4 minute read
A warm welcome
HERITAGE THAT BREEDS INNOVATION
By Isla McKechnie
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When a company holds your name, your work becomes personal. This is amply demonstrated at Van der Valk Shipyard where founder Wim van der Valk has not only imbued the business with values of integrity, reliability and a pleasant working environment, he also still heads the enterprise today to ensure it stays true to its DNA.
DNA
The yachts built here are striking, and the culture is one which treats clients as part of an extended family and as valued connections who are welcomed for life. The team at Van der Valk enjoy seeing owners return to the yard – a regular occurrence – where they’re greeted as important parts of the wider Van der Valk pedigree, and have been since Wim started the company in the 1960s.
Heritage
Names like Valkkruiser will be familiar to boat aficionados, with this 1970s steel river cruiser – the first of the Van der Valk models to build a cult following, creating a lasting reputation based on its sea kindliness. The Valkkruiser’s success was followed by cabin and aft-cabin cruiser designs in the 1980s and 1990s. Models like Comfort, Royal, Falcon and Super Falcon came before the introduction of the Vitesse series of steel and aluminium semi-displacement motor yachts, which marked a further progression to the higher end segments of the market. This shift was reinforced through the ’90s as Van der Valk introduced the yacht range which was to become its signature line for many years; the Continental motor yacht.
A key transformative factor during this period of the shipyard’s history was its partnership with yacht designer, Guido de Groot. This step, and the growth in vessel length and capability which came with it, marked the breakthrough of Van der Valk into the superyacht sector. In the years following, Van der Valk has cemented its place on the superyacht scene and extended its work including a number of designers renowned for their superyacht design, like Vripack, Cor D. Rover and Ginton Naval Architects.
Innovation
A common theme in the shipyard’s pedigree is a desire to innovate and a willingness to push the boundaries. It was the first yard to feature a two axis fin antiroll damping system on a motor yacht – on 37 metre Santa Maria T – and a leader in installing Volvo Penta IPS propulsion, developing a special hull and new models to take advantage of this revolutionary drive system.
Having launched over a thousand vessels which are spread across Europe and the world, it has finessed the art of yacht building in direct response to how people experience being in close proximity to the water. Van der Valk has pushed the envelope with what’s possible across its Raised Pilothouse, Flybridge, Explorer, Pilot and BeachClub series, and pioneered engine room placement in recent models to sit beneath the swim platform, creating more space on the lower deck and increasing interior volume.
The Team
As a family-run business it has always been important to Wim van der Valk that his company presents a pleasant working environment, with close client relationships at the forefront. Van der Valk is now a multi-generational family company with a large team based in Waalwijk and supported by a strong network of designers, engineers and suppliers of systems, components and materials.
“I’ve always ensured that our financial situation and future prospects are stable by maintaining good solvability and a well-filled order portfolio,” Van der Valk added.
“We consider our partners and buyers as family members – and this is reflected in our excellent relationships and many repeat clients. Our after-sales service is also second-to-none.”
© Tom van Oossanen
Facilities
As the team and production have increased, Van der Valk’s facilities have grown to match. In keeping with the shipyard’s dedication to professional development, the Waalwijk-based facilities have expanded over the years, with two (respectively 1600m2, and 1200m2) aluminium construction facilities, a 1000m2 carpentry facility, an assembly facility of nearly the same size, a spacious warehouse and a paint booth of 625m2. Van der Valk builds approximately 95 per cent of its yachts in aluminium, leading to it being considered a specialist in the metal within the Netherlands. The location, just an hour from Amsterdam, close to the cities of Tilburg and ’s-Hertogenbosch, and sited on a river, allows for easy access to the ocean via a 120 metre dock.
The resulting combination of heritage, team, facilities and innovation has resulted in yachts which perform as seamlessly as they appear, and which have ventured out from the Netherlands yard to create an extended Van der Valk family around the world.
