Maverick Dutchman conquers the jet set

Vanquish Yachts: A story about honest Dutch entrepreneurship

entrepreneurship

POSITIVE FLOW

In other words, a perfect solution, which may well be the stepping stone towards further cooperation with the headstrong and quirky yacht manufacturer. Because as far as he is concerned, the end of his boat adventure is nowhere near in sight yet. The high school drop-out who became a  

successful and innovative entrepreneur, now, at the age of 40, is really only getting started. Smiling: “Things are so hectic and changing so fast now, we are in the middle of a positive flow. The possibilities and opportunities are unlimited and I want to use as many of them as possible!”

FACTS &
FIGURES

one of the fastest super yachts

A recent example is the VQ80, an insane and aggressive looking sporting/fishing yacht transgressing all the boundaries of these two categories. The yacht - of aluminium with carbon finish – with a top speed of 53 knots thanks to two Cat engines, is also one of the fastest super yachts in the world, which was specified as a requirement by the owner. Steentjes said: “The owner was keen on having Cat propulsion, but with previous C32 models we couldn’t achieve the speed he had requested. The new Pon Power C32B proved to be the solution. Thanks to the higher power density of this engine, we could have more power in the same engine room and still have enough owner space at the same time. In addition to this, the engine meets our very stringent requirements regarding noise and vibration. The superior sailing characteristics of Vanquish yachts fully come into their own thanks to the character of the Cat engines.”

customised completely

What makes Vanquish Yachts unique is that really every detail in every model can be customised completely. Vanquish builds boats for customers and individualistic characters with their very own distinctive taste. And because these Vanquish yachts are made from aluminium, all wishes of the fastidious customers can be fulfilled. More than that: before they even start building a boat, the company demands that you come up with ideas. The more exacting the specifications, the better. It comes as no surprise that the company’s motto is ‘Not for everyone’.

Watch C32B product video

WATCH VIDEO

TOM STEENTJES

Founder Vanquish Yachts

"The superior sailing characteristics of Vanquish yachts fully come into their own thanks to the character of the C32B engines.”

mondial jetset

So Steentjes built his first boat, for private use, in 2014. It made such an impression in his environment that he then went on to build two 43 footers, which soon found their way to buyers on Ibiza. Steentjes: “A lot of people came into contact with these boats there and that is how the requests began pouring in.” Seven years on, Vanquish Yachts has some 15 radically designed models in its range and the company supplies the global jet set, including the Moroccan Royals and countless sheikhs and emirs in the Middle East. Vanquish is very successful in the United States. The peak of success so far is the ongoing construction of three 115 feet long yachts.

Keen to learn and focused

The story of Vanquish Yachts could be straight out of Boys’ Own. Founder Tom Steentjes was expelled from school at the age of 14 and started working as a welder in a machine factory. Keen to learn and focused, he discovered everything that there was to know about (welding) aluminium and stainless steel. He quickly worked his way up and a few years later he took over the machine factory. Then he developed a product line for snacks with which he conquered the world.

The company grew but because Steentjes was more of an inventor than manager at heart, he sold the business and decided to build an aluminium 32 feet boat. The reason for this was as logical as it was pragmatic: “I happened to know a lot about it. I was good at welding and using sheet metal. Moreover, there weren’t really any beautifully crafted aluminium boats in this size.” Sometimes you don’t have to make things complicated, do you?”

In a short time, the Dutch/American company Vanquish Yachts has carved out a unique position for itself in the global (super) yacht building market. Motorennieuws went to take a look at this high-end, high-spec, high-performance shipbuilder. A story about honest Dutch entrepreneurship and doing what you are good at.

entrepreneurship

Maverick Dutchman conquers the jet set

Vanquish Yachts: A story about honest Dutch entrepreneurship

In a short time, the Dutch/American company Vanquish Yachts has carved out a unique position for itself in the global (super) yacht building market. Motorennieuws went to take a look at this high-end, high-spec, high-performance shipbuilder. A story about honest Dutch entrepreneurship and doing what you are good at.

Keen to learn and focused

The story of Vanquish Yachts could be straight out of Boys’ Own. Founder Tom Steentjes was expelled from school at the age of 14 and started working as a welder in a machine factory. Keen to learn and focused, he discovered everything that there was to know about (welding) aluminium and stainless steel. He quickly worked his way up and a few years later he took over the machine factory. Then he developed a product line for snacks with which he conquered the world.

The company grew but because Steentjes was more of an inventor than manager at heart, he sold the business and decided to build an aluminium 32 feet boat. The reason for this was as logical as it was pragmatic: “I happened to know a lot about it. I was good at welding and using sheet metal. Moreover, there weren’t really any beautifully crafted aluminium boats in this size.” Sometimes you don’t have to make things complicated, do you?”

mondial jetset

So Steentjes built his first boat, for private use, in 2014. It made such an impression in his environment that he then went on to build two 43 footers, which soon found their way to buyers on Ibiza. Steentjes: “A lot of people came into contact with these boats there and that is how the requests began pouring in.” Seven years on, Vanquish Yachts has some 15 radically designed models in its range and the company supplies the global jet set, including the Moroccan Royals and countless sheikhs and emirs in the Middle East. Vanquish is very successful in the United States. The peak of success so far is the ongoing construction of three 115 feet long yachts.

customised completely

What makes Vanquish Yachts unique is that really every detail in every model can be customised completely. Vanquish builds boats for customers and individualistic characters with their very own distinctive taste. And because these Vanquish yachts are made from aluminium, all wishes of the fastidious customers can be fulfilled. More than that: before they even start building a boat, the company demands that you come up with ideas. The more exacting the specifications, the better. It comes as no surprise that the company’s motto is ‘Not for everyone’.

TOM STEENTJES

"The superior sailing characteristics of Vanquish yachts fully come into their own thanks to the character of the C32B engines.”

Founder Vanquish Yachts

one of the fastest super yachts

A recent example is the VQ80, an insane and aggressive looking sporting/fishing yacht transgressing all the boundaries of these two categories. The yacht - of aluminium with carbon finish – with a top speed of 53 knots thanks to two Cat engines, is also one of the fastest super yachts in the world, which was specified as a requirement by the owner. Steentjes said: “The owner was keen on having Cat propulsion, but with previous C32 models we couldn’t achieve the speed he had requested. The new Pon Power C32B proved to be the solution. Thanks to the higher power density of this engine, we could have more power in the same engine room and still have enough owner space at the same time. In addition to this, the engine meets our very stringent requirements regarding noise and vibration. The superior sailing characteristics of Vanquish yachts fully come into their own thanks to the character of the Cat engines.”

FACTS & FIGURES

SHIP:
Vanquish VQ80

BUILDER:
Vanquish Yachts,
Marknesse/Fort Lauderdale, VS

MAX SPEED: 
55 knots

MOTORISATION:
2 x C32B 2400 pk


In other words, a perfect solution, which may well be the stepping stone towards further cooperation with the headstrong and quirky yacht manufacturer. Because as far as he is concerned, the end of his boat adventure is nowhere near in sight yet. The high school drop-out who became a successful and innovative entrepreneur, now, at the age of 40, is really only getting started. Smiling: “Things are so hectic and changing so fast now, we are in the middle of a positive flow. The possibilities and opportunities are unlimited and I want to use as many of them as possible!”

POSITIVE FLOW

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The online magazine of Pon Power, the Caterpillar dealer for diesel and gas engines and generators. In this magazine we keep you up to date on the latest projects, new products & services and technical innovations.
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