A great number of yacht owners are wealthy retired people who want to go cruising and enjoy life at sea, and many of them would choose their dream boat from the plethora of options available on the market nowadays. But not David Healey, the grandson of Donald Healey, the creator of the classic high-performance British cars.
David, 65, is a lifelong sailor, and he took on the challenge of designing the yacht of his dreams himself. The result is the new Mulder Healey 1800, a 60-foot-long (18-meter) motor cruiser inspired by the spirit and style of the Austin Healey sports car.
Besides the interesting back story, the new yacht also comes with a jaw-dropping design and cutting-edge innovations, like the levitating helm seats that rise through an opening in the hardtop.
Work on the amazing Mulder Healey 1800 project that matches the Healey DNA started over five years ago in complete secrecy, as the Healey family wanted to find the right partners to build it. They eventually decided to work with Vripack and Dutch naval architect Guido de Groot in the Netherlands for the design, while Mulder Shipyard handled the build.
Made of lightweight aluminum, the Mulder Healey 1800 is built as a floating homage to the Healey 3000 of the 1960s. Everything from the yacht’s colors to its profile reminiscence of the iconic sports car.
Photo: Mulder Yachts
The ice-blue and white color combination on the exterior of the vessel mimics the two-seater’s paintwork, while the hull windows are shaped like the chrome fender badge on the car. Additionally, the stainless-steel square windshield on the cruiser’s roof is also inspired by the iconic Healey 3000.
The most outstanding feature of the new Mulder Healey 1800 is the rising helm seat. The motor cruiser boasts an oversized panel in the roof that can be opened with the touch of a button. A huge hydraulic pedestal lifts the helm seats through that opening in the hardtop and allows the owner to maneuver the yacht from a privileged position using controls mounted on the armrests.
“The whole idea seems quite mad. But when you’re up there, sitting behind that low windscreen with the wind in your face, it feels like you’re driving a sportscar,” Healey has told Robb Report.
David Healey’s desire was to build a powerboat that, besides incorporating design cues from the eponymous car, would be able to go 20 knots (23 mph) in style and comfort and handle all kinds of waters, from Cornwall down to the Mediterranean. According to him, the builders did a good job of meeting his requests.
“Adventure is the keyword for this 18-meter timeless beauty named ‘MY K.’ As the name suggests, the Mulder Healey 1800 is tailor-made for the Healey family, known from the classic English sports car brand Austin Healey. With the Mulder Healey 1800 project, a truly unique yacht has been developed for the yachting industry,” the shipyard's website says.
Photo: Mulder Yachts
As for the interior design, David’s wife Kay requested the layout to include two main cabins - a master suite amidship and a forward guest stateroom. The master suite features a central partition that drops down from the ceiling and divides the space into two, thus creating two smaller cabins to accommodate the entire Healey family when needed.
Besides the two staterooms, the interior also includes a large galley and a spacious salon with large windows that connects with an oversized back deck. Another feature specifically requested by Healey was the inclusion of power-lowering side windows in the salon for a real outdoor feeling.
In terms of power, the stylish powerboat is equipped with twin 600-horsepower Volvo D8 straight-six turbo diesel engines that deliver a top speed of 24 knots (28 mph) and a cruising speed of 20 knots (23 mph).
After spending a few years as a copy editor, Ancuta decided to put down the eraser and pick up the writer's pencil. Her favorites subjects are unusual car designs, travel trailers and everything related to the great outdoors. Full profile
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