the fact that it has always been his dream to bring his own ship to the market. And now it has arrived: the Stratos. "I found that the market lacked a sturdy and robust ship that is truly seaworthy and built at superyacht level. A ship that you can go out in all weathers, an SUV on the water. I dare say with certainty that the Stratos Dutch Built 50 is the most seaworthy vessel in its class. It boasts the very highest quality standards, CE classification A, which means that it can handle a wind force of more than 8 on the Beaufort scale and waves up to more than 4 meters high. Hence the slogan 'Dominate the Seas'." To make the ship so strong and rigid, Bas explains, a special grid was designed - which is very unique for a ship of this size. High-end composite materials are used. The entire superstructure is made of carbon. As a result, the center of gravity is low, which benefits the stability and unique sailing characteristics of the vessel. Due to the deep V-hull, the ship glides through the water like a warm knife cutting through butter. Even in high waves, no slamming will occur with this ship. Also unique are the specially designed ergonomic pilot seats with shock absorbtion, to make sailing with high waves comfortable. Also, the freeboard of the gangways is very high, so that in extremely high waves tube water has no chance. This also allows safe movement all around on the ship. To further enhance the latter, a carbon railing with LED lighting has even been fitted. "The Stratos Dutch Built 50 gives an open but at the same time very protected and safe feeling."

Built to perfection

Bas' vision and personality come together in this nearly fifteen-meter vessel, which reaches a speed of just under 40 knots. Decades of nautical expertise and passion poured into one superior project. "The name Stratos does not come out of the blue, it is derived from stratosphere. We want to reach that height in terms of quality, functionality and performance. We do use the term 'built to perfection': truly every detail has been thought of, every aspect has been fully worked out, nothing has been skimped on. The ship is manufactured by only the best designers and builders from the Netherlands, who excel in their profession and have already proven this. For example, the ship was designed by Bernd Weel and we worked a lot with naval architects from Sealevel. We don't do mass production. Construction is limited to five to eight yachts on an annual basis. Because in addition, we naturally want to be able to continue to give full attention to the other beautiful brands in our portfolio: Sanlorenzo, Bluegame, Prestige and SACS. In short: we can build without time pressure, every detail of the Stratos is given full attention. This can be seen in the finish: it is of stratospheric high level. For example, the interior, with sleeping space for four people, is of supercar GT quality, extremely refined. The exterior cushions alone contain an entire study."

Highlights

The highlights of the Stratos are seemingly inexhaustible. A small sample: The carbon hardtop can be opened, so when desired you can sail in the sun. Something you don't easily see on yachts of this length. So is the range of 400 to 450 miles (740 to 830 km): for this class, that's a stunning range. Considerable investment has been made in noise reduction, allowing optimum enjoyment of the sea. For example, the engine compartment and interior are separated by a soundproof technical isolation room. Personalizing the exterior can be done by color scheme, where you can choose from about twenty-five colors, metallic and non-metallic. Personalizing the interior can be done by choosing from three different color styles. And then there is a laundry list of options. Superyacht-level options, including a hydraulic submersible swim platform. "The Stratos is for those who want the best of the best," Bas said. "And as you would expect from Lengers Yachts, we also offer the maximum in terms of service - the customer is completely unburdened. Based on our story, we sold the first examples of the Stratos in advance to relations, all very experienced water sportsmen. They had immediate confidence in it! Those boats are delivered in Mallorca, Ibiza, Saint-Tropez, Cannes... And we also sold one in Amsterdam. So soon you might just see the Stratos Dutch Built 50 on the IJ."

Lengers Marine Center

Especially for the Stratos, Lengers Yachts has expanded to include a marina in Lelystad. What was once Schaap ShipCARE is now called Lengers Marine Center. Leen Schaap and team remain with the company, thus also taking over thirty years of composite expertise and management. "In Lelystad we do the assembly and production. So we have everything in our own hands! In addition to building the Stratos yachts there, we will also house service, repairs and winter storage in Lelystad, among other things. Muiden will be more of a gallery, where sales will be done." Are there any further plans for the Stratos? Bas can't say anything about that right now. But anyone who knows him a little knows that there is always development taking place. I think I'll just visit him again next year."

The global pre-launch of the Stratos Dutch Built 50 took place at MASTERS EXPO, Thursday, Dec. 8.

 

MASTERS MAGAZINE

This article was taken from MASTERS MAGAZINE. The winter issue of MASTERS was created in collaboration with Jordi van den Bussche. Many will know him as YouTuber Kwebbelkop, yet he has been working hard as an entrepreneur for some time, as he reveals in the Big Interview. What's new is that his company JVDB Studios is offering to do social media marketing and short-format content marketing for other companies. "They can also go and figure it out themselves, but we cracked the code." Jordi gives a stage to like-minded entrepreneurs such as Jay-Jay Boske, Demy de Zeeuw, Chahid Charrak and Marcella de Bie, and discusses developments around games, crypto and NFT: "Just as bitcoin turned the financial system upside down, the same will happen with gaming." This extra-thick winter issue also features Lengers' first own ship, an interview with Corendon chief Atilay Uslu, specials on the new BMW 7 Series and Samsung foldables, and - exclusively for MASTERS! - an interview with Max Verstappen.

MASTERS #52 with guest editor Jordi van den Bussche