New superyacht builder Dörries Yachts has revealed more details of its activities at the Fort Lauderdale boat show.
Announced in August and officially launched at the Monaco Yacht Show in September, Dörries Yachts is an evolution of Dörries Maritime Services. The two will operate as separate companies, with the latter concentrating on superyacht services for pre-exisiting sales, including superyacht management and technical consultation, while Dörries Yachts is a a turnkey custom yacht builder – including project management – that will focus on building yachts 50m to 70m in Germany.
'Size-wise, there is a niche market that we can step into,' says Werner Dörries, managing director of Dörries Yachts and CEO of Dörries Maritime Services. 'It doesn't make sense to compete with Lürssen, but what about a 48m?' With other German superyacht builders focusing on much larger yachts, Dörries Yachts sees a gap in the market that they can fill. Dörries Yachts reports serious inquiries in this range and is working on design proposals for prospective owners.
Dörries Yachts has pre-developed designs by H2 Yacht Design, including an 85m based on the platform of 82m project Graceful, recently launched at Blohm + Voss, for which Dörries Yachts served as project manager. They also introduced the design of the 58m by H2. Interior designs by H2 Yacht Design in both modern and traditional styling were introduced today in Fort Lauderdale.
Also during its meeting at the Fort Lauderdale boat show, Dörries Yachts detailed its yacht building plans, which includes securing a facility site in Bremerhaven, Germany. Dörries has plans to let space from a current steel hull building operation in Bremerhaven and construct a shed for yacht building; once its first yacht contract is signed, construction on the new facility will commence.
They will tap into their deep well of contacts to sub-contract for elements from interiors to a/c components. Werner Dörries prefers to refer to these as 'co-builders' due to the close relationships that have been developed over the years through business with Dörries Maritime Services.
'Two major tasks will stay with us, project management and routing of vessel systems, because that has a huge impact on time and changes,' says Werner Dörries. 'And we'd have on person on our time in each trade to oversee each co-builder.'
Plans are to keep Dörries Yachts lean with a small staff and not have a huge overhead, passing savings down to its customers by offering a good price point. Added incentive to its clients is the offer of a reduced build time and engineering costs by using Dörries Yachts technical platforms, which can be modified upon request.
Stay tuned for more news on Dörries Yachts.