Vitters Shipyard
Netherlands · ZwartsluisGrade B+35 of 40Zwartsluis builder of full-custom aluminium sailing yachts of 40 to 75 m, three big projects at a time, with a new managing director from Royal Van Lent.
What happened, 2023 to 2026
- Dec 2023Build59 m Maximus delivered
- Apr 2025Deal44 m W-Magic delivered; 63 m Project Dreamer signed for 2028
- May 2025Build80 m shed in use; 68 m Project 3095 hull turned
- Feb 2026Deal53 m Project 3097 signed for 2029
- Jul 2026Build68.9 m Zero launched, billed fossil-fuel-free
- Aug 2026Top seatMaarten van Marle, from Royal Van Lent engineering, managing director
What it adds up to. Full to 2029 on a new shed; in August 2026 the owner installed an engineer from Royal Van Lent as managing director.
Who runs it
- Ownersince 1991
- Managing Director / CEOsince 2026
- Manager sales and marketingsince 2020
- Manager Engineeringsince 2023
- Financial director (part-time)since 2018
- HR manager (part-time)since 2026
Organisation. Owner above an engineer managing director
What it shows for a new yard. Owner above an engineer managing director; commercial is two people.
Former leaders now elsewhere4 people who held a top or senior seat here
- now General Manager New Build at Royal Huisman
- now Manager Refit & Service at Royal Van Lent Shipyard
- now Operational Director at Balk Shipyard
- now COO at Steeler Yachts
Organisation chartthe top seat, the senior layer by function, and the managers where the top team is small; the number two is marked
Sales and marketing1 senior, 1 managers | Engineering and design1 senior, 3 managers | Production and operations5 managers | Projects and service4 managers | Purchasing2 managers | Finance, legal and IT1 senior, 3 managers | People1 senior, 2 managers |
 Bas Peute Manager sales and marketing since 2020 NV Niels van Karsen Sales engineer since 2021 |  Leendert Kleijwegt Manager Engineering since 2023  Adrie Braker Lead engineer, electrical since 2022  Levent Delgen Interior and technique coordinator since 2022  Sjoerd Bleeker Lead engineer, shipbuilding since 2025 |  Bas Ouwehand Production leader since 2022  Ferdy Jonkman Workshop supervisor since 1999  Matthijs Hartog Production manager, project 3095 (contractor) since 2026 WV Willem van der Horst Production leader since 2025 HD Hans Dijkstra Team leader since 2009 |  Ester Ruijgers Project manager since 2023  Gerrit Jongman Project manager since 2018  Matthijs van de Kieft Project manager since 2025 RD Richard Daenen Project manager, engineering since 2026 |  Alex Matei Senior project purchaser since 2012  Norbert Milders Technical project purchaser since 2023 | AT Aline ten Hoeve Financial director (part-time) since 2018  Peter Slager RA Interim controller since 2025  Rudolph Stiekema Controller since 2009  Wilfred Hogeboom Controller since 2025 |  Janine Wiersma HR manager (part-time) since 2026  Henny Rook HR advisor since 2021  Sjoeke Woudstra HR advisor since 2024 |
Number twoThe owner is the second seat. A managing director hired in August 2026 under the owner; the next layer is an engineering manager of 62 and a sales manager.
The top team as read on LinkedIn68 people read as staff, October 2026
Owner over a new managing director (an engineer from Royal Van Lent), a part-time financial director, a manager of engineering (from Oceanco and Mercury), a sales and marketing manager with one sales engineer, HR, project managers and production leaders; many engineers hired from Royal Huisman in 2025-2026.
Vitters, a sailing-yacht builder of about 80, has just installed a managing director from the engineering side under a long-time owner, while its engineering bench fills from Royal Huisman across the IJssel. Commercial is two people. The pattern is the owner-plus-engineer-MD model, not a commercial GM.
Sales and marketing 1
Engineering and design 1
Finance, legal and IT 1
People 1
Sales and marketing 1
Engineering and design 3
Production and operations 5
Projects, service and after-sales 4
Purchasing and supply chain 2
Finance, legal and IT 3
People 2
42 more people read as staff below manager level: see them in the directory.
Seats and dates are as the people describe them on LinkedIn; a person who moved in the last months can still show the old seat. Tap a person for the profile and the reading.
Facts and news, with sourcesthe research behind the overview
Show the facts and the dated news with their sources
Identity
- Full name: Vitters Shipyard B.V. source
- Founded: 1990, by Jan Vitters, first to build hulls for mega yachts; Louis Hamming joined soon after and the yard turned to sailing yachts (first delivery Aphrodite I, 1993). source
- Headquarters and main yard: Zwartsluis, the Netherlands. New shed (80 m x 30 m x 16 m) built 2024–2025 for larger projects. source
- Other locations: Amsterdam site used for launching (W-Magic launched there 2025-01); Harlingen used for launch of Zero (2026-07). source 1 source 2
- Ownership: private; described as "family-owned" (2024-10). Names of shareholders and stakes not public. source
- Sister brands and holdings: Green Marine (UK composite builder, acquired 2010); Claasen Shipyards (Zaandam), taken over in 2016 by Vitters together with Claasen management, Vitters as majority holder; both brands kept. Current status of both in 2023–2026: not found. source 1 source 2
Size
- Employees: about 110 people (Boat International sponsored profile, 2026-03-31). source
- Fleet: 35 yachts on the water and 3 large projects in build, as of 2026-03-31.
- Capacity statement: three 500 GT projects at once (about 1,500 GT); Bas Peute says going above 2,000 GT in total is not feasible for a yard of this size (2026-03-31).
- Revenue: not found.
- Global Order Book position: not found.
Product
- Size range: 40 m to 75 m sailing superyachts, 300 GT to under 1,000 GT (most new builds just under 500 GT). source
- Hull materials: mainly aluminium (Maximus, Magic, Project 3095, Project Dreamer); steel on earlier yachts (Aquijo, 86 m, built with Oceanco, 2016). source 1 source 2
- Build type: full custom only; no series or semi-custom line found.
- Notable deliveries and launches 2023–2026.
- Maximus (Project 3090), 59.3 m sailing yacht, Germán Frers design, delivered 2023-12. source
- W-Magic (Project 3093), 44.3 m sloop, Reichel Pugh design, launched 2025-01, delivered 2025-04. source
- Zero (Project 3094), 68.9 m, Vripack and Dykstra, billed as the first "fossil-fuel-free" sailing yacht, launched 2026-07, in sea trials. source
- In build: Project 3095, about 68 m classic-style aluminium ketch (Hoek Design), contract 2023-09, hull turned 2025-05, delivery planned summer 2026 (not confirmed); Project Dreamer (3096), 63 m, delivery 2028; Project 3097, 53 m sloop (Dykstra), delivery 2029-02. source 1 source 2 source 3
Leadership
- CEO: Louis Hamming, as of 2026-07-10 (quoted as "CEO of Vitters"). source
- Sales and marketing director: Bas Peute, as of 2026-03-31 (called sales and marketing manager on 2025-04-07). source 1 source 2
- Founder: Jan Vitters; earlier listed with Louis Hamming as managing directors (Sybass member page, undated). source
News 2023 to 2026
- 2026-07
Vitters launches the 68.9 m Zero in Harlingen after rollout from Zwartsluis; sea trials follow.boatinternational.com
- 2026-05
Aluminium structure of the 63 m Project Dreamer well underway; delivery 2028.boatinternational.com
- 2026-02
Contract signed for Project 3097, a 53 m Dykstra sloop; keel laying 2027-01, delivery 2029-02.vitters.comboatinternational.com
- 2025-05
Hull of the 68 m Project 3095 turned and moved into the new shed.vitters.com
- 2025-04
Vitters signs the contract for the 63 m Project Dreamer (Malcolm McKeon exterior).yachtharbour.com
- 2025-04
44.3 m W-Magic delivered.boatinternational.com
- 2024-10
Piles laid for a new 80 m shed at Zwartsluis, due spring 2025.marinebusiness.news
- 2023-12
59 m Maximus delivered.boatinternational.com