JIRNSUM – Boarnstream Yachting looks back on a good year, one that confirmed to CEO Wies Hokwerda that her strategy to stay the course and ignore trends can be blissful. “We are not about sailing fast,” she tells this newsletter. “We build displacement yachts, and we are doing OK. This year we are seeing an increase in turnover of about 30%.”
That statistic explains the vast new build hall that has gone up on her shipyard in this northern Dutch town. “We are also seeing new buyers, younger ones than before. If until now, we sold to customers in their sixties, these days we have clients in their forties knocking on our door.”
Still, 2021 was not problem-free. “Getting supplies is difficult,” says Hokwerda, echoing a common complaint in the Dutch boating sector these days. “Engines, especially, are hard to get. Also, inflation is becoming problematic. If costs get too crazy, we’ll have to talk to our clients.”
In an age when many Dutch motor yacht builders increasingly opt for more luxury and speed, Boarnstream limits itself to adding luxury while remaining loyal to displacement craft. It is a strategy that works well.
Hokwerda looks forward to the 2022 Boot Duesseldorf, the world’s largest indoor boating event. Her yard’s 11.2m Boarncruiser 37ft Lounge is nominated for a European Powerboat of the Year award. Also, Boarnstream Yachting will unveil its Boarncruiser 46 Traveler at Duesseldorf. “We had planned to show that model a year ago at Duesseldorf, but that didn’t happen because of the COVID pandemic,” says Hokwerda.
Boarnstream Yachting is good at making technical improvements. It introduced an intelligent canopy a few years back that wraps around the aft deck lounging area without drawing blood from damaged nails or fingers.
New on all Boarncruiser models – that go up to (15.2m) 50ft – is a full side door that lets you step outside, away from the indoor steering position when mooring or using locks. “This option is currently being built into the yachts for delivery in 2022,” says Hokwerda.
“The side door is custom-made and can be fitted into all steel and aluminum Boarncruisers. The door and door frame are made of aluminum and are not visible from the outside. That’s because the double-glazing is the same as that of the superstructure itself. All Boarncruiser models are available with this tailor-made side door.”
Hokwerda said it was “demand from the market to be able to easily access the gangway that led the yard her to offer the side door option”
Since 1964, Boarnstream has built more than 1,200 boats. Its ‘Boarncruisers’ come in five versions: Retro, Elegance, Classic, Traveller and Traveller Sport. The Traveller, introduced in 2020, is suitable for inland and coastal boating. Boarnstream Yachting can service yachts of up to 30m (100ft).
