"Nilaya" means "blissful home" in Sanskrit - what an omen! Royal Huisman and the owner chose a prominent berth in the centre of Amsterdam, directly in front of the National Maritime Museum Het Scheepvaartmuseum, as the christening location. The building, which was inaugurated in 1656, initially served the Admiralty as an arsenal for cannons and ship equipment and was used by the Dutch Navy as a storage facility until the museum opened in 1973.
Previously, "Nilaya" was transported through the Netherlands on a pontoon. With a minimum draught of 4.50 metres and a maximum lift keel of 6.90 metres, she was launched from Royal Huisman's headquarters in Vollenhove across the Zwarte Meer and through Amsterdam's city centre to Zaandam. Royal Huisman has been leasing the former Holland Jachtbouw shipyard site from the Amsterdam Port Authority since 2019. Refit projects from Huisfit regularly check in at the three 55 to 68 metre halls to the north-west of Amsterdam, while new-build projects set off from the quay for trials on the North Sea.
Feather-light aluminium-carbon construction
The 47-metre sailboat is Huisman's first hybrid construction made of aluminium and carbon; the shipyard calls the concept "Featherlight". Compared to the traditional aluminium construction method, this is said to have saved eleven percent in weight. The yacht builders from Vollenhove have been welding their hulls from aluminium for almost 60 years and used the particularly strong Alustar variant for the new lightweight construction - in different thicknesses and with variable frame spacing. The second material component can be found in the 17.50 metre long deckhouse, which was laminated by sister and neighbouring company Rondal according to Nauta Design's design specifications. The recessed tender bay on the foredeck is also made of carbon fibre composite, as are a watertight bulkhead, the roofing of the crew companionway, the two rudder blades, the cassette of the lift keel and the bimini hardtop of the cockpit. Most of the deck fittings are made of titanium.
