Feadship

Based in the Netherlands and with roots dating back to 1849, Feadship is recognised as the world leader in the field of pure custom superyachts. Because every new Feadship is the best we ever built, all boats in our fleet set a new standard in terms of craftsmanship, design, engineering and construction. It's what we like to call the relentless pursuit of perfection.

But we don't act in isolation. On the contrary, all Feadships are created in partnership with clients who invest in a wonderful building experience. They start their project with a blank page and set out to create a superyacht that is unlike any other in the world.

There are yachts and there are Feadships.

In the beginning…

Feadship has three yachtbuilding facilities in Aalsmeer, Makkum and Kaag, and one design and engineering centre in Haarlem. Formed as a group in 1949, Feadship has roots that can be traced back a further century. The generations of craftsmen who launched iconic boats under the leadership of the De Vries and Van Lent families in the 1800s and first half of the 1900s are an integral part of the Feadship story. Indeed, many of their descendants have continued to create Feadships well into the 21st century. The roots of the Van Lent yard go back to 1849 and the first De Vries yard opened its doors in 1906.

1949: The formation of Feadship

The two royal shipyards that nowadays make up the Feadship group served owners around the world before World War II. The terrible destruction of that conflict meant that very few people in Europe could afford to buy luxury yachts in its immediate aftermath. Ever innovative, always adventurous, the De Vries and Van Lent families came together with several other Dutch yards to approach the American market, where sales were booming in the late 1940s. The first meeting of the First Export Association of Dutch SHIPbuilders took place in 1949 in Amsterdam’s De Roode Leeuw café restaurant. History was made and Feadship was born. The other members were De Voogt Naval Architects, Van de Stadt (left in 1953), Witsen & Vis (1957), De Vries Lentsch (1958) and Akerboom (1968).

The 1950s: Early successes

Feadship was introduced to the American public at the 1951 New York Boat Show and immediately sold three boats. The first new order came a month later for Hilda V. In 1953 Capri was crowned Queen of the 1953 International Motor Boat Show as the high quality offered by Feadship impressed judges and owners alike. They were especially wowed by Feadship’s skill with steel, which was rarely used for yachts in North America at the time. As orders started flowing in for motorboats in both steel and aluminium, Feadship stopped building wooden yachts – Souris II in 1955 was the last. Feadship was now firmly established in the lucrative American market and coming to the attention of some pretty famous people. These included Malcolm Forbes, who launched the first of three The Highlander Feadships in 1957.

The 1960s: Becoming a brand

This decade was a period of steady growth in terms of both reputation and the complexity of the Feadships being launched. Camargo IV (1961), for example, showcased high-tech (for the time) features such as retractable stabiliser fins (which reduced roll by 85%) and air conditioning. These comforts prompted more well-known figures to order custom yachts. They included Henry Ford II (Santa Maria) and Arthur Wirtz (Blackhawk), among others. The relentless pursuit of perfection which already characterised Feadship then, and has continued to do so ever since, was revolutionising the way people saw motoryacht cruising. It was a golden era for new ideas, and fully raised wheelhouses or a genuine trans-Atlantic capability were just two of the various markers in construction history to be reached and surpassed during the 1960s. Many of the cool yachts built in this era are leading members of the Feadship Heritage Fleet today.

The 1970s: Larger than life

One of the factors in Feadship’s rise to prominence was the way in which owner satisfaction translated into repeat orders. The trend accelerated in the 1970s. It was typified by James Ryder, who so enjoyed his first Feadship Jardell when she was launched in 1970 that he immediately ordered a new, larger one, Big R. Sizes continued to grow throughout the decade until 1978, when the giant 64.64m Al Riyadh was launched (it remained the largest Feadship until Wedge Too in 2002). Al Riyadh was a bespoke boat made for clients in the Middle East, and showed without a doubt that Feadship’s appeal was going global. Nonetheless, the US remained the company’s biggest market and a dedicated Feadship America office was established in 1977. The first Feadship with a satcom system was launched in 1979: Daria opened up the market to people who wanted to carry on working while on their yacht.


1980s: Outside influences

As the superyacht industry expanded, so too did the different parties with whom Feadship partnered. Lac II had already become the first Feadship to feature the work of an interior designer (Pierre Tanter) in 1975 and Susan Puleo’s extraordinary glass interior on Circus II in 1983 showed that this movement was here to stay. The 1980s was also the decade that Feadships started incorporating the work of legendary exterior designers, including the amazing profiles drawn by Jon Bannenberg on yachts like Azteca, Paraiso, New Horizon L, Cedar Sea and the green The Highlander. Feadship’s ability to absorb and deploy fresh ideas and influences would prove crucial in the years ahead. Meanwhile, 1984 saw the first Gallant Lady built for Jim and Jan Moran, who would order no fewer than eight Feadships by 2007. The Feadship brand had become synonymous with excellence and those who could afford the best now knew to look no further.


The 1990s: Bold owners, intrepid motoryachts

The 1990s were a time of rapid expansion in the luxury yachting market. Feadship made sure it maintained and extended its leading position via continuous research & development and upgrading of facilities. The ingenuity of Feadship owners helped power this relentless pursuit of innovation and perfection throughout the decade. Virginian set new design and layout standards by having four full decks. Mylin IV was the first Feadship with a bulbous bow. Solemates became the world’s first fully MCA-compliant superyacht, while Sussurro featured jet propulsion and speeds as high as 46 knots. No place was off limits to Feadship owners by this time: Méduse and Charade made an epic voyage up the Amazon in 1997 and Battered Bull completed two circumnavigations. The end of the decade also saw Excellence II launched for an owner who was pioneering the construction of Feadships with chartering in mind.

The 2000s: Pure custom creations

The new millennium saw a surge in demand for very large superyachts. With the resale value of Feadships secure, owners took the custom approach to yachtbuilding to new heights. The wonderful Wedge Too set a new size record and featured an incredible Phillippe Starck- designed oval superstructure clad with oiled teak. Andiamo was the first expedition-type Feadship, created for a lady who loves cruising far seas in exceptional comfort. The 86m speed machine Ecstasea added 20 metres to the length record while combining 30+ knots of gas turbine power with a helicopter hangar hidden in the bow. Predator’s owner also required high speeds but wanted this achieved through a revolutionary axe-bow concept. With its low profile and slightly sinister appearance, this sleek seakeeper made clear that nothing was out of bounds for Feadship clients. Appropriately enough, the 2000s also saw the advent of the first of the Feadship Future Concepts.


2010s: History in the making…

And so we come to the present time and a block of text that will need constant updating, such is the pace at which history is being made by Feadship’s clients. There have already been many highlights, including Feadship becoming the first ‘western’ yard to build a superyacht for a client from the Chinese mainland (Blue Sky). Feadship now showcases its quality to a global audience with award-winning masterpieces such as Tango, a superb example of seamless cooperation between builders, naval architects, designers and owners. Sea Owl re-drew the map for bespoke interiors with her 200 hand-carved statues and four-story ‘tree of life’ staircase. An inspirational owner requested an unprecedented amount of glass on his Venus, and much more besides. Savannah became the first hybrid motor-superyacht in an amazing style. And Feadships continue to grow in size: Mushashi (88m) and Madame GU (99m) led us inexorably to crossing the 100-metre mark with Symphony. There is much to look forward to…

Uniquity

What’s in a word? Quite a lot when it comes to ‘custom’, which is perhaps the most overused and diluted term in the superyacht industry. The word ‘custom’ has lost its original meaning. According to Merriam-Webster, the adjective ‘custom’ is used to describe something that is “made to fit the needs or requirements of a particular person.” The Oxford dictionary – tagline ‘language matters’ – is even more succinct, defining custom as being “made or done to order.”

So when an existing yacht platform or design is tweaked, the result is not a custom superyacht. It is a customised superyacht at best!

Why does this matter? Well, it matters a great deal to us at Feadship as we only build pure custom motoryachts. Bespoke, one-off creations that start with a blank page and are built entirely and exclusively for the owner.


Dictionary

This dictionary explains Uniquity in more detail by exploring some of the terms that are more or less related to Uniquity. After all, in a global superyacht industry where owners spare no expense to fulfil their ideas, it is important to know that we are all speaking the same language…


Artisans

/ ahr-tuh-zuh n /

An artisan is a highly skilled craftsperson who is able to work with materials by hand in an exceptionally precise way. The word conjures up images of traditional values passed on from generation to generation… And this is most certainly the case at Feadship. Whether in marble or wood, fabric or panelling, metal or paint, there is a consistency of approach that combines age-old principles of expert manual labour with the latest equipment and technologies. The art of our artisans is at the heart of the Feadship story.


Bespoke

/ bih-spohk /

This refined word has its origins in the clothing industry, where it used to refer solely to made-to-measure suits for gentlemen. Feadships are created for men and women of course, but we certainly take a bespoke line with all our projects. You might even compare the blank piece of paper upon which every Feadship first comes to life to the way in which a tailor takes a chosen material as the template for his craft. The tailor uses a pin, we start with a pencil.


Craftsmanship

/ krafts-muh n ship /

Feadship has a workforce comprised of truly incredible people who live by the principles of Uniquity. These craftsmen are the living embodiment of our heritage and roots, and bring them to life with great skill and in myriad ways. Our yachts are built by hand. The Feadship way of construction involves tremendous attention to detail and extraordinary craftsmanship across all disciplines. Craftsmanship goes beyond manual labour, however: we take a hands-on approach to everything from project management to marketing. From top to bottom, the Feadship organisation is crewed by people who are passionate about the quality of the yachts we build.


Customise

/ kuhs-tuh-mahyz /

However similar they may sound, ‘customised’ means something very different than ‘custom’. To customise is to change something that already exists in order to fit the needs or requirements of a person. This is not what Feadship does as every Feadship is unique. Again, it’s a matter of choice.


Dream factory

/ dreem fak-tuh-ree/

Another overused word in the superyacht sector is ‘dreams’ – but we certainly agree with the owner of the Feadship Kahalani, who had this to say at the launch of his Feadship: “Feadship is a dream factory, producing work of an unbelievably high quality for some of the most demanding clients in the world. Just as the best football teams have the best players and the best armies the best soldiers, the best companies have the best workforce. And Feadship is the very best.”


Experience

/ ik-speer-ee-uh ns /

The turnover of personnel at the Feadship yards is extremely low. If they manage to stay the grade for the first five years, the odds are that staff will stay a long while. The average Feadship worker has some twenty years of experience and has been involved in at least forty Feadship builds. Staff must meet the highest expectations in terms of dedication to the task, while the need for a sharp eye and hands-on craftsmanship is instilled in the workforce from the moment they start their long career with Feadship.


Benchmark

/ bench-mahrk /

Having a benchmark by which to judge the quality of similar products is exceptionally important in every line of business. Companies who profess to set this benchmark are making a very bold statement – one which must be proven in practice, widely accepted and fully supported by influential people within the sector concerned. So when we say that Feadship is the benchmark against which all other luxury motoryachts are compared, we do so with a mixture of pride in the present and gratitude to those in the past who allowed us to come this far.


Carte blanche

/ kahrt blahnch /

While we are on the subject of starting from scratch, the design brief for every Feadship has its origins on – quite literally – a blank sheet. Our design philosophy is simple: clients have carte blanche to create whatever they desire, and we start with the assumption that everything is possible.


Confidentiality

/ kon-fi-den-shuh-eli-tee /

At Feadship, we can keep a secret – and confidentiality is our middle name. There have been many global celebrities who have ordered yachts at Feadship but we live in an era where privacy is of paramount importance. Clients can choose how much (if any) publicity there is about their project and will certainly never be named unless they explicitly wish to be.


Design

/ dih-zahyn /

If every Feadship is an archetype, then so is the design behind her. While the majority of owners entrust Feadship with the exterior design, we are also prepared to work with third-party designers – as long as Feadship values of excellence are maintained.


Custom

/ kuhs-tuh m /

A luxury yacht is something very personal that costs a considerable amount of money. It should, therefore, suit owners entirely, and not be something universal which the yard designs first and tries to sell you later. This is why Feadship builds one-off custom yachts. It’s a matter of choice…


Engineering

/ en-juh-neer-ing /

An incredible amount of engineering goes into every Feadship, as each is custom engineered for her owner. What all Feadships have in common in this respect is that – thanks to the smart engineering deployed – each Feadship makes optimal use of the chosen volume. While competitors standardise their products, the intelligence contained within Feadship as an organisation means we are able to standardise the process. By integrating design, engineering and construction, Feadship builds entirely unique objects in a highly efficient way, leveraging on the enormous experience within our organisation.


Exterior

/ ik-steer-ee-er /

Every Feadship exterior profile is different. Some clients have fixed views on how an exterior should look, while others prefer to develop their profile together with the Feadship designers. This might involve a classic or modern look, with dynamic or static lines. As long as the overall design has a natural harmony and coherence, it really is up to owners to decide how simple or complex, minimalist or intricate their design will become. And they can also choose their own exterior designer should they so wish.


Family

/ fam-uh-lee /

When people talk about the Feadship family, this is much more than marketing speak. All three of the founding companies that make up Feadship today have been or still are family-run concerns. Moreover, the Feadship yards have traditionally employed families for many generations. No-one blinks an eye if a youngster says “my grandfather used to work here”.


Feadship

/ fed-ship /

A Feadship is a superyacht built by Feadship in the Netherlands. The brand Feadship is an abbreviation for First Export Association of Dutch SHIPbuilders, a name which was first coined in 1949 to unite the biggest names in Holland’s yachtbuilding industry: Koninklijke De Vries Scheepsbouw and Royal Van Lent Shipyard. The two royal companies now operate exclusively under the Feadship name.


Feadship experience

/ fed-ship ik-speer-ee-uh ns /

All you read here and more… The Feadship experience begins from the moment a project begins. In fact, many clients say they enjoy the whole design and construction process just as much as they do sailing on the Feadship that emerges. As the owner of Blue Moon succinctly said on the occasion of the launch of his Feadship. “It’s a happy day because my yacht is delivered and it’s a sad day because the build itself is finished.” And the owners of Gallant Lady enjoyed building a Feadship so much that they did it on no less than eight occasions.


Feadship Heritage Fleet

/ fed-ship her-i-tij fleet/

The Feadship Heritage Fleet is an association for the owners of registered Feadships that are more than thirty years old. Its key objectives are to unite the owners of classic Feadship yachts, to promote the continuance of the Feadship yachting heritage, to organise events for members and to offer them services related to their yachts. There are an incredible number of Feadships still sailing that were launched more than three decades ago. As well as being a testimony to Feadship standards of construction, many of these yachts have been scrupulously maintained by their owners. The Feadship Heritage Fleet is at their service.


Fleet (defining a Feadship)

/ fleet /

At the time this booklet went to print in the summer of 2014, the global fleet of Feadships counted 428 yachts. This figure does not include the impressive array of yachts launched by the De Vries and Van Lent families prior to World War II. It does include the yachts built by the members of the First Export Association of Dutch SHIPbuilders after its formation in 1949. As well as the De Vries and Van Lent yards, this included four other Dutch yards, namely Akerboom, Witsen & Vis, De Vries Lentsch and Van der Stadt. These latter concerns had all left Feadship by the early 1960s, from which time on a Feadship is defined as the yachts built by De Vries and Van Lent alone.

Every new Feadship is an innovation in itself, as we constantly strive to redefine the perception of perfection and make every Feadship better than the last in terms of construction and technology. Incorporating space-age technologies and materials, hyper-modern design tools, and the very latest insights into construction and systems, Feadships are the product of an evolutionary R&D and overall quality enhancement philosophy that results in yachts which cannot be imitated by anyone else.

Meet our craftsmen in their working environment, hear their stories and find out what the relentless pursuit of perfection means in their everyday working life.

Everyone who works at Feadship has a deep affinity with the exquisite materials with which they work and the stunning things they create. Working at Feadship also requires a passion for one’s work that goes far beyond the norm.

The best materials for building a Feadship are incredible people