German shipyard YYachts GmbH has announced a partnership with American brokerage Rodgers Yacht Sales LLC in a strategic effort to solidify the yard's presence in the United States.
The Connecticut-based firm will now become the exclusive representative for YYachts in America, said to bring the German yard's "high-performance luxury yachts to American sailors." In addition to sales, Rodgers Yacht Sales will also offer service and support to new and existing YYachts owners, alongside a valuable network of locations across the US.
Founded in 1987 by Bob Rodgers, Rodgers Yacht Sales represents several European shipyards in the US including Danish yard X-Yachts, French yard Latitude 46, and Baltic Yachts from Finland.
Managing director of YYachts, Tijl Hetterschijt, shared his optimism about the partnership: "We are thrilled to welcome Bob and his team to represent YYachts in the US. Over the past few years, we have sold several yachts to American clients, and we are confident this partnership will lead to significant growth in the region."
According to BOATPro, YYachts currently has one 27.4-metre in build with interiors from Winch Design, scheduled for delivery this year. Its flagship, the 29.7-metre Bella, was delivered in 2022. To date, all of the superyachts delivered by the yard feature exterior design and naval architecture from accomplished American designer Bill Tripp.
YYachts' new American expansion also aims to strengthen its longstanding collaboration with the designer, who – alongside being the lead designer for several YYachts models – is said by the yard to remain "actively involved in sales."
"Our production capacity has steadily increased, with seven to nine yachts being built annually, depending on size. While the majority of our sales are currently in Europe, we are seeing rising demand from the US market. With Bob’s expertise and team, we are convinced this collaboration will be a great success," continued Hetterschijt.
Founder of Rodgers Yacht Sales, Bob Rodgers added: "We are incredibly excited about this new partnership with YYachts. Their portfolio perfectly aligns with our loyal customer base, who are consistently looking to upgrade to larger, higher-quality vessels. YYachts’ exceptional engineering, premium craftsmanship, and outstanding sailing performance make them an ideal choice for American sailors seeking their next step in yachting."
The announcement comes just five months after YYachts revealed its expansion into Scandinavia and the Baltic region, with previous expansions including France, Italy, the East and West Coast of the USA and Mexico.