All articles by Phil Draper
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SPECIAL REPORT | Yard profile: ISA - First mates, industry captains
Two friends who set up on their own eight years ago have delivered 18 yachts and have orders worth €180 million — Yet refuse to call themselves successful
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Comment | Stern talk: “We already have three or four potential clients pushing us for something around the 120ft–130ft mark”
Having established itself as turkey’s premier production boatbuilder, Numarine is now looking to expand its credentials in the superyacht sector
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Design and Innovation | Under management
Farsounder’s forward-looking 3d sonar systems are not only useful for collision avoidance, but also for underwater-intruder detection
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Application News | Equatoria Teak: Good wood?
There’s now a sustainable plantation teak alternative to the Burmese variety that’s worth a look. Available worldwide exclusively from UK-based timber agent C Leary, Equatoria teak is currently being trialled for decking by a few of Europe’s major boatbuilders.
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Bertram Yacht | Bigger fish
Spurred on by the low value of the US dollar and slow sales in its domestic market, Bertram Yacht, one of the most famous names in US motorboat building, is increasingly winning business overseas. Tweaking its ‘convertible’ US sports-fishing formula, not least by injecting more family-cruising appeal, has played a ...
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BUSINESS REPORT | Germany
In the past year Germany’s boating industry has been competing well, both in its buoyant domestic market and in the wider European zone. But, as with boating industries elsewhere, it is anxious about the worsening world economic picture.
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New build | Round-up: France - French flair
France’s superyacht building industry is doing well, but it doesn’t have the scale one would expect for a country that — during the season — hosts around half the Med fleet. And if it weren’t for the acute lack of berths on the Cote d’Azur it would no doubt accommodate ...
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Crew training | A Benetti Navy? Benettis with complements
Benetti has begun working towards the day it can deliver yachts under a full management programme that will eventually include a fully trained and paid yard crew. CEO Vincenzo Poerio talks to Phil Draper about his conceptual vision — the ultimate when it comes to new-build service.
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Yard business | AMY: Partner ships
A couple of years ago CNL Group, the builder responsible for Admiral motoryachts, put together a J-V with the Mariotti Shipyard to build Admirals bigger than 44m. This year is a big one for the deal. The companies’ first Admiral 54 Alcor splashes imminently.
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Dealer management | Fairline: Environmentally friendly
Fairline has gone further than any other production boatbuilder in encouraging its dealers to deliver a consistent brand experience. Indeed more than half of its 60-strong dealer network is said to have bought into the Fairline ‘branded environment’ programme and the other half is under increasing pressure to comply.
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Application news | Seakeeper: Roll on, roll off
US company Seakeeper has come up with a gyro-stabilizer that is claimed to rival Mitsubishi’s ARG system. It was developed in association with Azimut Yachts, which has negotiated exclusive access until well into 2009.
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BUSINESS REPORT | UK
Britain’s leading marine exporters continue to ride high, but at the retail level things are harder work. And those whose fortunes are synchronised to the country’s barometers had to contend with the worst of all British summers.
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Holland | Top slots
Holland’s superyacht builders may not build the biggest of superyachts, but when it comes to quality they remain at the very top. And in a world market that continues to boom, the best of them have never been busier. Phil Draper investigates.
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Repeat performance
Royal Huisman Shipyard doesn’t often get to build any two yachts the same. But a few years ago along came some clients that essentially said ‘we’ve seen what you can do with the 2002-launched Borkumriff IV — we’d like one just the same please!’ That decision meant a quicker build ...
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Application News | Southern Spars’ Element C6: Stay ahead
Southern Spars’ new Element C6 carbon rigging promises to make a big difference to sail performance, as Phil Draper found out aboard the recently launched 52m schooner Meteor.
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Application News | RHS’s Ethereal project: Half-hearted?
Holland’s Royal Huisman Shipyard recently hooked up ‘off yacht’ half of the ground-breaking onboard-power system for its 58m (190ft) flybridge sloop Ethereal. Phil Draper checks it out.
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Menorquin Yachts | Classic novels
Menorquin Yachts is in the process of tweaking its distinctive motorcruiser formula to appeal to a wider international audience. Phil Draper investigates.
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Specialist Services | High Modulus & FEA: Strain gauge
In the hands of experts, finite element analysis (FEA) techniques can have a huge impact on the design process, optimising structures in all sorts of ways. However, very few people are capable of using it correctly, and current applications are perhaps more restricted than one would necessarily assume. Phil Draper ...
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BUSINESS REPORT | Germany
Germany’s marine leisure industry really is a tale of two halves. On the one hand its domestic retail activity is still rather lacklustre, despite a more positive economic backdrop. But on the other, a handful of boatbuilders and equipment companies lead the world and continue to find substantial growth in ...
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