Sailing to success Bavaria Yachtbau

SAILING TO SUCCESS

Germany-based Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH is the world’s second-largest producer of motorboats and sailing yachts in its field. Abigail Saltmarsh reports on its recent successes.

This year has already seen Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH cruise towards another major achievement in the boating world. The German company, which is the world’s second-largest producer of motorboats and sailing yachts in the 29ft to 56ft category, has won the European Powerboat of the Year Award for its first ever flybridge yacht.

Constantin von Bülow was appointed CEO of the company in April 2013. Mr von Bülow has extensive experience, having started his career at McKinsey and subsequently held various management positions in the automotive and packaging industry. He said that this recent accolade has reinforced the company’s position at the forefront of leisure boat making and showed that the operation was still firmly at the helm of its industry as it navigated towards even greater success.

“We have been in the business for more than 35 years now,” he says. “This is the first time we have entered the flybridge yacht market and so we are extremely pleased to have won this prize.”

The 12.37m long, high-performance Virtess 420 Flybridge yacht saw off four other shortlisted boats to win the yachts up to 45ft category. Design, handling, safety on board and value for money were among the main test criteria.

“Winning the European Powerboat of the Year Award with our new flybridge marks an important milestone in the history of our shipyard and shows that we are also well on course in this segment.”

The first flybridge

As standard, the Virtess 420 Flybridge yacht comes with a fly deck fitted with radar arch GRP, an anti-slip structure, a helm stand with a double seat and a table, sun bed and wet bar with sink. Optional additions include an electrical or gas grill, a refrigerator, ice maker, modular sun bed that converts into a co-pilot seat and a foldable table.

“It has been extremely well-received,” Mr von Bülow continues. “It also won the prestigious Nautical Design Award, in Italy, and Motorboat of the Year 2013, in the UK, against very strong competition, in the flybridge yachts up to 55ft category.

“This award is organised by Motor Boat & Yachting, Motor Boats Monthly and ybw. com and is the most important British design award for motorboats. Bavaria’s first flybridge yacht has set itself apart from impressive competition right from the start and clearly demonstrates the innovative spirit and design quality of boats from Giebelstadt.”

He adds: “We expect to be rewarded now with good sales results and now expect to increase our flybridge range.

Design and innovation

The Virtess 420 Flybridge was on show at the celebrated boat show in Düsseldorf in January, with her sister model the Virtess 420 Coupé. This also received a superb response.

“The Virtesse 420 Coupé is the next logical step to expand market share in the premium segment. Its powerful, free-spirited design and innovative features such as a panoramic sunroof, comfortable reclining areas, bright and open interior and fine furnishings mean that the new yacht represents the ultimate in luxury and comfort,” he says. “I think we will see great results in both areas as the new season begins.

“Both these boats offer unique features. The Flybridge is one of the biggest in the market and is ideal for people who want to be able to go upstairs. But the Coupé offers another choice. In this area, we expect to see a take-up of about 60 per cent for the Flybridge and 40 per cent for the Coupé but it will be interesting to see what happens.”

Quality and price

Bavaria Yachtbau GmbH operates from a state-of-the-art shipyard in Giebelstadt. Established in 1978, it has a reputation for quality as well as outstanding price-performance ratio, says Mr von Bülow.

“We produce more than 1200 motor and sailing yachts every year,” he says. “We have four lines, which in total given us a maximum capacity of close to 3000 boats, making us the largest boatyard in Europe.”

The company, which employs approximately 550 people, develops its boats on an ongoing basis. All boats, from the Sport 29 motorboat to the Cruiser 56 sailing yacht, are produced to order, which allows the customer to configure an individual yacht to taste.

Made in Germany

From hull lamination to final delivery, the yachts pass various assembly stations covering a distance of more than six kilometres. CAD and CAM and high-precision robots are used in combination with the highly qualified employees.

“We still sell most of our boats in Europe but do export to new markets, such as Asia and Brazil, where we want to improve our presence,” says Mr von Bülow. “We are known as a “made in Germany” brand that really stands for quality both here and in other countries.

“At the same time, however, the efficiency of our production lines enables us to offer better prices as well as the highest quality – and as we continue to grow we are determined to maintain this focus. Both the Virtess 420 Flybridge and the Virtess 420 Coupé demonstrate this.” n