Any Burger Updates?

What made me ask this is the Yacht News post on the Burger 120 RPH. That design was developed years ago as were many other designs, but they've never built one.

To my knowledge in the last 8 years or more, they've only built four recreational vessels, three 48' boats and the 103' Northland yachtfisher. On the commercial side, I believe they have a ferry they're building and they've built a couple of Chicago Tour boats and a boat for the Niagara river gorge.

Am I missing anything? How many employees have they retained with this low level of activity? What about their financial health? If they received an order for a 120' RPH or a 214' Tri-deck, could they do it successfully and timely? I ask because they did have problems with one of their final recreational builds which was outside their normal wheelhouse over 10 years ago and I would love to hear convincing arguments that they could, in fact, build the 120 and the 214 and all the other designs they show but have never built. It seems they would be somewhere between a start-up and a seasoned, experienced builder, and I'd love to hear more about where on that scale they might fall.

While I never bemoan the loss of Trinity as I think they became a total chaotic and irreputable mess, I do feel sad over the loss of Burger as an active motoryacht builder. I still think of the quality and beauty of Top Times which was reviewed here and we had the pleasure of chartering.

I know. I just don't know their capabilities or what is going on there today.

And they went to Feadship for a build after Burger. It was a great example of "We need the business, we'll agree to anything, we'll figure out how to do it." Same thing Nordhavn did with the 120 agreeing to do everything to Westport standards.

What other US based custom yacht builders? Really the only builder who comes to mind is Westport and they're not custom in the sense we're discussing. And now, for very different reasons you have no yachts from Hatteras. I think the production builders have changed things a lot. I put Westport as the US representative, but now you have so many choices from Europe in the 150' and under range.

Orin Edson believed strongly in doing whatever you could to keep the line going and would fund speculative builds which nearly always sold before completed. I do believe Burger could compete favorably against those like Heesen and Moonen, but if they want to be in the recreational yacht business, I believe they're going to need the funding and willingness to jump ahead and build one of the new designs. The buyer needs proof of concept. So many people now building in that size range. Sunseeker has five boats over 100'. Sanlorenzo has a full range. Ferretti has added them to the Pershing and the Riva line. Burger, at their peak, could build quality none of the production builders can match. However, that was then and what is now? You don't retain that ability automatically and it's not a year or two later, but ten years since they had serious recreational building in those ranges. My impression is they're not going to be aggressive so they're going to build what comes their way easily and that will limit them to where they are today.

The only thing limiting building in the US is investment. The British and Italian builders all got it. Chinese and Turkish builders have it. Most of the builders in those four countries have gotten it from large industrialists. Other than Chouest, no one has put new money into US building. The last one was Felix Sabates and his strategy actually removed the profits from Trinity. Then of course Luken did the same to Christensen. And we need direct, primary investors, not venture capitalists.

Looking at 120-180', I've been to the factories and on boats in that range from Heesen, Sanlorenzo, Sunseeker, and Fipa (now Next), and all build good boats, but none of that list finish with the quality Burger once had.

Since you are in sales and marketing for them, surely you could share what model boats they are building and if the builds have actually been started. Surprises me a bit as they've always been quick to announce projects on their website and elsewhere. I know that I, and others, will follow with great interest.