Vandal Marine 14m Open Chase Boat

Vandal 14m – Open Chase Boat

This isn’t a race car, it’s a supercar – you go as fast possible, but in comfort,” says Ernest Menten, co-founder of Vandal and the custom tender builder Tenderworks, both based in the Netherlands. With a beautifully curvaceous exterior crafted by RWD, which counts automotive designers among its staff, the Vandal was inspired by supercars.

The brief was for a fast, open boat with strong yet simple lines. Built entirely of carbon fibre, with titanium detailing, the Vandal is a study in organic shapes. “We wanted it to feel like you had started with one massive block of carbon and we were chiselling away at it to create this boat,” says Adrian Chisnell of RWD. “All of the elements needed to feel connected in some way. To create that in a carbon boat is unbelievably hard because you have to join the boat to the deck at some point.”

The result is one simple and sensuous form. It is nearly impossible to see where the hull and bulwarks end and the bimini top – which mimics the air intake of an F1 car – begins. It’s not merely about looks, though: the bimini is sturdy, stiff and well-proportioned to the boat itself. “The bimini stood up on its own before it was fitted. The centre of gravity was in exactly the right place,” says Chisnell.

Every piece is properly finished; every hinge, handle and cleat is hidden. “Like a very good car, all the shut lines are carefully placed and hard to see, and a lot of the hinges are custom made,” Chisnell says. Other elements, like the cap on the flagpole that has a V for Vandal, were 3D printed in-house. A recess line runs around 60mm below the top of the inside bulwark, which creates space for a titanium handhold to be concealed. With LED-lit insets under the seats and cabinetry, the furnishings in the cockpit look as if they are floating.

The stepped hull was courtesy of Farr Yacht Design, the Maryland-based firm known for creating racing yachts for the America’s Cup and Volvo Ocean Race. And powered by twin MarineDiesel VGT500 engines, the Vandal reaches a top speed of 45-plus knots, cruises comfortably at 35 to 40 knots, and at 30 knots she can travel 360 nautical miles.