Why 35.3m-metre Lalabe is a family's floating sanctuary

Moving from a 12-metre owner-operated cruiser to a 35-metre custom superyacht takes trust. Trust in those designing it, trust in those building it and trust in yourself to properly translate your vision.

There are ways to mitigate risk, of course, such as building on a proven naval architecture and engineering platform, which is how the owners of Lalabe arrived at the doors of the Van der Valk Shipyard in the Netherlands.

“We’ve built a lot of vessels in this size range on an existing engineered platform, which gives clients a lot of confidence,” says Yoeri Bijker, Van der Valk’s commercial director, who notes that more than 50 per cent of its clients go on to repeat-build with them.

“Lalabe is full custom from the waterline up, with proven engineering from the waterline down, which also means reduced lead times and costs for the owner,” he says. Diana Yacht Design and Ginton Naval Architects collaborated on the yacht’s naval architecture.

The South American client was introduced to Van der Valk by yacht broker William Nofsinger of Denison Yachting, who had been helping them to find a pre-owned vessel since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

“They wanted to purchase a yacht that they could use straight away as they didn’t want to wait for three years to build one,” says Bijker. “Once they realised what you get with a custom project, however, they fell in love with the build process.”

Lalabe – the name is made up of the first two letters of the owners’ children’s names – is a 35-metre yacht with an aluminium hull and superstructure and a rare level of amenities for its size range. That includes five guest cabins and a spa-like lower deck beach club, all contained within 299GT.

The main thrust of the design is a large main deck aft that is “more in keeping with what is typically found aboard a 45- to 50-metre yacht”, says Bijker. It’s a design trait inspired by Van der Valk’s Lady Lene, a 33-metre tri-deck explorer that Lalabe’s owners spotted at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2022.

“The huge aft desk was highly appealing to the client, so that became our starting point”

“Outdoor living was already a big priority for the clients, but seeing a yacht that answered their needs helped them to formulate their ideas,” says Bijker. They sketched out their vision while sat on Lady Lene’s aft deck at Cannes, before engaging the same exterior designer as Lady Lene, Guido de Groot, to conceive both the exterior and interior design.

“The huge aft deck was highly appealing to the client, so that became our starting point,” says de Groot, who had originally designed Lady Lene’s deck areas to accommodate wheelchair accessibility. “They knew they wanted to have a vessel over 30 metres in length and were happy to compromise on the size of the main saloon as having a lot of outdoor space was more important to them.”

The compact main saloon is more akin to an upper deck lounge, elegantly decorated with an inviting seating area and a television that lowers from the ceiling port side. It feels like an extension to the generous main deck cockpit, where there is comfortable seating and an aft-facing, C-shaped sofa for enjoying the views.

Formal dining is accounted for on the level above in the bridge deck saloon, with full-height glass doors that slide 50 per cent open on three sides to create a large winter garden; it allows for a cool sea breeze in the summer, while in winter infrared ceiling heaters keep guests warm in the open air. An extendable dining table that seats up to 10 people doubles as a games table.

The boat’s primary function is to be a family yacht. “The owners want to use it as they would their home”

In the corner, space is allocated to fitness equipment and free weights. The multifunctional space is one of several areas that demonstrates a genuine connection between the interior and exterior. “If the client says it’s very important for them to be living outdoors, you naturally start thinking of areas that connect with the outside,” says de Groot.

The successful design speaks for itself, with Lalabe’s owners virtually living aboard since taking delivery in July 2025. They had considered chartering the vessel for six to eight weeks a year to keep the crew motivated, “but that was before they realised how much time they would spend aboard,” says Bijker. Current plans include cruising the Med during summers and transatlantic sailing to the Caribbean for winters.

The boat’s primary function is to be a family yacht. “They want to use it as they would their home,” says de Groot – though she is still designed in accordance with charter regulations for resale value. Being under 300GT means Lalabe doesn’t require a Man Overboard tender, which is difficult to “aesthetically store” on a 35-metre boat.

The owners’ desire for multi-generational living was, however, a major design consideration. Inviting a lot of family, including children and grandchildren, and friends to sail with them called for extra safety precautions, such as security gates to prevent children from accessing the foredeck unaccompanied, and railings on the side drainage openings to prevent children from slipping through.

“Safety was hugely important to the owners; that included the design of interior and exterior staircases,” says de Groot. “Many designers make them as steep as possible because they eat up a lot of onboard space, but that makes them impossible to navigate safely, especially when the boat is moving in rough water.”

“Once the owners realised what you get with a custom project, they fell in love with the build process”

Keeping the yacht at a length of 35 metres was also a strict requirement for easy berthing. That meant optimising every bit of space for storage, from freezers on deck to store rubbish (and keep it from smelling) to integrated dirty laundry baskets in the owner’s suite.

“We worked closely with the clients using 3D renderings to show the potential for space optimisation,” says Paulo Calado, senior designer at Guido de Groot Design. “Everything has been really thought out.”

The owners were also keen to keep a tight rein on operating expenses, including limiting the crew to six. However, due to their desired level of service, they ended up with a total of eight, with a captain, first mate, chief engineer, deckhand, chef and three interior crew.

Additional crew cabins required a change to the interior layout, pushing the wheelhouse and crew accommodation further forward. “Aboard Lady Lene, the crew area is located in the aft, but the client wanted a large beach club which made that impossible,” says de Groot.

The beach club contains a sauna, steam shower, dayhead and dedicated washer-dryer for beach towels. An internal staircase gives access to the main deck when the transom is closed. The large transformer stern platform, with steps unfurling into the sea, is wide enough to temporarily store a tender, although most of the time they tow a 10-metre Boston Whaler 330 Vantage.

“There are no liquid metals or glossy finishes. The client wanted a home, not a showroom”

The galley and supersized crew mess, which is large enough for all eight crew to dine in together, were carefully planned spaces. Professional chefs were brought in to consult on the galley layout and equipment. “From the outset, the client insisted on making the crew spaces as interesting and as comfortable as possible, as they felt there will be a return on investment in terms of service,” says Calado.

Miele was put forward as the brand of choice, while a seating area was vetoed in favour of more storage. The owners enjoy having a hand in planning and organising itineraries, a habit that has remained on board Lalabe.

“One of the owners’ preferred features is the official class-approved NavCom digital chart system, which they gather around with the entire family each morning to make plans,” says Bijker. “They can work out their route and then export the screen to the captain without disturbing his screens. It’s become a morning routine for them.” A comfortable sofa with views out to sea adds the necessary glamour.

Guest comfort is accommodated with two VIPs, each with open en suites that can be closed off with a sliding door and two twins with beds that slide together to become doubles; one of these has a Pullman bunk.

The full-beam main deck master suite has two walk-in wardrobes and a double entry en suite dressed in grey marble sourced from China. The original Italian selection revealed “rust-like marks” in the slabs. “It was a huge battle to find a suitable alternative,” says Calado.

Nubuck leather in earthy tones and coloured stitched detailing are enhanced by a collection of artworks and wool hangings by Dutch designers, curated by the owner. Textured oak veneer flooring and exterior fabrics on the ceilings, chosen for easy maintenance, create a homely, residential vibe.

The use of stucco-like wall panelling made from HPL – again, for easy maintenance – is the most elaborate feature, deliberately so. “There are no liquid metals or glossy finishes. The client wanted a home, not a showroom,” says de Groot.

Of all the well-designed spaces on board, it’s the sundeck – with its helm station, forward-facing seating, bar and spa pool – that is the owners’ favourite area. “Having large exterior deck areas was key for the owners, but they didn’t want an explorer,” says de Groot.

“For me, the challenge was designing a sleek yacht with the necessary volume and proportions. From the first meeting they trusted us to design something to their liking, and I think Lalabe more than delivers on that.”

First published in the May 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.