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Perfect Pedigree
Michael Verdon
02/02/2004
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Though its first decade in the U.S. market was rocky (its first exports were a 35-foot cruiser and 22-foot sailboat), by the 1960s it had established itself as the premier brand of luxury yachts. Its register reads like a Who’s Who of famous yachts. Henry Ford cruised the world in his Feadship, and Malcolm Forbes’ The Highlander entertained presidents and royalty, and was said to be the spawning ground of many corporate mergers.
Feadship has retained its position as the pinnacle of pedigrees (most of the Dutch and German yards are very highly regarded as larger superyacht builders), though the average size of its build has moved from 30 feet to 170 feet. Feadships, which can measure up to 280 feet, have become increasingly complex, both in design and construction. "Since the ’70s, we’ve launched about four boats per year," says Hein Velema, chairman of the board. "But the number of man-hours and overall sales have increased by 10 percent each year."
Though the Feadship name has been around for a half-century, its associated shipyards, De Vries and Royal Van Lent, have been building yachts for even longer. "They have the same number of workers and build about the same size yachts," says Velema. "But there is an intense competition between the two yards that benefits everyone. Each one wants to be seen as the best builder."
Intellectual Capital
The glue holding the two companies together is De Voogt Naval Architects, the driving force behind Feadship in its early days, and now the conduit of information between the yards. "We have a staff of 65 naval architects, designers and mechanical engineers to cover every aspect of engineering and design," says Velema. "There is a lot of knowledge flow from one shipyard to another."
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