Tankoa floats Spirit, a 52m full-custom Vitruvius with a hybrid drive
The first bespoke T52
Tankoa put Spirit in the water at its Genoa yard on Saturday 11 July, the first fully custom boat built on the T52 Vitruvius platform. She was known through the build as Project Secret. Naval architecture and the exterior are both by Vitruvius Yacht Design, the studio of Philippe Briand and Veerle Battiau. The interior is by the Italian studio FM Architettura.
The gap between a series hull and a one-off is a resale gap. A series boat competes against its own sisterships on a shared specification sheet, and a broker prices it against them. A one-off Briand hull is priced on its own provenance instead. Tankoa says Spirit is in final commissioning, with sea trials and technical testing under way.
Held at 499 GT on a 51.5-metre hull
The series is called T52 but the measured length is 51.5 m, with a beam of 9.1 m and a maximum draught of 2.4 m. Volume is 499 GT, one tonne below the mark that pushes a yacht into a heavier crewing, survey and safety regime for the rest of her working life. Hull and superstructure are both aluminium and she is classed by Lloyd's Register.
That construction choice is the whole engineering story. Aluminium above and below the deck line holds displacement down, which is what makes 499 GT reachable at this length without squeezing the interior. She takes 12 guests in six cabins and nine crew in five. The 2.4 m draught opens anchorages a deeper 50-metre has to pass by.
What the hybrid buys, and what it does not
Spirit runs Tankoa's E-Motion full hybrid, pairing conventional engines with electric motors and a battery bank. Two MAN units give a top speed of 17 knots and a cruise of 15. Range is 4,000 nautical miles at 12 knots. Electric mode is kept for silent, low-emission running at anchor and in port.
Those are honest figures for the type and not headline ones. Four thousand miles at 12 knots covers an Atlantic crossing with reserve and not much more. What the battery actually removes is the generator at anchor, which is the noise guests register first, and the in-port emissions that harbour rules are starting to price.
The owner put a gym in the beach club
The brief placed a gym and spa at the centre of the beach club, laid out to be used under way and not only at anchor. It opens onto the aft terrace, with a plunge pool and fold-down side platforms on the stern. The relationship with the water, treated as something to be in and not to look at, was the organising idea of the project.
That reads as a lifestyle choice and it is also a value one. A wellness-led layout is what a growing share of buyers now ask for first. A boat built to that template sells on more easily than one arranged around a formal saloon that nobody sits in.
The fight under 500 GT is getting crowded
Spirit is not alone beneath the line. The Italian Sea Group has just shown a 53-metre Picchiotti concept drawn to the same target, and Columbus has delivered a 38-metre held at 299 GT on the same logic one band lower. Builders are now competing openly on how much yacht they can fit under a regulatory number.
For a buyer that is the comparison worth making. A 51.5-metre at 499 GT and a 53-metre at the same volume are the same running-cost proposition, and the decision comes down to who drew it and how it is built. Spirit answers with an all-aluminium one-off from Philippe Briand's board, which is a narrower field than the length suggests.
What is good, and what to watch
Strong points
- 499 GT on a 51.5-metre hullAll-aluminium construction keeps her one tonne under the line that would push Spirit into a heavier crewing and survey regime, without the interior a smaller hull would need to make the same number.
- A genuine Briand one-offNaval architecture and exterior by Philippe Briand and Veerle Battiau of Vitruvius give Spirit a design pedigree and a resale story a shared-platform sistership cannot claim.
- A beach club built to be used under wayThe gym and spa open onto the aft terrace with fold-down platforms, answering the wellness-led brief the article describes rather than a formal saloon nobody sits in.
What to watch
- Modest speed for the class17 knots top and 15 knots cruise from two MAN diesels is unremarkable for a 50-metre-plus yacht; a buyer who wants to cover ground fast should look elsewhere in the bracket.
- No published priceNeither Tankoa nor any outlet covering the launch has disclosed what Spirit cost, so a buyer considering a similar commission has no benchmark beyond the yard's own quote.
- A one-off is a resale unknownWith no sistership on a shared spec sheet, a future buyer prices Spirit on provenance alone - which can support a premium, or just as easily find no ready comparison at all.
Practical detail
| Price | Not published. Tankoa has not disclosed what Spirit cost her owner; she was a private full-custom commission, not a priced series build. |
|---|---|
| Owner and origin | Commissioned in 2022 by a Canadian owner, introduced to Tankoa by Albert McIlroy of Optimusnavis (Florida Yachts International; Marine Industry News). |
| Delivery | Expected later in 2026, after the sea trials and technical testing under way at launch (Florida Yachts International; Marine Industry News). |
| Running the hybrid | E-Motion full-hybrid drive lets Spirit run on batteries alone at anchor and in port, cutting generator noise and in-port emissions; two MAN diesels give 17kn top speed, 15kn cruise, and a stated 4,000nm range at 12kn. |
| What is not published | Build price, the E-Motion battery bank's exact capacity, and fuel burn at cruise are not disclosed by the yard or by any source checked. |
Questions this story answers
What happened?
Tankoa launched Spirit at Genoa on 11 July, the first fully bespoke hull on its T52 Vitruvius platform. She measures 51.5 m and 499 GT, one tonne under the line that changes how a yacht is crewed and surveyed for life. Hull and superstructure are both aluminium, which is what makes that number possible at this length.
What is good about it?
499 GT on a 51.5-metre hull. All-aluminium construction keeps her one tonne under the line that would push Spirit into a heavier crewing and survey regime, without the interior a smaller hull would need to make the same number.
What should an owner or buyer watch?
Modest speed for the class. 17 knots top and 15 knots cruise from two MAN diesels is unremarkable for a 50-metre-plus yacht; a buyer who wants to cover ground fast should look elsewhere in the bracket.
Who reported this?
Marine Industry News, Robb Report, Pressmare, Florida Yachts International.
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