Sparta (67m full-custom steel)

• LOA: 67 m
• Beam: 11.5 m
• Gross tonnage: about 1,200 GT
• Top speed: 16 knots
• Range: about 4,500 nm
• Engines: two MTU 12V 4000 M65R, about 1,800 hp each
• Hull: steel, aluminium superstructure
• Design: Winch Design, exterior and interior

The biggest steel Heesen yet

Sparta is the largest steel displacement yacht Heesen has ever built, delivered in 2024 as a full-custom Pure Custom project. Where the series boats start on the yard's account, Sparta began as a blank sheet shaped entirely around one owner. At 67 metres and roughly 1,200 GT she is a true flagship of the yard's craft in steel. She went on to collect major industry awards in her delivery year. Those honours came from the World Superyacht Awards and the International Superyacht Society for 2024.

A full-custom brief lets an owner chase ideas a series hull cannot reach. Sparta's owner asked for playfulness and surprise, and the whole yacht is organised around that request. The result stands apart from the fast aluminium boats that made Heesen's name. It shows the yard can deliver a large, characterful steel yacht as convincingly as a speed machine. It is the clearest sign yet that Heesen's Pure Custom arm can match the yard's fast-hull reputation.

Steel, volume and an easy gait

Sparta is a displacement yacht built for comfort more than speed, and her numbers reflect that choice. Twin MTU 12V 4000 M65R diesels of about 1,800 hp each give her a 16 knot top speed and a relaxed 12 knot cruise. Steel construction adds weight and strength, which suits a yacht meant to cross oceans in settled fashion. This is a different brief from the yard's aluminium sprinters. Twin diesels of that size are chosen for reliability at sea more than for outright pace.

What steel buys is volume and range. Fuel tankage of 140,000 litres supports about 4,500 nautical miles, enough for long ocean legs between destinations. The hull sits deep and planted, so the ride stays calm when the weather turns. For an owner who measures a yacht by how it feels in a swell, that steadiness is the whole argument. The deep steel hull gives her the reserve buoyancy that long crossings ask for.

Heesen's largest steel yacht, a full-custom 67 built around play and surprise.

Winch Design outside

Winch Design drew Sparta's exterior, giving her a muscular yet elegant profile that still reads as a Heesen. The volume is used generously across the decks, with a layout that puts the owner high up on the bridge deck. From there the pair of owner's suites open onto private dining and al fresco space. The styling carries presence without tipping into excess. Placing the owner high on the bridge deck is a hallmark of the full-custom brief.

Deck life was central to the brief. There is room for serious toys and tenders alongside broad social areas, and the exterior flows down toward the water aft. Shaded and open zones are balanced so guests can spread out across the yacht. Every deck was planned around the owner's wish for activity and surprise. Broad aft deck space brings guests close to the water when the yacht is at rest.

Elements as a design language

Winch Design also created the interior, themed deck by deck around the rising elements, from earth low down to air up top. That idea gives each level its own palette and mood while keeping the whole yacht coherent. Accommodation covers a pair of full-beam owner's suites plus VIP and guest cabins for twelve guests. The detailing is rich and playful in line with the brief. Two full-beam owner's suites is an unusual luxury even at this length.

The elemental theme is more than a colour story. Textures and artworks shift as you move up through the decks, so the journey through the yacht has a narrative to it. Volume from the 1,200 ton hull lets the designers stage large, generous rooms. The interior earned Sparta industry recognition for its craft in her first year. Award juries singled out that work when she collected her 2024 honours.

Full custom, built to last

Mechanically Sparta is a conventional twin-diesel displacement yacht, engineered for reliability on long remote passages. Zero-speed stabilisers hold her steady at anchor, which matters for a yacht built around comfort. She carries Lloyd's classification and the systems depth expected of a vessel this size. The engineering serves the owner's brief rather than any performance headline. The Naiad zero-speed fins are a meaningful comfort feature for time spent at anchor.

Sparta suits an owner who wants a one-off yacht with genuine character and ocean-going ability. He was willing to invest the time a full-custom build demands to get exactly the yacht he imagined. Steel gives him the volume and the settled ride that long cruising rewards. For a buyer chasing individuality over speed, Sparta is the case for going fully custom. That willingness to wait is what separates a custom owner from a series buyer.

Design

• Exterior: Winch Design
• Naval architecture: Van Oossanen Naval Architects

Who it is for: An owner set on a fully bespoke yacht with strong character and real ocean-going ability, who prizes volume and a settled steel ride over top speed and is ready to invest the time a Pure Custom build requires.