Growing from less than 10 to more than 80 employees, our yard isn’t same yard it was 28 years ago. Times change and we’re changing with it. What hasn’t changed is our location, the small Frisian village of Makkum. It has been our home from the very start and its down to earth mentality keeps us healthy and focussed.
Heritage
Rooted in the fishing village of Makkum, engineering freedom has always been part of our DNA. For generations, living with the sea meant understanding it, respecting it, and engineering solutions that simply work. That mindset shaped a culture of clarity, cooperation and responsibility, the foundation on which KM Yachtbuilders was built in 1998.
By designing and building every yacht entirely in-house, we give owners true freedom: freedom in design, freedom in engineering, and freedom to sail without compromise. When the margin between sink or swim is measured in millimetres, there is no room for shortcuts — only for absolute precision, proven engineering and timeless craftsmanship.
At KM Yachtbuilders, engineering freedom is not a slogan. It is a way of working, refined over decades and applied to every yacht we build.
Eeuwe Kooi makes the move from yacht repair and storage to yacht building by taking over the bankrupted aluminium yard next door. It also marks the start of the collaboration between KMY and Dykstra Naval Architects.
The first yacht to be fully built from A to Z by KM Yachtbuilders.
KMY starts working on the build of Bestevaer 2, Gerard Dijkstra’s personal aluminium yacht. This really gets things going.
Build of Bestevaer 76S ‘Annagine’ (now ‘Aurelius’), the longest Bestevaer to date.
Launched as a practical ocean cruiser, Oester was designed by Van de Stadt with extensive input from KM Yachtbuilders and her engineer owner. Featuring a lift keel, dual lifting rudders, and a deck optimized for short-handed sailing, she combines safe ocean-crossing capability with access to shallow waters and highly functional innovations.
Launch of Bestevaer 56 ‘Tranquilo’, noted for her classic exterior lines and modern interior. Now called ‘Falcon Spirit’.
Celebrating 10 years of KMY. A year for reflection as well as looking ahead.
Introducing Albatros, built around the owner’s motto: simplicity is strength. With a straight bow, long waterline and no-teak deck, she combines excellent sailing qualities with a practical, robust design by Gerard Dijkstra and Dykstra Naval Architects.
As the business grows, the office starts to feel a bit cramped. Time to build a brand spanking new office space.
Launch of the Tulip, the largest yacht up to that date.
Launched in 2012, Morning Haze is the only Bestevaer 55 with a lift keel, featuring a bespoke interior with underfloor heating and innovative layouts. Built for long-range family cruising, she demonstrates KM Yachtbuilders’ expertise in combining comfort, practicality and high-latitude capability.
2014 KMY joins the CAM-Race from Lauwersoog (NL) to Larvik (NO) for the second time, this year with seven of her yachts.
The semi-standard Bestevaer 45 PURE model is launched. The first yacht is called ‘Nescio’. Six more yachts will follow in the next years.
Delivered at the end of 2018, OCD 66 Qilak is a custom sailing yacht where engineering freedom defined the brief. Designed by Owen Clarke Yacht Design, she was built with safety and robustness as key criteria, featuring ice-reinforced hull plating, a collision bulkhead, an ice girder and five watertight doors. Engineered for high-latitude sailing, pole to pole, as the owner puts it.
Build of NanuQ. With her 24 meter, NanuQ (Inuït for polar bear) isn’t our longest, but in volume still our biggest build to date. And as her name suggests she was built for the arctic.
This Ovni undergoes a large refit at our yard, followed by over 15 other Ovni’s undergoing mostly the same refit: removale of corroding paint and applying an anti-skid foil on deck.
2020 sees another Bestevaer introduction. This time one without sails: the Bestevaer Motoryacht.
Launched in 2020, Symbiose is a fully custom 72-footer designed with Dykstra Naval Architects to suit a family with diverse sailing ambitions — from high-latitude adventures to warm Caribbean cruises. KM Yachtbuilders continued to refine her capabilities through an extensive refit in 2024–2025.
Delivery of Pelagic 77, Skip Novak’s latest expedition ship, ready to explore the seven seas and beyond.
After 20 years the Bestevaer 76 previously called Annagine returns to the yard under her new owner for an extensive 2 year refit
Introducing the most compact Bestevaer yet. The Bestevaer 36 delivers true blue-water capability in a highly efficient design and was awarded a Special Mention for Sustainability at the European Yacht of the Year Awards.
Launch of the second Pelagic 77.
To prepare the yacht for the Northwest Passage
Delivered in 2025, Alvorada is an 18 m custom aluminium blue‑water cruiser designed by Owen Clarke Design for long‑range voyaging in both tropical and high‑latitude waters. Built for shorthanded sailing with robust systems, generous workshop space and comfortable accommodations, she reflects KM Yachtbuilders’ craftsmanship and engineering freedom for any ocean and climate.
When the owner of Christopher (which was under construction) sadly died in 2009 the yard took over ownership from the family. Now after more than 15 years this classic beauty is completed and ready to set sail again with a new happy owner.
Delivered in 2026, Tethys is a Bestevaer 53 explorer yacht built for Tom Waes, designed for true go-anywhere adventure across oceans, tropical passages and extreme conditions. Crafted with a strong focus on sustainability, she features recycled aluminium, bamboo interiors and a regenerative electric drive—proving that long-range exploration and environmental responsibility can sail hand in hand.
It is not just our own yachts or aluminium yachts that come to Makkum for a refit. A good example is this traditional Dutch aak.
Delivered in 2026, Brynja is a new addition to the Bestevaer 53 M/Y range. Built in aluminium for strength and durability, she offers a phenomenal boating experience and is ideal for exploring coasts, rivers, lakes and cities in all weather conditions, combining comfort, capability and timeless design.
Translating the customer’s demands and wishes into a comfortable, reliable and safe yacht is basically what the design process entails. It all starts with listening to the customer, what do they want, what do they need and how can we make that happen.
Aluminium is our material of choice when it comes to yacht building. It is lightweight, strong, stiff, low maintenance and customisable. Moreover, it can be recycled indefinitely.
A yacht isn’t built in a day. For the future owner it starts when after years of dreaming they decide that the time to have their own yacht built, is now.
Between the first contact with a customer and the moment that champagne bottle hits the hull around 50 people have put in their share to create the customers dream yacht. The way we work differs from other companies in the way that we realise every chain in this link is equally vital to have every boat meet our standards. Every part between bow and stern has been thought over, discussed, designed, constructed and assembled by self-managing teams. All of our people, from the yard floor to the design studio, to the administration office, work for the same goal are all equally responsible for getting there.
Our team is always ready to assist our yacht owners with advice and assistance in the event of contingencies.
Every yacht we built is unique, and built specifically for its owner. No two yachts are the same, as each owner has his own wishes and demands.