MAKKUM – The Gebroeders van Enkhuizen shipyard – i.e. brothers Marko and Ronald Van Enkhuizen + brother-in-law Jan Visser – has been building custom motor and sailing yachts from 12 to 24m (40-80ft) since 1992.
Its cutter-rigged sailing yachts – the Enksail, the Enksail Noordkaper and the Enksail Orion – stand out for their functionality. Their raised, roomy wheelhouses offer 360-degree views and shield everyone onboard from lousy weather.
“Our Noordkapers have made trips to the Caribbean and the polar waters,” says Ronald van Enkhuizen.
He adds that clients’ design wishes are taken into account. In the case of the Enksail, “we are often told there is a need for cooking with a view, so we have made it possible to have the galley in the deckhouse.”
The Gebroeders van Enkhuizen shipyard’s reputation spreads far and wide. On a recent yard visit, this newsletter saw a Noordkaper 46GT being prepared for delivery to an American owner in the US state of Washington. GT stands for Grand Tour, a model version that includes extras for comfort and makes it possible to sail the yacht with a small crew. The shipyard is building another Enksail NK 46GT for a Dutch customer.
“The boat for the US client goes to Seattle next year,” says Ronald van Enkhuizen. “Normally, the construction time is about 18 months, but because of the Covid restrictions and the requested styling of the interior, it took a little longer.”
The yard marks its 30th anniversary in 2022. It has to date delivered 21 Noordkapers. In several halls, it builds sailing and motor yachts and one-offs for individuals and other yards.
The Gebroeders van Enkhuizen shipyard also markets very high-end Sossego-branded motor yachts. They were drawn by Mulder Design of the Netherlands, a studio known for drawing fast motor yachts. Sossego Yachts is a fast, aluminum motor yachts line from 22 to 30m (72-98ft). The line comes in three models: the Comfort-22, the Sport-23 and the Comfort-30.
The yard had a modest start.
Working from a single toolbox in a VW van in 1992, it did yacht installations, sold Mastervolt and Yanmar products and imported the British sailing yacht brands Sadler and Starlight.
By now, they market half a dozen motor and sailing yachts of up to 27m (89ft): steel Enkcrafts of 13.5 to 24m. (44-79ft) are for inland and offshore sailing and boast twin engines for maneuverability. The Sossego yachts (22 to 27m) are fast, high-end aluminum craft. The Sossego Sport has a top speed of 40+ knots, courtesy of twin 1100HP diesel engines.
