Tankoa S501 Vertige: 50 metres of Italian excellence land at FLIBS

Launched in February, after two years of works, the Tankoa S501 Vertige represents the quintessence of the best engineering skills of Italian boat industry. After her delivery to an experienced French owner and an intense charter season in the Mediterranean, she will be present at Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show for her official debut at the world’s largest boat show.

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“Everyone’s intentions was to create the most elegant fifty metre yacht on the market. We are sure to have succeeded”, Tankoa Yachts Sales Director Michel Karsenti said. “ We are very happy the the result. We’ve built a six-cabin superyacht, including two suites on the main deck and enormous open-air spaces, yet keeping under 500 gross tons and maintaining such an elegant design”.

Design

Resulting from the co-operation between Francesco Paszkowski and Margherita Casprini, the Tankoa S501 design is based on the following objectives:

• Obtain a timeless design that doesn’t worry about current fashion and market trends.
• Offer an ideal layout allowing both owners and guests to circulate throughout the yacht without meeting any crewmembers , while at the same time allowing the crew to freely move around while carrying out their duties.
• Keep gross size under 500 tons while giving the kind of comfort commonly found on much larger yachts.

The Tankoa S501 offers six cabins. The master cabin and a master suite are on the main deck while two VIP and two guest cabins are positioned on the lower deck. The superyacht also hosts a gym, a home cinema, a large garage for the 7m tender, tow jet skis with an additional service tender and enough room for further water toys. Full-height glass windows, two hydraulic terraces and additional features contribute to amplify the already ample spaces.

Contruction details

Entirely built of light alloy Aluminium 5083, the Vertige benefits from a considerable light weight and therefore excellent fuel efficiency. Her construction was followed attentively by project manager Albert McIlroy, engineer and owner’s representative, widely known all around the world for his experience in the construction of superyachts.

“With the Tankoa S501, the yard made incredible progress in managing deadlines and production work. Its teutonic approach was so unusual for an Italian yard that it left  me speechless” said McIlroy – “After having supervised the construction of several yachts all around the world, I can say that the work rhythm and productivity at Tankoa are exceptional. It’s probably the first time that I’ve seen build times respected while maintaining the incredible flexibility that Tankoa’s becoming known for”.

Exteriors

The aft area of the main deck hosts an over-sized sun pad and a spacious open-air lounge with bar and twin three-metre-long extendable bulwarks to keep clients in close contact with the sea. The aft area of the upper deck includes both an outdoor dining area seating up to 14 guests and a wraparound sofa seating 20. Surprising is the sundeck extension, featuring an uninterrupted view of the entire horizon.

Descending to the aft part of the lower deck, directly overlooking the water from a folding platform, we find the beach club, with a bar zone and a gym with showers and day toilet.

Sea trial and technical specifications.

The first sea trial of the Tankoa S501 was supposed to have been carried out under ideal weather and sea conditions. On the contrary, a northerly from 25 up to 30 knots and steep waves welcomed the test of the Vertige.

“The first sea trial lasted 8 hours and was incredible” – tells Tankoa Yachts General Manager Edoardo Ratto – “Vertige reached her top speed of 16.5 knots with a 60% load, that is about 33,000 liters of fuel and 20,000 of water. The S501 features a cruising range of over 5,000 nautical miles at 13.5 knots and, when crossing the Atlantic, this really makes the difference. Vibration is inexistent and noise level is below contract: in the master cabin and the VIP ones, for example, we’ve detected less than 50 db. The first sea trial has also evidenced the noteworthy maneuverability of the Vertige as she undertook all the tests required by international norms with no problem”.