Sale Pending!!!! 1999 Neptunus 54 Express Dutch Built Yacht with innovative designs, quality materials, and fine craftsmanship along with European styling. With a deeply raked, stainless steel-framed windshield, racy forward-angled electronics arch, oval port lights, and even oval engine-room intake vents, the 54 Express simply looks fast.

Actually, the 54 is not entirely new. According to Neptunus’ SE sales manager Greg Cohen, it’s an adaptation of the 54 hardtop the company used to build, of which he recalls, "The helm and cockpit areas were fully enclosed…it was like driving a yacht from your living room." The 54 Express hardtop was one of the most popular, Neptunus designed.

That cockpit has two lounge areas. Aft, there’s a curved lounge with great backrests; it can seat six easily around a removable dining table. (More on the second lounge area in a moment.) A leaf in the center of the table opens for easy walkthrough access to the engine-room hatch, which is beneath one of the lounge seats. A five-step ladder leads down to a full-beam lazarrette that is easily big enough to house a watermaker or even a dive compressor. A door in the forward bulkhead leads directly to the engine room and the 625-hp Detroit Diesel Engines.

Neptunus 54 Express Performance is coupled with Twin Disc V-drives to the Detroit Diesels, the engines sit well aft, a configuration that frees up a lot of space in the salon while concentrating weight aft for good on-plane performance. The diesels are supported by rugged engine mounts (with twin vibration-absorbing pads on each mount), which are bolted through the FRP-encapsulated stringers. There is room to walk between the engines, and the sea strainers, dipsticks, and even freshwater coolant caps are all within easy reach. Strong dripless shaft seals should keep the area dry.

The second cockpit lounge can seat five people; it’s curved and to starboard and sits across from one of the most extensive outdoor entertaining areas I’ve seen. Here, packed into one console, is an electric grill, undercounter refrigerator with icemaker, cold-water sink, and plenty of lockers. While the console is solid FRP, the flip-up lids are supported by single, springs.

Fully forward in the cockpit, a raised bridge deck provides good visibility all around and 6'1" headroom for the owner’s stateroom beneath it. Two people can join the helmsman on a centerline lounge, and from the deeply padded helm seat–fully to starboard–it was easy to reach the mahogany wheel that tilts for sit-down or stand-up driving. A recessed console across the forward part of the dash is big enough to hold an array of cruising electronics, and the area’s blue color dramatically cuts down on glare. With helm seating for three and cockpit seating for 11, the 54 Express can entertain quite a crowd.

For overnighting you’ll have to leave most of those 11 guests ashore, but the 54 Express can still sleep two couples in luxurious accommodations. As soon as you step below, you’re greeted by a cherry-wood interior and a marble-sole galley area along the port side, where appliances include an AEG four-burner cooktop, undercounter Sub-Zero refrigerator and separate freezer, Panasonic microwave oven, and Black & Decker coffeemaker. I like the way the cherry wood doors hid the latter two appliances when not in use to create a clean, unified look between those cabinets and the rest of the galley’s lockers. To starboard an Ultraleather, C-shape sofa seats six around a small electrically raised table, the entertainment center (in an undercounter locker at the end of the galley) contains a small, 15-inch TV/VCR and an Alpine CD car stereo instead of a full-size unit. I also appreciated the in-sole dry stowage locker in the saloon, which can hold several weeks’ worth of supplies.

There’s good access around the island double berth (with innerspring mattress) in the forward guest stateroom. Two cedar-lined hanging lockers and a built-in 13-inch TV/VCR are standard equipment here, while the head, which doubles as a day head, offers a separate stall shower.

Abaft the saloon, the owner’s stateroom is actually a huge midcabin, and its midships location should provide a stable sleeping platform even while underway. This stateroom features a double berth with built-in end tables, a huge closet, a small vanity with swing-out stool, and a hatch overhead that provides direct access to the wiring behind the helm–an electronics installer’s dream.

The master head is to starboard, and you must step up to enter it. Here you’ll also find a large shower stall with 6'3" headroom, marble-tile flooring, and plenty of mirrors to create a spacious feel.

Speaking of feel, out on the water few boats of this size feel as solidly built underway as the Neptunus 54. She topped out at a respectable 36 mph and accelerated gradually until the turbos kicked in at 1750 rpm. Despite her size, she was a breeze to handle and carved smooth, albeit wide, turns at speed. Even with the engines well aft, the 54 exhibited no excessive bow rise on the way to planing speed, and the combination of the Mathers electronic controls and Vetus bow thruster made her a nimble performer around the docks. The large windshield allows for plenty of visability while docking or enjoying the views while under way.

The Neptunus 54 Express is both an impeccably styled cruiser and one of the most luxurious dayboats you’ll find. While her base price of nearly $900,000 might seem a little breathtaking, it is competitive for a boat of this size and quality. Asking $229,995.00 OBO

Standard equipment: 11-KW Westerbeke genset; cockpit wetbar w/Kitchenaid grill, U-Line refrigerator w/icemaker, sink; 10-hp Vetus bow thruster; Sub-Zero refrigerator and freezer; Panasonic microwave oven; 40,000-BTU Cruisair A/C

SPECIFICATIONS
LOA: 54'6"
Beam: 15'7"
Draft: 4'5"
Weight: 41,900 lbs.
Fuel capacity: 680 gal.
Water capacity: 120 gal.
Engines: 2/625-hp Detroit Diesels 6V-92T1A inboards
Transmissions: Twin Disc V-drives DD5112ACT
Ratios: 1.98:1
Props: 31x39 4-blade Michigan Wheel
Steering: Teleflex SeaStar
Controls: Mathers Microcommander