Blog | Builder Spotlight: Sichterman

When was Sichterman founded and how did it come about?

What started as an outlandish idea back in 2015 became a reality for us in 2019: the launch of a new boutique shipyard. Since we opened our doors, we have constantly shaped our innovative company into a market- disrupting brand, celebrating milestone after milestone.

Though a young company, our maritime heritage is rich. The Netherlands has long been home to one of history’s most influential marine industries and at Sichterman, we combine decades of family craftsmanship with smart design and superyacht technology.

As a result, we are creating an innovative company that is disrupting the yacht industry in its own unconventional way. With a keen sense of style, design and customer satisfaction, we strive to create a unique aluminum fleet from 50ft up to 82ft which our clients will indefinitely fall in love with.

 

Tell us about your early designs – how have Sichterman Yachts evolved?

One day our General Director Bart Rehe visited the Workumer Yachtservice yard in Friesland, where he started talking to the frontman of the shipyard. Their conversations shifted towards the market and the idea of developing a new line of innovative luxury motor yachts. They agreed that it would be a unique opportunity to join forces on such a project.

In 2015, those conversations by the docks in Friesland took a physical shape. Welcoming two more authorities of Dutch yacht building, Cor D. Rover and Van Oossanen Naval Architects, we had brought together a dream team for developing an aluminum fleet from 15 to 26 meters.

Today, after several years of intensive development, Sichterman Yachts offers an innovative fleet that appeals to multiple audiences. A sports line with the fast sailing Libertas range, available in 50, 65 and 82 foot models, and a cruiser line with the Felicitatem 20M (65ft) and Perfectum 25M (82ft), both comfortable and efficient yachts with superyacht technology and finishing.

 

When did you start focusing on aluminum, and why?

From day 1 we decided that our complete fleet should be aluminum based. The material is very flexible and therefore we can easily customize. In general, aluminum is a much more sustainable building material than plastic based GRP. An aluminum Sichterman can be easily recycled at the end of its lifecycle. From the moment aluminum is alive, it can actually serve many life cycles. With GRP boats, on the other hand, when the boat has come to the end of its life, it just leaves a lot of complex plastic material that is extremely difficult to reuse. That’s a big problem – what do we do with all these boats? So building aluminum based is a step in the right direction to a more sustainable yachting world.

 

What is Sichterman’s current design philosophy? Why do you create the yachts that you create?

It’s all about emotion. Sichterman yachts are slender, with an efficient hull and a compact superstructure. They are an utterly luxurious home away from home. I like to compare the Sichterman models to a premium sports car. You buy a Sichterman for the same feeling. It’s big enough for a three-week trip, but also an excellent day boat or weekender. Sichterman yachts are always luxurious, always reliable and always feel fantastic to be on board.

 

What makes Sichterman unique in the yacht market?

We launched Sichterman Yachts with three very different models, which is very unique. The Inveni, Libertas and Felicitatem are three completely different models, three completely different types of boat. It demonstrates the forward-thinking approach and the brand’s flexibility.

The Sichterman models stand out in their fine finesse of luxury, comfort and possibility to customize in a broad manner. The lines are sleek and classy, and the level of detail in the curvature and surface development is very high. Cor D. Rover has also created a luxurious interior. Due to the continuous drive to develop new models and allow for custom wishes in the design, I feel the Sichterman fleet can offer a client great flexibility, which comes close to a full-custom build.

Next to that, the quality and experience of the Workumer Yachtservice yard also make the brand stand out. This yard understands the specific clients they are building for since they are already used to build in this semi- custom process. They understand the process perfectly. So, in the end, it is not this one factor that accounts for Sichterman’s success, but the sum of many choices.

 

How many vessels do you build each year? How many are custom versus spec?

Sichterman is a boutique yacht builder. This means we build up to 6 vessels per year on spec and 4 custom.

 

Do you have one build that you’re most proud of, that stands apart?

The first Sichterman was of course really special to us, as it embodied our vision into a real product. And next to this, the Libertas is our most exciting product. On top of that, we have collabed with award-winning interior designer Eric Kuster for this specific yacht. By using a blend of classic and modern elements, combined with a unique color set and the finest materials, we’ve created an even more attractive variant of this fine vessel.

 

Are you happy with your production numbers or do you have expansion goals?

For now we’re really happy with our development within the European markets. It’s a great foundation for us to now enter the U.S. market. We’re ready for the next growth, but for us it’s not about numbers. Delivering quality products is our main objective.

 

Tell us about your buyer markets. Where are you growing? Where would you like to grow?

Being a Dutch brand, we were instantly known in the European markets. It’s a pretty conservative market with not that many new brands entering. Because of our disruptive approach we were able to fastly build our brand awareness and received a lot of attention for our fleet. The majority of our yachts are being sold within the Mediterranean areas and specifically the South of France and the Balearic islands Ibiza and Mallorca.

And now our objective is to grow in the US market.

 

Who is your ideal customer?

When we started on building our brand, our marketing team set up various profiles for our most ideal customers.It’s great to see that these persona’s are really the customers we’ve gained. Our customers are not new to the yachting market. They have experienced other yachts first and are ready for the next step in quality, comfort and performance. They understand our product, the flexibility and sailing comfort of an aluminum vessel. They don’t settle for less. And with that they become part of our Sichterman family, sharing the same DNA as we have and become real brand ambassadors.

 

What does your current lineup look like?

Our current lineup is designing the Libertas in 65ft and the development of our 82ft, the Perfectum. For this we work closely with the shipyard, Cor D. Rover for the design and Van Oossanen for the naval architecture.

 

Are there any launch dates or reveals we should be watching for?

Definitely, just keep looking out for us and follow us on social media such as Instagram.

 

Any future plans you want to share? How might Sichterman evolve in the next 5-10 years?

Our goal is to grow sustainably for the next 5-10 years. We will always be a boutique yacht builder, constantly aiming for the highest possible quality and sailing comfort. Together with our highly involved team we will keep on growing the Sichterman family.

 

We hope to welcome you soon.