Historical Huisman Boat Owners Continue Preservation of Early Wooden Fleet

Owners keep the early Huisman fleet operational

The Association of Owners of Historical Huisman Boats continues to preserve wooden vessels built by the yard before its transition into modern yacht construction. The organisation was founded in 1994 and brings together owners of surviving craft.

Between 1884 and 1943 the Huisman yard built a wide variety of wooden workboats and yachts near Ronduite. That location now sits within the Weerribben-Wieden national park, only a short distance from the company’s present Vollenhove facilities.

Annual gatherings bring different designs together

The association holds annual meetings where owners bring early workboats, cruisers and sailing craft together. The fleet ranges from traditional punters to pre-war designs such as Beulakermeerkruisers and Vollenhovensebollen.

Keeping these vessels in use requires specialist knowledge of timber construction and traditional repair techniques. Owners therefore preserve not only the boats but also part of the craft culture that preceded modern aluminium superyacht building.

Heritage shows how far the yard has evolved

Royal Huisman has developed from a local wooden-boat builder into an international custom-superyacht yard. The surviving historic fleet provides a physical record of that change across more than a century.

For the company, the association offers a direct link to its earliest work. The contrast between small wooden craft and today’s large custom yachts also illustrates how skills, materials and client expectations have changed while the underlying boatbuilding tradition has continued.