Shipyard De Alm Jachtbouw in Waalwijk (NL) was established in 1977 when Cees van Maastricht and Chris Dolislager made the bold decision to start their own business. What began as a hobby in a warehouse next to Cees’ home 45 years ago has now grown into a yard where top quality is seen as a tradition.
De Alm Jachtbouw is today considered part of the top of the Dutch yachtbuilding sector. Ranging from 10 to 30 metres, its steel yachts are renowned for their perfect finish and superior performance on the water. The yard was taken over some years ago by Cees’ son, Jacco van Maastricht.
Unique in own way
De Alm builds various models, each unique in its own way and all made to meet specific wishes and demands. This exclusivity means the yard only builds a limited number of yachts each year. Although the layout of the models is pretty much set, nearly everything else can be fully customised, from the engines, the colour of the wood and the furnishings to small adaptations to the hull and onboard technology. Because the hull is as good as finished in advance, a ready-to-sail yacht can be realized in a relatively short time.
“Every Alm yacht is a unique floating home that is suitable as permanent accommodation or long stays on board. Our clients are all different, and so are our yachts. We can always find a suitable solution based on previously built boats or ideas from the client. We love facing new challenges and our starting point is that everything is possible.”
Jacco van Maastricht - De Alm, Owner
Always power
This philosophy was the basis for the hybrid Almtrawler 1450 which has a 5 mm steel hull and a 4 mm steel superstructure. The yacht has a length of 14.37 metres, a beam of 4.90 metres and weighs around 28 tonnes. Propulsion is comprised of two Iveco NEF 150 engines. “This model was already in existence but the client wanted to be able to stay onboard for long periods without depending on shore power or a diesel generator,” Jacco explains. “We started looking for a way to achieve this and immediately knew who to contact.”
WhisperPower has been a reliable supplier for generators, batteries, inverters and the like for many years. “We shared the challenge and took a hybrid vessel on a sea trial,”Jacco continues. “WhisperPower developed a complete system for us based on the client’s wishes. We then went over it with our own electricians who finetuned it to perfection.”
Future-proof
As always with the first time a new system is tried out the yard was excited to see whether everything would go as planned. According to Jacco, the collaboration with WhisperPower went perfectly. “While there were of course bound to be minor issues at the start, the company dealt with them expertly. Everything was resolved to our complete satisfaction and that of the client.”
Small wonder then that the yard is looking to install hybrid propulsion on more yachts in the future. Demand for such systems is growing among clients and the world of watersports is increasingly aware of its ecological footprint. What’s more, Jacco believes this is a good way to continue to grow as a business and become future-proof. He sees major opportunities in Scandinavia, for example, where WhisperPower is also looking to expand. “This means our partnership will be mutually beneficial to both companies as we enter new markets together.”
De Alm OctoPower System
The WhisperPower OctoPower system includes a modular lithium battery bank of 24 volts (33.2 kWh) with two WPC 24-volt 5000-watt 140-amp inverter/battery bank combinations to silently power the onboard consumers via the modular lithium battery bank. Should the battery bank be empty, a m-sq Pro 18 kVA diesel generator can power the entire yacht. The battery bank recharges quickly even when the generator is on or when the yacht is connected to shore power. The two isolation transformers have a shore power connection of 32 amps in total and provide a safe AC (230V) voltage onboard. In addition, the bow and sternthruster batteries are equipped with two Supreme Pro 24-volt 40 A battery chargers that load the batteries when the generator is running or when shore power is available. In addition, there are extra alternators on the main engines of the yacht to charge the battery banks when sailing.
