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Mulder Shipyard: "The world is our playing field"
Family businesses form the backbone of the economy. They demonstrate how knowledge and values pass from one generation to the next. As companies with a long-term perspective, they also look far ahead. In this series, MASTERS profiles family businesses with a story to tell. This episode focuses on Mulder Shipyard, which started in a metal shop shed in 1938 and has grown into a world-leading shipyard specialising in the design, development, construction and operation of high-quality motor yachts. MASTERS visits Nick Mulder, the third generation, at the headquarters in Zoeterwoude.
Family businesses are the cornerstone of the economy. They show the development from parent to child from the past. At the same time, as companies with a long-term perspective, they look far ahead. In this series, MASTERS portrays family businesses with a story. This episode focuses on Mulder Shipyard, which started in the shed of a metal shop in 1938 and has since grown into a world-leading shipyard in the field of design, development, construction and operation of high-quality motor yachts. MASTERS visits Nick Mulder, the third generation, at the head office in Zoeterwoude.
Mulder Shipyard was founded in 1938 by your grandfather, Dirk Mulder. What kind of company was it then?
“My grandfather had a metal shop in the Voorstraat in Voorschoten with a shed behind it. He started a course there on how to build a sailing boat. However, motor yachts turned out to be a much better business than sailing yachts, especially after the Second World War, when leisure activities became more important. This led to him building his first motor yacht in 1953: 7,50 meters long, with riveted frames and welded skin plates. From 1965 onwards, the shipyard focused entirely on building motor yachts, with the Super Favorite Cruiser becoming nationally famous. Today, this model is seen as a true classic. At the end of the sixties, my grandfather took early retirement and rented the shipyard to Hans van Kleef, of the later Zijlzicht marina in Warmond. In the early eighties – it was a crisis – he terminated the lease. My grandfather then wanted to sell the shipyard – which was no longer so much focused on yacht building, but was mainly used for winter storage and painting.”
But your father, Dirk Robert Mulder, had other plans…
“He had just come out of the service and thought: how hard can it be to run a shipyard? In 1984, at the age of 22, he took over the shipyard for the same rent. He built his first boat, financed by his grandfather, and took it to the HISWA te Water in Amsterdam. There was a bid, not quite the amount my father had hoped for, but after consultation with grandfather the bid was accepted: this brought in money with which the next boat could be built. That marked the start of the shipyard as it is today. My father was ambitious and built increasingly larger boats – 13,50 meters, 15,50 meters, 17,50 meters – which were given the name Favorite Superior. In 1994 he built the Ingeborg, the first boat over 20 meters, a milestone.”
You were six years old then. What role did boats play in your childhood?
“We lived on the shipyard, so I grew up on the water. I loved walking among those gigantic ships on the shipyard as a young boy. There are still people working here who saw me grow up. I was always busy with boats. We also always sailed boats ourselves, which is an advantage in this business: you know what you are talking about. In the superyacht industry, there are many people at the top who hardly sail and often don’t even get on board.”
Over the years your portfolio grew.
“At the beginning of the new millennium, the company had a bit more fat on its bones. There were about twenty or twenty-five people employed and they started investing in more beautiful designs. Together with award-winning designer Guido de Groot from Leiden, my father started new lines. That started with the Convertible, a sporty motor yacht up to 22 meters, then the Wheelhouse, a gentleman's yacht up to 24 meters, and then the Flybridge, a motor yacht up to 30 meters, suitable for seas and oceans. The bigger the boats, the more people came into play: captains, owner's representatives, lawyers… All that fuss, Dad thought. He wanted to go back to normal sizes, nice boats that you can sail yourself. Then he developed the Favorite 1500 – a reintroduction of my grandfather's Super Favorite – of which he built the first copy for himself. That has become a very successful model. For me that was also the first project that I was allowed to work on. It is now 43e model of the Mulder Favorite Series under construction.”
Was it clear from the start that you would join the company?
“I knew that at school. When I got a scolding, I said: 'It doesn't matter, I'll join the family business later anyway.' When I was eighteen, I was sitting with my dad in the backyard, by the water, thinking about what to do with my life. I wanted nothing more than to go into business, but he thought I had to study first. All kinds of sloops were sailing past. While we were sitting there in the garden, he suggested that all those sloops should go ashore in the winter. He gave me a forklift truck as a present and I rented a 1.000 square meter hall in Alphen aan de Rijn for 40.000 euros a year – that was quite a commitment at that age. I used that forklift truck to get sloops out of the water. That's how I started my own business. Dad always threw me in at the deep end, he let me swim. I think that was an important lesson: you have to develop yourself. When I was 22e – the same age as he was at the time – I joined the company.”
That took another step forward with the realization of a new shipyard.
“My father bought the land in 2006. There is more space here in Zoeterwoude, we can build more boats. He has always involved me in everything from the beginning, so I have also experienced the entire construction of this building, including how the walking routes were devised. In December 2012 we got the key. I dare say that this is the most efficient shipyard in this category. Here we can build around six yachts per year, but numbers are not so important to us: we focus on quality. We can not only build more, but also bigger. At the shipyard in Voorschoten the maximum was 27 metres, at this location we can build up to 50 metres. The fact that we play in the highest league is confirmed by the fact that our yachts have an ABS classification. That is the most stringent classification there is and means, among other things, that our ships are certified for unlimited navigation and a transatlantic range. The first year that we were at the new shipyard, we received the order for a fully custom-built motor yacht, the Solis. The customer's own design, but the quality of Mulder Shipyard is guaranteed.”
“I dare say that this is the most efficient yard in this category”
It would prove to be another milestone…
“In 2015 we delivered the Solis and in October of that year we took it to the Monaco Yacht Show, our first time. We tied the Solis to the quay as if it were the HISWA te Water, haha. In Monaco it is customary to be a bit difficult at the gangway and not let everyone on board. We Dutch people thought: come on board and see what we have made! During a tour, a gentleman seemed particularly impressed. 'Are you participating in the World Superyacht Awards?', he wanted to know. 'No, because that must be a rigged deal', we replied, 'the biggest advertiser wins and we are only a small shipyard.' It turned out that the man was the chairman of the jury! We immediately got a slap on the ear: 'It is not a rigged deal at all. The jury consists of twenty independent superyacht owners, who will judge the yachts in ten different disciplines.' Twenty superyacht owners who would view our boat… That is the best marketing you can get! So we participated. We didn’t think about it again until May of the following year. That month, the World Superyacht Awards Gala took place in the Palazzio Veccho in Florence. Red carpet, men in tuxedos, women in gala: a truly top event! When we saw the competitors in our category pass by, we became really competitive for the first time. We thought the Solis was the most beautiful ship, realised we could win. And we did! The jury invited us to come on stage – it was like the Oscar ceremony – and receive the coveted Neptune. A huge honour! But, we were only the builder of the Solis. Stubborn Dutchmen that we are, we would have done a few things differently ourselves, including building it in aluminium instead of steel, because: it doesn’t rust and is lighter. We started developing a 36-metre derivative of the Solis, but according to our own philosophy. That became the ThirtySix Delta One. The ThirtySix is the king ship of Mulder Shipyard, with four cabins below and the master cabin on the main deck, an apartment for the six-person crew in the front, a spacious wheelhouse, dining, bar, lounge, lots of glass and therefore lots of daylight. The experience is like standing on a 45-meter yacht. We have been building the boat for seven years now and in this category we have not yet met anyone who beats us. In 2018 we entered the Delta One, our own design, for the competition. And we won that too! Partly due to the intelligent layout. An insanely beautiful moment!”
Does such a prize and the marketing that goes with it still yield anything?
“The next day we were sitting next to the phone, so to speak: come on in with those orders. But that's not how it works. However, the reputation of the shipyard does grow, and you are seen as a serious party. To what extent does Dutch Built play a role in this? Well, I have seen many shipyards in the country and there are some things we certainly do not have to be proud of. But if you compare the Dutch mentality and reliability with those abroad: we deliver on time, keep our agreements, have the right intentions, strive for the very best... It is precisely the standards and values that we have here that are attractive to foreign customers. That is also Dutch Built! Yet our customers mainly come from the Netherlands. That was our own choice. In 2010, a few foreign customers ordered three boats from us at the same time. At that time, we were also busy building the shipyard. The fact that they were not so strict about payments put us in a difficult position. That is why we started to concentrate on the domestic market. In order to grow in breadth, we invested in a marina in 2018: Mulder Marina in Warmond. 5.000 square meters with 70 meters of quay on the Kagerplassen, the 'Hamptons of the Netherlands'.”
You have also started investing in a more efficient way of working.
“In the year that we won the prize with the Delta One, we started building large yachts on speculation for the first time. The advantage of this is that we can plan very well for the next three years and base our purchases on that. That is much more efficient than buying every time a customer places an order. In this way, we can guarantee super high quality for relatively attractive prices in a short delivery time. Moreover, and this is really unique for Mulder Shipyard, we can fully customize the interior at a very late stage. The risk of speculative building? You always sell a boat, the only risk is at what price. If the Dutch economy falters, people will be a bit more reserved. But then we can always look for buyers in America or the Middle East. That is why we have been looking abroad again in the last four years, because we do not want to be dependent on the Dutch economy. We have ships on De Kaag, but also in Australia and Palm Beach. The world is our playing field! To make sure that we are well-known, we are doing no fewer than eight boat shows abroad this year.”
What is the added value of MASTERS EXPO for you?
“I personally think it is a very nice show and last edition we also had a special ship to show, the Favorite 1700 'Anniversary Edition', which was built in honor of the 85th anniversary of the family business. Partly due to the luxurious interior with fabrics from Hermès, marble, leather, underfloor heating and an extensive option package, this edition can be seen as the most exceptional version in the Favorite 1700 series to date. We wanted to put it in the spotlight and MASTERS EXPO is the perfect platform for that.”
You had already won a design prize, hadn't you?
“In 2020, we entered the Interior Design Award with the ThirtySix yacht Calypso, the first one we built to spec, with an interior design by Vickers Studio in London. We did indeed win that award. The funny thing is that we traveled all over the world with the Calypso to find a customer for it. In the end, the buyer came from Wassenaar. He came to visit us on a Friday afternoon, when my father was on holiday. That same evening, I sent the quote. The next day, I got a call from an unknown number. Was it that customer – it was all so early that I hadn't even put it in my phone yet. He said he had read the quote and wanted to make an appointment to see if we could work it out. I almost choked on my coffee, haha. We met on Tuesday. In the meantime, I called my father a hundred times. The boats I had sold up to that point ranged in price from 1 to 4 million. This was of a completely different order. Just before the customer arrived, I had my father on the phone again. He said, 'Nick, stop it now! It's just a Favorite 1500, but with a zero behind it.' That's how I ended the conversation, and that same day it was handshake, deal. "
Since 2022, you also have a shipyard in Enkhuizen. Tell us.
“We bought them so that we could build the hulls of our 36-metre boats ourselves. There are only a handful of shipyards in the Netherlands that can handle that size. When building to stock, our purchasing position is an important part of the success. You want to choose the moment of purchase yourself and at the best price. In hull construction, that turned out to be quite a challenge, so we started doing it ourselves. And just like at our other locations, we only use the very best equipment and our real estate is in excellent condition, because you can't build high-quality ships in an old mud shed. If you do something, you have to do it very well or not at all. There are now twenty employees at the shipyard in Enkhuizen and the third hull is already being delivered. That was a golden move. It provides so much efficiency, return and flexibility!
Aren't you, like many other industries, struggling to find staff?
“In 2006, we decided to locate here and not in Friesland, where the land was much cheaper. That didn’t come out of the blue: the shipyard is close to Schiphol, on the Oude Rijn, around the corner from Rotterdam, the largest port in Europe, there are many suppliers here… Such a top location helps us find good staff. In addition, we have a sexy product. If you are an outstanding interior designer, you will feel attracted to the level at which we work. It is not without reason that Roelfien Vos has been working with us for years. When my father passed away two years ago, I felt a great need to continue with the people with whom I feel comfortable. All our partners – naval architects, designers, hull builders, you name it – have been working for us for a long time, they are growing with us. Roelfien is a very nice person. When I had to develop a boat myself for the first time, which I always did with my father, I asked her to help me. The briefing to her was 'I want an unprecedented high level, Rolls-Royce level' and that has been incredibly successful. In the meantime I have torpedoed her as 'preferred interior designer'."
Does the loyalty of the people you work with also have to do with the fact that you are a family business?
“Definitely. If you look at the way we treat people, pay invoices quickly, be there for the staff when something is wrong… We have a different bond in our club than you would experience at any other corporate. We are one team. We currently employ 84 people and have about 100 co-workers working for us.”
In August 2022, the year your father passed away, you became Managing Director. Have you changed course?
“In some ways we are very much the same and in some ways we are very different. Dad was the creative one, I am more at home in economics and people & organization. He wanted to build boats, I like to do marketing and sales, give presentations. Dad concentrated more on the boat, I on the company around it. We were like yin and yang: both very good at something and we strengthened each other. I miss his energy enormously, I miss him enormously. Just before he passed away he had built a boat for himself, the Favorite 900: completely aluminum, 9 meters long, the most beautiful teak. I took that over. I often go from home to work and back with it.”
“I grew up by the water. I loved walking between those gigantic ships on the shipyard as a young boy. There are still people working here who saw me grow up.”
Business creativity is not foreign to you: you continue to innovate.
“That's right. That's how we started a charter business. That's of course interesting for the owners. A superyacht easily costs a million a year to running costs, so if you can rent that out for seven to eight weeks, that covers the costs quite well. And in terms of marketing, we prefer our ships to be Champions League-beautiful in the bay or sailing around instead of being under covers in the harbor. In addition, renters can experience in this way whether they want such a yacht themselves: try before you buy. That is very successful. Furthermore, we are working on a new concept, 50 meters, the Mulder Fifty. The scale model is currently being used to generate interest among potential customers. Finally, we have just set up a new company, Mulder 360 Service. From there we will offer unique service on a contract basis, unseen in this industry. For example, we visit all ships at least once a year, we do not call that an APK but MPK: Mulder Periodic Inspection. Then we do a complete survey, which results in a report that we give to the customer as advice. We will also hire, train and manage crew for the customers, we offer 24/7 assistance, we have developed a Planned Maintenance System… Everything to guarantee the quality of the ship, so that it remains as new. I would want that myself if I were a customer.”
In 2038 Mulder Shipyard will be 100 years old. What goals do you want to have achieved by then?
"The goal is Royal Mulder, that would really be the crowning glory of our work. If we qualify for that, I would definitely go for it. And by then my son Nick Jr. and daughter Grace – still toddlers – will slowly start thinking about what they want to do with their lives. I hope to be able to offer them a great opportunity with a healthy company."
MASTERS Magazine
Curious about the rest of the article? Every success starts with a dream. That is the leitmotif of the summer edition of MASTERS. As a little girl, Iris Hond dreamed of becoming a concert pianist. She had the talent, the discipline, the love for playing the piano and the courage to pursue her dream. Even setbacks did not deter her from her path. “Then I remembered the stories about the rough rock 'n' roll life that Jan Cremer told when he was at our house: the pain, the misery – it's part of it”, she says in the major interview, with unique photography by Rahi Rezvani. Entrepreneur Harald Swinkels was also guided by a dream: first earn a lot of money, then make films. And so he sold his energy company and took the exit to Hollywood. Real estate entrepreneur Max Vorst uses his fortune to collect art. MASTERS received a private tour of the Beelden aan Zee museum, where part of his collection is currently on display. Dream trips are also being realized more and more often. “The need to invest in 'building memories together' is increasing," says Avila Reizen founder Tim van der Wel in an article about the future of travel. If only I had? If only I could? “I dream that I paint and then I paint what I dream,” said Vincent van Gogh. So, while leafing through the new magazine, dream of the Range Rover Sport SV, the Mulder ThirtySix or access to Ferrari's exclusive elite club Corse Clienti. MASTERS 58: a song to dream away to.
