VanDutch 55 Price, Specs and Used Buyer's Guide

The flagship that turned VanDutch into a status symbol

VanDutch started commercial production in 2009 with the VanDutch 40, a long, low, plumb-bowed day boat that looked like nothing else at the time. The 40 sold in huge numbers for a luxury product, more than 100 hulls by late 2013 according to Yachting, and the obvious next step was a bigger version for owners who wanted the same look with more room. That boat was the VanDutch 55.

By 2013 the 55 was part of a line that included 30, 40, 40 Walk-Around and 55-foot models, with a 45 and a 70 planned. Yachting photographed one at the 2014 Miami Yacht and Brokerage Show and called it an at-sea party platform, which is exactly how most owners used it. Picture the anchorages at Saint-Tropez, Monaco or Miami Beach in the mid-2010s and a black-hulled VanDutch was rarely far away.

If you search for vandutch boats today you will find a different lineup, the 32, 40, 48, 56 and 75, built in Italy by Cantiere del Pardo. The 55 is out of production, and that is what makes it interesting: it is now the most affordable way into a big VanDutch.

Mulder Design's lines and why the 55 still looks current

Every VanDutch, including the 55, came from Mulder Design in the Netherlands, which handled the concept, exterior and naval architecture. The formula is consistent across the range: a vertical stem, a long and flat sheer, a low windshield, minimal superstructure and flush decks with folding cleats so nothing breaks the line.

The hull is a deep-V planing form driven by conventional shafts, which is the key technical difference from the later Pardo-built VD56. Motor Boat & Yachting notes that the VD56 was the first VanDutch to use Volvo Penta IPS pod drives, so every 55 runs on straight shafts and bronze props. Brokers describe five-blade bronze propellers on at least one example.

Critics, including MBY, have noted an element of form over function on the early boats. The 55 rewards owners who accept that. Side decks are narrow, the cockpit is built for lounging rather than fishing or diving, and the low freeboard makes it a fair-weather boat. Within those limits, few 55-footers look as good at anchor.

Twin Volvo D13s, shafts and 37 knots

Brokerage listings consistently describe the 55 with twin Volvo Penta D13 diesels of 900 hp each, 1,800 hp in total, on conventional shafts. One Italian broker, describing a 2015 boat, quotes a 37-knot maximum and a 24-knot cruise burning about 200 liters per hour, roughly 53 gallons per hour for both engines. A French listing for a 2013 boat claims a 28-knot cruise and 40-knot top end. Treat those as broker figures, not certified test data. No magazine published an instrumented test of the 55 that we could find.

With roughly 2,500 liters (about 660 gallons) of fuel, a 24-knot cruise translates into around 12 hours of running before the reserve, which is more endurance than most owners will ever use on a day boat. The D13 is a heavy, proven commercial-grade diesel, and Volvo Penta's dealer network in the US and Europe is a real advantage on a boat whose original builder no longer exists in the same form.

• Power: 2 x Volvo Penta D13, 900 hp each, shaft drives
• Broker figures: 24 knots cruise at about 200 liters per hour; 37 knots top (2015 boat)
• Fuel about 2,500 liters, water about 600 liters, weight about 22,000 kilograms
• Common options: Seakeeper 6 gyro, bow and stern thrusters, Cummins Onan generator, air conditioning

A party deck on top, a compact owner's retreat below

On deck the 55 is all about the cockpit and sun pads. Listings describe a double sofa with cockpit table, flexiteak on the side decks and cockpit, an electrically opened engine compartment and folding cleats. Owners who entertain at anchor will appreciate the scale of the lounging area more than anything below.

Below decks the layout is simple. A typical boat has a double cabin in the bow, a galley, a dinette with sofa and table, a private bathroom with shower and a smaller aft cabin, which brokers list as two cabins with three berths and one head. Air conditioning in each space and a generator were common options. That is enough for a couple to weekend aboard, but this is not a cruising yacht and guests will usually sleep ashore.

Who built your 55, and why the paperwork matters

VanDutch never owned a large factory of its own in the early years. Wikipedia records that manufacturing rights first went to S2 Yachts, and in December 2013 Yachting reported that Marquis Yachts had become the sole worldwide builder, moving tooling to Pulaski, Wisconsin, with first builds expected in early 2014. Marquis later sued VanDutch over contract terms in 2015 and the case was settled.

The bigger shock came later. In 2016 the founders were given a probationary sentence by the British High Court over a bridge loan, and in 2018 that sentence was revoked and they were jailed. Wikipedia also notes that, while in financial trouble, VanDutch sold vessels it did not deliver. Cantiere del Pardo bought the brand in 2020 and moved production to Forli, Italy.

For a buyer, the lesson is simple. Confirm the hull identification number, the builder, the original sales documents and that there are no liens or ownership disputes, especially on boats sold between 2015 and 2018. A clean paper trail is worth real money on a used vandutch 55.

What it costs to keep a VanDutch 55 running

At about 53 gph at cruise, a 100-hour season burns more than 5,000 gallons of diesel. Add a 55 to 60-foot slip in a prime harbor, insurance on a hull worth close to a million dollars, annual D13 service, generator and gyro maintenance, bottom paint and running gear, and a part-time captain, and $90,000 to $180,000 a year is a realistic range excluding depreciation.

Expect higher cosmetic costs than on a conventional express cruiser. Dark hull paint shows every scuff, flexiteak eventually needs replacement, and the minimalist hardware is not cheap to source. Ask whether the boat has been in Europe, where many 55s spent time, since VAT status and CE documentation affect resale in both directions.

VanDutch 55 price on the used market

Most searches for the vandutch 55 price end on brokerage listings. Recent European examples were offered at 695,000 euros for a 2013 boat and 760,000 euros VAT paid for a 2015 boat with a Seakeeper 6, thrusters and about 1,000 engine hours. In the US, expect roughly $650,000 to $950,000 depending on year, hours, equipment and condition.

That is a fraction of the cost of a new VanDutch 56, which today comes with Volvo Penta IPS 800 or 950 power, a choice of lounge or two-cabin layouts and joystick docking. Buyers who want the look without the new-boat price get a lot of boat for the money, provided they accept older systems, shafts instead of pods and the extra due diligence.