Dona Francisca

52.43m (172ft)Astilleros Buquebus2014/2024

US$13,500,000

52.43 m

Length

Guests

Cabins

Crew

Enquire →+33 6 35 27 53 95

A striking carbon schooner that pairs classic proportion with modern composite construction and serious passagemaking ability.

DONA FRANCISCA is the most distinctive story in the portfolio. Built in Montevideo over five years, she combines the theatre of a classic 1900s schooner with a carbon-fibre hull, carbon masts and boom, hydraulic sailing systems and RINA certification.

The yacht succeeds because the contrast is real. Her exterior language is traditional: teak, mahogany, bronze details and deck prisms create the feeling of a golden-age sailing yacht. Beneath that atmosphere is a modern composite platform designed for performance, durability and manageable operation.

Javier Soto Acebal shaped both exterior and interior, giving her a coherent identity from profile to accommodation. Her shallow 3.5-metre draft and Maxpower thrusters open smaller ports and cruising grounds, while hydraulic sailing systems reduce the physical demands of handling a yacht of this scale.

Performance is central. More than 10 knots under power, up to 17 knots under sail and a successful Atlantic crossing in 2023 turn her from an attractive classic-inspired object into a credible ocean-going sailing yacht. Accommodation is arranged for up to eight guests, including a full-beam owner's suite.

Key features

Carbon-fibre hull, masts and boom
Designed by Javier Soto Acebal
Inspired by 1900s golden-age sailing yachts
RINA certification
3.5m shallow draft
Hydraulic sailing systems
Atlantic crossing in 2023
Refit work in 2023 and 2024

Dona Francisca · 52.43m Astilleros Buquebus

Exterior view of Dona Francisca, built by Astilleros Buquebus in 2014, refitted 2024, photo 2 of 13

The exterior

12 photos

The full specification

Dimensions

Length overall: 52.43 m / 172 ft
Draft: 3.5 m
Gross tonnage: 206 GT

Accommodation

Guests: 8
Cabins: 4
Crew: 7
Location: València, Spain

Build & design

Builder: Astilleros Buquebus
Year built: 2014 / refit 2024
Exterior designer: Javier Soto Acebal
Interior designer: Javier Soto Acebal
Hull material: Carbon fibre
Classification: RINA

Questions

Dona Francisca at a glance.

How much is Dona Francisca?

Dona Francisca is listed for sale at an asking price of US$13,500,000.

Who built Dona Francisca?

Dona Francisca was built by Astilleros Buquebus in 2014, with a refit in 2024.

Who designed Dona Francisca?

Javier Soto Acebal designed both the exterior and the interior of Dona Francisca.

How many guests does Dona Francisca accommodate?

Dona Francisca accommodates up to 8 guests in 4 cabins, with accommodation for 7 crew.

Who is selling Dona Francisca?

Dona Francisca is offered for sale by Richard Higgins, Superyacht Broker at Northrop & Johnson in Monaco.

The shipyard

Astilleros Buquebus

ONE SHED, ONE SCHOONER

A ferry company's yard in Montevideo, and the one carbon schooner it is known for.

The shed set the size. In 2009 construction began in a Buquebus shed in the port of Montevideo, and its size allowed a deck length of more than 45 metres. Pre-preg would have needed an oven as large as the boat, so the team chose resin infusion instead, laying up the carbon in a mould pre-cut in Buenos Aires.

Astilleros Buquebus is known for that single yacht: the schooner Doña Francisca. Materials, techniques and masts came from King Marine of Valencia.

She was launched on 4 January 2014 and delivered that year. Javier Soto Acebal designed her exterior and her Edwardian-inspired interior, which was built in mahogany by the Argentine joiner Locapi. On her launch BOAT called her Latin America's largest yacht construction to date and one of the world's largest full carbon-fibre projects.

Even her draught answered a brief: it was set so she could navigate the River Plate, and the listing gives it as 3.5 metres. She carries two carbon masts with more than 1,100 square metres of sail, displaces 215 tonnes and is classed by RINA.

The 52.43-metre Doña Francisca was refitted in 2024. She is still the one yacht the yard is known for.

The designer

Javier Soto Acebal

Exterior · Interior

A SCHOONER IN MONTEVIDEO

A naval architect of performance sailing yachts, and the carbon schooner built in a Montevideo shed.

In 2009 work began on a carbon-fibre schooner in a Buquebus shed in Montevideo. Her designer, Javier Soto Acebal, is a yacht designer and naval architect. BOAT credits his practice, Soto Acebal Naval Architects, with a long list of performance sailing yachts. For Wally he designed the exterior and interior of Alexia, delivered in 2004, and he drew the lines of the 40-metre Wally 130 sloop. He also produced the naval architecture of the 33.77-metre Cefea, delivered by Solaris Yachts in 2020. The schooner was launched on 4 January 2014, and she is among the largest yachts built in Latin America. She is Doña Francisca, a 52.43-metre Astilleros Buquebus from 2014. Her exterior and interior are by Javier Soto Acebal.