Company portrait
The genesis
"I'm going to be a yacht builder later," Tjerk said when he was ten years old and after visiting a yacht yard for the first time. Energetic as he was, he built his first sailboat in his parents' garage when he was only fifteen; an Optimist for his two younger sisters.
After he had finished a technical education he started to work at a yachtyard for wooden racing yachts.
In 1974 he met a regatta sailor who could not reach the podium in the Dutch 'Schakelklasse'. Together with his brother Henk, who studied technical physics, Tjerk revised the construction drawings of the Schakel. As a result, the material composition, the hull shape, the sail and the daggerboard were adjusted, sometimes in hair-thin details. The result: the first competition sailed with the modified Schakel, sail number 2213, was immediately won by a large margin. Tjerk Huttings technical understanding of what makes a boat tick and his talent for applying it were the key to this success, which was to be followed by wetiere. After this victory the requests for his fast regayachts followed.
On 17 October 1975 Hutting Yachtbuilding was admitted to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce. In a garage, sufficiently large but without heating or toilet, Schakel boats like Valken, the 16m2 and Rainbow were built. All of them were successful in various sailing competitions. The success grew steadily so that in 1979, in the water sports village of Grou, a new shipyard could start operations.
Ten years later, in 1985, Tjerk was asked if he could build a sailing yacht based on Dick Koopmans' design. This 40-foot Koopmans was eventually built for a customer who sailed it around the world. Together with Koopmans, Tjerk Hutting further developed the special concept of this yacht, which eventually resulted in the well-known Hutting 40. The first Hutting 40 was completed in 1989. Because of its unique combination of the well-known classic lines with seaworthiness and sailing comfort, the Hutting 40 quickly became a household name in the sailing world after several fairs in Germany, England and the Netherlands.
Due to the many orders that followed, Tjerk Hutting's business experienced very rapid growth, which made it necessary to expand the production facilities. Therefore, in 1993 a new shipyard was built in Makkum on the Ijsselmeer. Based on the concept of the Hutting 40, several versions of the Hutting yachts were developed in collaboration with architect Dick Koopmans senior; among others the Hutting 41, 45, 48, 50 and 58. The quickly recognizable Hutting sailing yachts can now be found all over the world, from the North Pole to the South Pole, from the North Sea to the Italian Riviera.
In the meantime, a total of 51 Hutting yachts have been built. On site, the shipyard offers berths that can be rented, as well as a heated winter storage for yachts.
From a garage to a shipyard that offers you everything under one roof: Building yachts, manufacturing components for elaborate one-off projects, repair, refit and maintenance, to comfortable berths. Born out of the all-defining vision of Tjerk Hutting: "Only do things that you find beautiful and that you stand behind!". This vision, combined with his passion for sailing and his attention to detail, has made Yachtwerft Hutting the name it is today: a true household name among sailors worldwide.