Burgess Newsletter Spring / Summer 2008 - Burgess Yachts

28 N E W C O N S T R U C T I O N – F E A D S H I P
250 yachts, 60 years,
The First Export Association of Dutch Shipbuilders is not the most imaginative of titles. Yet today, the Feadship
name catches the imagination and evokes the magic of yachting like few others. In this, the first in our series of
shipyard close-ups, Burgess charts the phenomenal success of this grand dame of superyacht construction.
Feadship rose like a phoenix from the ashes of
post-war Europe in 1949, when the principal
players in the Dutch shipbuilding industry formed
a joint venture. Their common goal: to take the
finest traditions of yacht design and construction
to a booming American market. And the rest, as
they say, is history.
Feadship is a very European collaboration, forged
by the three leading names in Dutch shipbuilding:
De Vries, Van Lent and De Voogt. Each of these
family firms has an impressive pedigree in
shipbuilding, design and naval architecture.
Together, they have proved unstoppable.
What began as a marketing association has
become a powerful brand in its own right.
Feadship today is recognised as a world leader in
the field of custom-built luxury motor yachts, with
a reputation for magnificent design, the highest
standards of craftsmanship and the flexibility to
meet each individual client’s requirements.
An added strength lies in their ability to adapt to
the market: they expanded capacity at the right
time and reacted proactively to the rapid rise in
demand for very big yachts.
The status enjoyed by Feadships is
based on the well-balanced, classic lines
of their designs, their comfortable seakeeping
qualities and the reliability of
their engineering.
These are the reasons why Feadships are so
sought after, command such high resale prices,
and why there is such keen competition for new
build slots at their Dutch yards.