Deutsche Yachten member Robbe & Berking Yachts breaks new ground and presents the concept for three very elegant motor-driven commuter yachts.
The name Robbe & Berking Yachts stands for classic yachts made of wood and handcrafted at the shipyard in Flensburg. The yacht builders have so far established themselves primarily as experts for sailing yachts – now the brand wants to break new ground and has, together with beiderbeck designs, designed the concept for three very elegant motor-driven commuter yachts.
Commuter yachts are a legacy of the golden 1920s, when the mighty of Wall Street drove their “commuter” yachts across Long Island Sound to Manhattan for work. These yachts were fast and stylish, yet not very luxurious, being used primarily as a reliable alternative to overland travel. They were also often used as tenders for larger yachts.
Robbe & Berking Classics and beiderbeck designs have now designed three modern-interpreted commuter yachts that have the unmistakable retro style of the 1920s, combined with the economy and comfort expected today. The choice of propulsion – diesel, hybrid or electric – is entirely up to the client.
The classy small series will consist of a 10-meter day cruiser, a 12-meter weekend cruiser and a 23.5-meter flagship, offering plenty of space as well as versatility. The three commuter yachts share an elegant design with narrow hulls that cut extremely smoothly through the waves. The hulls are made of wood, manufactured using a modern composite process, making them high-strength, insulating, lightweight and with an indoor climate that only wood can provide. The superstructures are flat and rounded, offering plenty of interior space and light precisely because of this.
Oliver Berking comments on the new business as follows: “We wanted breathtaking motorboats of the absolute upper class. And, of course, in the Robbe & Berking style, i.e. classic and emotional lines and, at the same time, technical concept solutions of the finest quality with modular deck layouts that meet every customer requirement.”
The ten-meter commuter features a fixed bimini and sunroof, a large dinette with galley and refrigerator in the cockpit, and a sunbed and swim platform aft. Below deck is a double berth, a bathroom with toilet and a second galley with refrigerator. The slightly larger weekend cruiser offers more interior space and a second cabin on a length of twelve meters.
The interior of both versions is particularly bright and friendly, thanks to the continuous band of windows in the superstructure. The 10- and 12-meter commuters also feature a clear-lacquered mahogany transom that folds down to turn into a terrace on the water. With their compact size and clever layout, these two yachts, in addition to their role as stand-alone day and weekend cruisers, are perfect as tenders or escort boats for large superyachts.
The largest of the three designs, meanwhile, offers enough seaworthiness to navigate the often rough coastal waters of Europe, quickly transforming into an elegant canal yacht for cruising inland European waters with a hydraulically retractable superstructure. This retractable roof over the cockpit provides a compact size within the so-called “Freycinet dimensions”, the French standard for canals established in the 19th century. This allows the largest of the commuters to reach remote and romantic locations along the smaller canals.
On the open sea, this yacht manages a cruising speed of over 20 knots thanks to its narrow semi-planing hull. Below deck, there is enough room for up to four owners and guests in spacious cabins with a separate crew area complete with crew mess and a professional galley.
Claus-Ehlert Meyer, Managing Director of the German Boat and Shipbuilders Association and thus also of the working group Deutsche Yachten, says: “I am delighted that there is now yet another address for high-quality motor yachts from Germany. The Made in Germany seal is very popular with the yacht-savvy UHNWI elite. Hopefully we will soon see the first commuter from Flensburg. Robbe & Berking Classics have proven with sensational newbuilds in the sailing yacht sector that they can handle the material wood like few shipyards in Europe.”
