For four years, a former fishing trawler was converted into a yacht at the Dutch shipyard Damen Maaskant.
Now the 45.6 m “Scintilla Maris” is ready and can soon set off on its maiden voyage. The voyage will take the approximately 30-year-old ship to Norway, Iceland and Greenland, among other destinations[ds_preview].
The four-year conversion project was accompanied by the company Vripack as interior designer. According to the company, the owner’s vision was threefold: to create a home away from home with a hull that can be used anywhere, seaworthiness that can be used anywhere and a beautiful but functional interior that emphasizes light, space and comfort.
“Scintilla Maris” is downsizing
“The ‘Scintilla Maris’ is not so much a conversion as a rebuild of an existing hull,” says the owner. “I wanted to use the magnificent Dutch fishing trawler hulls that have been built over the centuries and create something that offers optimum comfort and quality of life rather than luxury.”
The refit of the 2023 was completed at the yacht’s home shipyard, Damen Maaskant in the west of the Netherlands. The yard worked with Vripack to reduce the original 570 GT to below the 500 GT limit.
The hull, now painted blue, was reportedly stripped back to bare metal and the entire interior ripped out. The new high-pressure laminate (HPL) interior has a modern, loft-like aesthetic with skylights, curved walls and an eclectic color scheme of reds, greens and yellows, according to Vripack. HPL was chosen for its durability, cost-effectiveness and ease of maintenance, he said.
Key to the interior design was an abundance of natural light in all guest areas, resulting in a variety of portholes in the hull and skylights on deck. This includes the owner’s suite amidships, which has a skylight originating from the original hatch to the fish hold.
Yacht gets electric drive
The “Scintilla Maris” comfortably accommodates up to ten guests in five double cabins, each with its own bathroom. It also offers space for a crew of nine and has a separate galley for the crew and a mess room. A new hybrid electric propulsion system and port generator have been installed to meet stricter emissions regulations, reduce the yacht’s carbon footprint and minimize noise and vibration.
