For the owners of Lalabe, crew comfort was an essential part of the design process.
Making the most of onboard space doesn’t always mean sprawling main salons and extravagant interiors. For the South American owners of 116-foot Van der Valk Lalabe, who have virtually lived aboard since taking delivery in July 2025, the adage of “happy crew, happy you” fully resonates.
“From the outset, the client insisted on making the crew spaces as interesting and comfortable as possible as they felt there will be a return on investment in terms of service,” says Paulo Calado, senior designer at Guido de Groot Design, which penned both the exterior and the interior.
The clients were introduced to Van der Valk by yacht broker William Noftsinger of Denison Yachting, who had been helping them to find a pre-owned vessel since before the Covid-19 pandemic. “They wanted to purchase a yacht that they could use straight away as they didn’t want to wait for three years to build one,” says Yoeri Bijker, Van der Valk’s commercial director. “Once they realized what you get with a full custom project, however, they fell in love with the build process.”
Lalabe is a full aluminum yacht just under 116 feet (a strict length requirement for easy berthing) with a rare level of amenities for its size range. That includes five guest cabins and a spa-like lower deck beach club with fold-down terraces, all contained within 299GT. She also boasts a large amount of clever storage, from freezers on deck to prevent rubbish from smelling to integrated dirty laundry bins in the master suite, says Calado, who worked closely with the clients using 3D renderings to show the potential for space optimization.
Keeping operating expenses low was a priority; however, due to the owners’ desired level of service, Lalabe runs with eight crew: a captain, first mate, chief engineer, deckhand, chef and three stews. The galley and supersized crew mess — large enough for the captain and crew to dine together — were carefully planned with the help of professional chefs who were brought in to consult on layout and equipment. Miele was put forward as the brand of choice, and a seating area was vetoed by the chef in favor of yet more storage.
Lalabe’s owners, who had an owner-operated cruiser prior to building their full-custom superyacht, had considered chartering the vessel for six to eight weeks a year to keep the crew motivated. “That was before they realized how much time they would spend aboard,” Bijker says.
Current plans include cruising the Mediterranean during summers and sailing transatlantic to the Caribbean for winters.
The boat will primarily be used as a family yacht, though it’s designed in accordance with charter regulations for resale value. Being sub-300GT means Lalabe doesn’t require a man overboard (MOB) tender, which is difficult to “aesthetically store” on a boat of its size. But safety was a major design consideration, particularly regarding their young grandchildren. Additional precautions, such as security gates to prevent small children from accessing the foredeck unaccompanied and railings on the side drainage openings to prevent children from slipping through, are found across all levels.
“Safety was hugely important to the owners, and that included the design of interior and exterior staircases,” Guido de Groot says. “Many designers make them as steep as possible because they eat up a lot of onboard space, but that makes them impossible to navigate safely, especially when the boat is moving in rough water.”
The main thrust of the design is a large main aft deck that is “more in keeping with what is typically found aboard a 45- to-50-meter [148- to 164-foot] yacht,” Bijker says. It’s a design trait inspired by Van der Valk’s Lady Lene, a 111-foot tri-deck explorer that Lalabe’s owners spotted at the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2022.
“Outdoor living was already a big priority for the clients, but seeing a yacht that answered their needs helped them to formulate their ideas,” Bijker says. “We’ve built a lot of vessels in this size range on an existing engineered platform, which gives clients a lot of confidence. Lalabe is full custom from the waterline up, with proven engineering from the waterline down, which means reduced lead times and costs for the owner.”
The trade-off for having such a large aft deck is a compact main salon. Formal dining is accounted for on the level above in the bridge deck salon, with full-height glass doors that slide 50 percent open on three sides to create a winter-garden effect. An extendable dining table doubles as a games table. In the corner, space is allocated to fitness equipment and free weights.
In the lower deck beach club, there is a spa and dedicated washer/dryer for beach towels to prevent the crew from having to carry wet towels through the interior. An internal staircase gives access to the main deck when the transom is closed. The large transformer platform is wide enough to temporarily store a tender when bay hopping, though most of the time they tow a 330 Vantage Boston Whaler.
Nubuck leather in earthy tones and colored stitched detailing are enhanced by a collection of artworks and wool hangings by Dutch designers, curated by the owner. Textured oak veneer flooring and exterior fabrics on the ceilings (for easy maintenance) create a homey, residential vibe. The use of stucco-like wall paneling made from HPL (again for easy maintenance) is the most elaborate feature. “There are no liquid metals or glossy finishes. The client wanted a home, not a showroom,” de Groot says.
The sundeck, with its forward helm station and forward-facing seating for all 10 guests is one of the owners’ preferred areas, with a sit-up bar covered by a hardtop and a Jacuzzi aft. But when it comes to onboard features, it’s the official class-approved nav/com digital chart system that has created the owners’ favorite morning routine.
“They love to gather around with the entire family to make plans and see where they’re going on the itinerary,” Bijker says. “They can work out their route and then export their screen to the captain without disturbing his screens.” A comfortable sofa area with views out to sea adds the necessary glamour.