|
Italy’s total benefited from other established yards with new
ideas. Sanlorenzo’s builds have increased from six yachts reported in 2005, to a
current total of 26. New, aggressive ownership brought new models to the market,
and the company signed an important North American distribution deal with Viking
Yachts, which accounts for five yachts on the 2007 list. Rodriquez Yachts is taking advantage of yard acquisitions to post nine
projects totaling 1,174 feet. Turkey once again makes it into the ranks of the
top 10 builder nations at number nine. The increased activity includes Numarine
building a 102-footer, Vitters producing 108-foot motor yachts under the Cyrus Yachts
label and RMK Yachts starting build on a 171-foot Sparkman & Stephens
sailing yacht.
Sailboats seem to go in cycles. Their numbers increased
annually from 30 in 1997 to 72 in 2002, and then suffered a yearly decline
trend. This year the number of builds increased from 52 to 59, returning to the
2005 level. Sailing yachts now account for 8 percent of the total boats under
construction.
The regular names show up—Nautor’s Swan, Oyster Marine,
Southern Wind, Royal Huisman, Perini Navi, Alloy Yachts—maintaining the luxury
sailboat numbers at a reasonable level. The numbers from the regulars are
bolstered by one-offs from yards more often associated with motor yachts. For
instance: Lürssen is finishing up a 305-footer for a U.S. client and Derecktor
is building Gemini, a 145-foot
catamaran.
On the strength of 18 boats under contract, U.S. builder
Trinity moves to the top of the custom builder list. The builder, which
moved to its new Gulfport, Mississippi, yard in 2005 on the heels of Hurricane
Katrina, is also reopening its original New Orleans facility to accommodate its
full order book.
New to the list is ThyssenKrupp, which bought Blohm & Voss
and Nobiskrug. Combined projects from those yards put it at number seven,
with seven projects totaling 2,179 feet. The builder’s average length of 311
feet is the largest average size on the list. Also new to the GOB, though it
didn’t make the list of top 15 custom builders, is Vegayachts, a Monaco-based
design and project management company building exclusively in Japan. The
principal is Richard Hein, formerly of oceAnco, who has tapped many of his old team from The A Group. With a
first-time showing, Rodriquez Yachts ranks at number 10.
U.S. builder Burger Boat Company moved up two places to eighth,
with a jump from 977 feet to 1,528 feet, an increase of 56 percent. Burger’s
builds increased from seven to 11 boats.
|
Email This
Printer Friendly Version
Reprints & Permissions
Most Popular Searches