OUDEWATER – Qrafter Electric Boats in this tidy town of neatly gabled homes in the heart of Holland is a Johnny-come-lately in Dutch boat-building business. It launched in 2017, building lounge boats and tenders, all of them electric.
It recently moved into new premises where production can grow. It now makes the 6m (19.7ft.) e-Cruiser 600 and (since recently) the 6.8m (22.4ft.) e-Cruiser 680. The yard’s flagship is the 8m(26.2ft) e-Cruiser Weekender 800.
Tim Six and his father, Tom, came to boat building via Six Nautic Services in 2014. They organized ‘Nautic Business Day Trips’ and soon developed their line of boats.
Armed with a Business Administration degree from Rotterdam’s Erasmus University, Tim formed a rental platform he planned to roll out nationwide. Rental is a good endurance test for a boat. It quickly reveals design weaknesses and connects you with target groups that win market insight.
“For that business plan, we developed our boat, the Qrafter e-Lounger,” says Tim Six.
“A practical boat with two polyester hulls, electrically powered, suitable for large groups. While the lounge boats were successful, large party groups were not. Boats were often returned in a dreadful state. So, we started focusing on families and created a new design for that: the aluminum Qruiser 600. We built two that were used in rentals.”
That e-Qruiser 600 is an open-cockpit aluminum dayboat with deep seats up front, a steering position and a walk-through to the open transom with a swimming platform. This ensures maximum utilization of the user surface. “Robust” is a word that suits Qrafter. The welds are in plain sight, and bollards are on the gunwale. ‘Low maintenance’ is another good word. It is a boat that can take a licking.
The boats were well-liked, and Six was increasingly asked if the model was for sale. “No,” came the answer each time. He wanted to develop his rental plan further. Finally, he realized there was a construction market out there. In the 2020 coronavirus year, Six decided to start selling new boats anyway, but with electric propulsion only.
“Emission-free sailing is the future, I think, because of all zoning plans in urban areas and nature reserves. Besides, electric propulsion sails more pleasantly. There is no noise, vibrations or emissions. Once you’ve experienced that, you don’t go back!”
The ‘Q’ appears to be distinctive in the brand. Six: “I hope people will say, ‘ Hey, there goes a ‘Qrafter’ instead of’ a boat.” Six started with a 6m model and quickly moved toward an 8m version. Six: “We wanted to be able to offer a weekend. With a small accommodation in the forepeak for overnighting, it is a different boat than the 600, for a different, smaller target group.”
He has also developed the newly emerged 680, which is 80 cm longer and 40 cm wider than the 600. That may not seem like much, but it provides more room to move around on board. The new e-Qruiser 680 will start out as a demo boat at the end of April. Two have already been sold from the drawing.
Qrafter has entered a highly competitive market, but Six sees an opportunity to push annual production to 50 boats. Six: “At the 2023 In-water-HISWA in the Netherlands, I asked potential customers to return to me after rounding the show and share their findings. Their feedback was that Qrafter is a distinctive and robust brand with a tough character.”
Photo: Qrafter Electric Boats
