Van Dam artisans take great pride in perfecting both visible and unseen aspects, from neat wiring arrangements to making sure each Honduran mahogany log displays an identical grain pattern on both sides. The best guide to finding Nordia Van Dam 64 for sale.
Boyne City Boatworks in Michigan vibrates with purpose and quiet focus as each vessel is constructed in collaboration with its future owner.
Lady Anne
Lady Anne is a powerful and intelligent individual who refuses to succumb to Richard’s manipulation, fighting tirelessly for what she believes in despite opposition from within her family. Her story serves as an inspiring example that we can overcome any challenge with strength and resolve.
Van Dam Boats stands out in a luxury market where “bespoke” is often confused with “available in multiple colors.” Through extensive research and consultation with each client, these custom boats create something genuinely personal – an extension of both personality and mode of transportation. From their initial sketch on a napkin through final product completion, each vessel they craft represents both timeless legacy and modern patience in harmony.
Van Dam’s shop, an airy building that smells of freshly cut wood, hums with purpose. Steve makes sure his employees, ranging from apprentices to the machine shop foreman, work five 10-hour days each week during peak season – sometimes expanding up to seven 12-hour shifts! Steve recognizes finding skilled employees has always been an issue at his company and insists on raising wages and training his apprentices further.
Michael Peters Yacht Design led this particular project, while Van Dam was responsible for its construction. Van Dam included beautiful African mahogany skin on this boat that creates a distinctive aesthetic.
Italmas
Grove takes great pride in keeping his two Van Dam boats in tip-top condition and has ambitious plans. This year, he plans to bring “Star” to an annual wooden boat show alongside “Italmas.” After this exhibition, she will move into its heated warehouse, where Van Dam artisans will dismantle her fittings over winter before repainting her from stem to stern to maintain its Hingucker status.
Italmas is a testament to a successful collaboration among an owner, exceptional artisans, and an innovative design team – creating a throwback sailing yacht with both traditional comfort and cutting-edge performance thanks to the design team’s ability to incorporate modern construction methods seamlessly.
Van Dam’s Italmas cold-molded wooden boat is an outstanding example of their meticulous attention to detail and flawless joinery, from its impressive sailplane designed for single-handed sailing to its interiors showcasing Van Dam’s talented craftspeople – making an elegant wooden vessel that would indeed look spectacular in Saint-Tropez or Lake Como.
Mercator
Mercator Yachts’ latest offering, the Mercator, is an impressive world-class cruising design created for an Atlanta customer who desires classic sailing features and lively performance. This yacht demonstrates their dedication to detail through the use of exotic wood and state-of-the-art equipment.
Steve Van Dam founded his business in 1977 to provide boat restoration and repair. Over time, he became adept at cold molding – laminating thin strips of wood with room-temperature epoxy adhesives before gently bending them around frames – creating more muscular vessels than those held together with metal fasteners.
Van Dam Custom Boats’ team of skilled craftsmen works to meet its high standards. Their meticulous attention to detail ranges from neat internal wiring arrangements and matching grain patterns in Honduran mahogany; even their machine shop possesses an old vintage Bridgeport vertical milling machine from either the 1920s or 1930s that dates back to them!
In addition to doing its work, the company partners with outside manufacturers for certain parts, such as gauges and seats. Their seat manufacturing process involves intricate processes combining foam carving, sculpting, and vacuum sealing in order to produce fully molded seats.
Van Dam Classics
Van Dam’s business began by restoring and repairing small wooden boats in his Harbor Springs, Michigan, garage. After training with a master boat builder through apprenticeship, he started designing custom boats using cold molding – laminating thin strips of wood with room-temperature epoxy glues, then gently bending them around a frame to form a solid yet light boat that’s less likely to leak or rot than traditional wooden fastener models.
The first big break came when a Milwaukee resident purchased one of the company’s wooden boats, named Impshi after George Crouch’s 1920s Gold Cup racer, as a gift for himself. Impshi is an intriguing combination of classic style and modern performance; her bright mahogany topsides pay homage to old-school classics, while her double-stepped V-bottom, hybrid semi-surfacing drive and cleaver propeller provide current power.
Van Dam boats are known for their meticulous craftsmanship, which is evidenced in the Impshi. Each plank is hand-selected and matched for color and grain uniformity before laminating with epoxy to protect from moisture penetration and rot – this process usually takes eight-24 months to complete.
Van Dam’s small crew works five 10-hour days every week. When business picks up, this number increases to seven 12-hour days. Our team includes an apprentice machinist and master machinist, as well as a metalworking specialist.
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