B-Craft’s founder couldn’t find the right boat, so he built one
B-Craft grew out of a family search for a boat that could deliver both luxury and watersports functionality. Unable to find a model that met those requirements, yacht designer and engineer Joris van Aelst decided to create one himself, developing the nine-metre Akoya around a combination of classic styling and practical innovation.
Since then the company’s also developed a 40ft chase boat to respond to customer demand for more space for water sports equipment and people on board. Van Aelst says customer feedback helped shape the decision to develop the larger model.
B-Craft develops luxury boat concept around watersports
B-Craft’s idea, to address a gap in the market for boats that combine classic luxury styling with practical watersports capabilities, emerged from the family’s boating experiences but they struggled to find a model that offered both.
“We were really fond of the Riviera style boats, but they couldn’t really do the whole sports part,” van Aelst says.
Having studied yacht design and engineering, he decided to design one himself boat. The result was the Akoya.
Patented tower addresses tender storage challenges
One of the boat’s key innovations is a patented tower that folds into the deck. The design addresses the practical difficulties of transporting boats by road and fitting tenders into superyacht garages, where conventional wakeboarding towers can create height and clearance problems.
“When you’re done, you fold it down and then it kind of just looks like a really classically styled day or tender,” says van Aelst.
Akoya took around three and a half years to develop and incorporated many innovations, he says.
Tahiti expands B-craft’s range
Now B-Craft promotes its boats through major Mediterranean shows and smaller, targeted events intended to attract prospective buyers and arrange sea trials. Its priority is to establish trust in the brand, its manufacturing partners and its service.
“The goal is now to build that trust with people, customers, even people we don’t necessarily know,” van Aelst concludes.
About the Founder Podcast Series
This discussion forms part of the Founder Podcast Series, a collaboration between Yachting Ventures, Marine Industry News, and the Ben Taylor Podcast. The series explores innovation, leadership, and the evolving opportunities across the marine and yachting sectors.
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