The Canadian owner of Man of Steel is not a comic book fan, and his 37-meter (121-foot) Heesen raised pilothouse is constructed of aluminum, not steel. The name is a tongue-in-cheek reference— carried all the way through to the yacht’s Superman crest logo (the "S" replaced by the family’s "Z" last initial)—directed at the owner himself, a businessman who found success manufacturing the ferrous metal. Detail elements throughout pay homage to steel, from the extruded square-tube stairway handrails and wall sconce mounts to the stainless steel joinery inlay. It is this attention to detail—in both design and execution— that separates Man of Steel from her three predecessors in Heesen’s successful 37-meter series.

Some 350 people gathered last October at Heesen’s yard in Oss, Netherlands, to watch Man of Steel slide down the ways. The crowd had barely departed before she then moved to the North Sea for sea trials and almost as quickly out to sea, making 12 knots on her way to the Canary Islands en route to the United States on her own bottom. Eight-and-a-half days later she was safely tied off in Fort Lauderdale.

"People seem surprised when we tell them that we made a transatlantic voyage right out of the box," says captain Nigel Jenkins, "but this hull is tried and tested, and we found that it lived up to our expectations. I’ve had 35-knot winds on her nose and still powered through at 28 knots without any problems. When you have that kind of confidence in a vessel, it inspires you, and that is this boat’s biggest asset."

Engineered by Heesen’s Bram Jongepier and designed by Omega Architect’s Frank Laupman, the aluminum alloy semi-displacement hull and superstructure is a modestly modified version of Heesen’s Lady Ingeborg. Launched in 2004, Lady Ingeborg won a 2005 ShowBoats Award in the category of Best Semi-Displacement Yacht Under 40 Meters. While Seascape and Let It Be—Hulls No. 2 and 3, respectively—showed continuous refinements to the series, it was Man of Steel that garnered the next ShowBoats International Award nomination in the same under-40-meters category. The 37-meter series shows a racy exterior, with the line of the superstructure descending forward to meet the rising sheerline at the low-profile bow. The sleek look hides a full-beam master forward of the main-deck galley amidships and an interior spacious enough to rival many tri-decks.

Metal details are the unifying theme throughout. Left photo: The I-beam shapes that support wall sconces in the guest rooms. Middle photo: The basin in the head. Right photo: The theme continues with the extruded square-tube handrail. (Click images to enlarge)

While Seascape features a modern, pale palette and Let It Be goes more traditional with high-gloss cherry joinery, Man of Steel employs zebrano—a medium brown wood with a well-defined grain—and light bamboo as a backdrop for textiles in rich chocolate and deep burgundy. Gold and Chinese red add energy while olive and taupe keep it earthy and in check.

Of course, it’s all tastefully united with metal details. Stainless steel, brushed and polished, shows up again and again. The joinery inlay is carried through both decks, as are the brushed metal cover plates and rocker switches for the lights. In the dining area, minimalist leather chairs feature artfully curved metal bases, and the lighting fixture uses extruded stainless steel wires to form two rows of square sconces. (Square lampshades fabricated from metal or metal mesh are a touch carried throughout the yacht.) The silvery stuff is used for drawer and cabinet pulls, and for the lever handles and hinges on the frosted glass doors that separate the dining area from the hallway forward to the galley, pilothouse and master suite.

The metal details support the décor’s modernist overtones. The repetition of the square steel elements is softened by gentle curves seen in the floor plan of the semicircular main salon, the sectional sofa with its eye-shaped ottoman, the dining table and its arched-back chairs, the radial built-ins in the staterooms and in other subtle applications on every deck. Together these component parts strike a balance, forming a style that is masculine but not oppressive."The owners have two children under 10, and they’re very comfortable on this boat," says Jenkins. "It’s not a museum setting, where you’d be afraid of them touching anything."

The children’s cabin is a particularly good example of stylish functionality. Two sets of bunk bed–style berths in an L-shaped configuration maximize space in the ensuite cabin, allowing each child to have an overnight guest aboard without displacing anyone from their regular bed.

This also freed up the fourth cabin, ordinarily used for guests, to be used as a gym for the health-conscious owner.

"He was really ready for a boat that accommodated all of his needs," says Jenkins of the owner with whom he’s worked for the last five years. "He’s had 14 or 15 boats prior, each one a bit bigger than the last. When I joined him, he had a Predator 75." They graduated into a Leopard 88, which they ran for about a year and a half, before launching this yacht.

The flybridge deck offers plenty of social space. A bimini deploys both fore and aft from the radar arch. (Click images to enlarge)

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According to the captain, the owner makes good use of every one of her 37 meters. "He doesn’t really have one favorite spot like so many owners do on their boats. He might sun on the pads on the foredeck if we’re anchored out. But he is private, so if we’re stern to in a slip he’ll go up to the flybridge."

Decorative coamings tie into the raked radar arch supports, partially enclosing the deck from prying eyes. Smoked glass inserts keep the space from feeling closed in. Behind the two twin bench seats at the helm is a portside bar opposite a generous dining table with U-shaped banquette. Farther aft is an L-shaped banquette and a hot tub surrounded by sun pads.

More active relaxation takes place on the teak beach created when the door to the transom garage is opened to waterline level. Man of Steel carries two PWCs and a custom-built 20-foot Novurania tender. Equipped with an inboard diesel and stern drive, the tender has proven so popular that it’s been specified for more than a dozen new builds since and is now standard equipment on all Perini Navi yachts.

"They [the owners] really make full use of the boat," says Jenkins. "We’ve logged more than 9,000 miles since October: Tortola, the Bahamas—1,000 miles to St. Maarten. I think the only thing we’ve replaced after our initial Atlantic crossing, when we had a bad voltage regulator, was four light bulbs." That is truly super performance.