IYG deeply understands both the intricacies of building a new, custom yacht, and the personalities that go along with it.
There are two kinds of yacht owners in this world—those who want their boat now, and those who want their boat perfect.
The former breed is much more likely to buy a brokerage boat, or something new from a production builder. For them, the experience of being on the water with family and friends trumps all, and time is of the essence. They tend not to particularly care if the stowage isn’t quite right, if a bulwark is out of place, or if someone else slept in the master stateroom before they did. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. Time on the water is why people are so passionate about boating in the first place. Maximizing that time with a yacht that takes a little getting used to is a wise investment for many.
The second type of yachtsman is built a little bit differently. These are the guys (and gals) who want everything just so. They savor the process of building a yacht just as much as they enjoy cruising it through a beautiful locale. It is not unusual for them to set up weekly calls with the yard during the build process, and to carry a laser pointer and measuring tape with them when they do site visits. These are the owners who tend to build fully custom yachts. They are oftentimes both serial entrepreneurs and serial yacht owners. To them, the process is what matters most. It’s what’s made them successful in business, and it’s what makes custom-built boats so very special.
George Jousma sees himself in the second group. “I am good at selling new, custom-built boats because I don’t like making compromises,” he says. “I have a bit of a mechanical mind. I like projects, I like blueprints. It’s enjoyable for me. In many cases that’s true of our clients, too. They really get into the creative process and like to make a thing theirs.”
Jousma knows that the idea for a custom boat comes from experience. “A lot of times these guys have spent plenty of time on boats in the past,” he says. “On their old boat, they may have seen something that could be improved with where the refrigeration is, or where to plug in a phone. And they file it away in their brain and get it right on the next one. These buyers don’t want something quirky. They’re not making sacrifices in that regard. They want everything right.”
Jousma says that he particularly enjoys doing boats “from a white sheet of paper.” He points to a 48-meter vessel IYG is currently working on to illustrate this. Originally the owner wanted a much smaller boat. But most of the shipyards IYG spoke to could not accommodate the level of customization he wanted. So Jousma and his team pulled on their deep connections in Italy and across Europe to find the right spot for their client. Eventually, they found a top-tier shipyard the owner was delighted with. For the amount of customization he wanted he had to get a bigger boat than originally planned, and his budget went up accordingly, but thus far he is incredibly happy with how the project is going. “And we intend to keep it that way,” says Jousma with a smile.
One thing to keep in mind when going full custom, is that the more specific a boat gets, the more specific an owner it will require when and if it does hit the brokerage market. But that’s why you hire IYG to help you find the right person. And remember, those prospective brokerage buyers are the ones who just want to get out on the water as a fast as possible anyway.