Lengers Yachts: On course for success - these are the goals the brand dealer is aiming for
Uske Berndt
· 25.12.2023
The location could hardly be better. There is a large hall to the right and left, with a car park and manoeuvring area in between, at the end of which is a jetty with a crane. Flybridge motor yachts bob in the Muiden canal here. Muiderslot Castle rises picturesquely in the background. Welcome to Lengers Yachts, the exclusive Prestige and Sanlorenzo dealer for the Benelux countries and Germany as well as the Northern European representative for Sacs maxi RIBs. The family business has also had Stratos on its list for a year now, an exciting and striking weekender series made from robust 50-footers.
Business is booming, the main site just outside Amsterdam is undergoing a major expansion, construction workers are hammering and sanding in the new extension to hall two, directly opposite the showroom. "This will be my office," says Bas Lengers, striding through the bare room and grinning, "a complete renovation." As CEO, he has been managing the company's business for 41 years.
The purchase and construction of the yachts is in the hands of Lengers
The basis of their business sounds simple: Lengers arranges the purchase and construction of the yachts and receives a commission for this - currently for around 100 transactions per year - "the customer can relax and enjoy their yacht," summarises Pien Hommes from Marketing. But the whole process is also a labour of love. "We take care of everything from A to Z," clarifies Bas Lengers, his magic word is "turnkey". The service package for owners also includes financing and insurance, testing, organising berths and crew as well as chartering through the subsidiary Boatsters Black.
Hans Lengers senior founded his business in 1970, and it has been located in Muiden on the Ijsselmeer since 2004. "We have the open sea on our doorstep here," says Bas, "perfect for seatrials without a speed limit." He himself joined the family business back in 1982, it was obvious: "Ships are my passion." Today, 80 people work at the Muiden and Lelystad sites, plus 15 to 20 on Mallorca, in Cala Nova and Puerto Portals, as well as smaller offices in Belgium and Finland plus representatives in Munich and Düsseldorf. Over the past ten years, he has invested heavily in flying the flag in the German market. "It is the key country for our growth."
The major brands in the current catalogue are relatively new. Prestige and Sacs joined the catalogue around twelve years ago, Sanlorenzo only in 2016, meaning that Lengers covers a broad spectrum, from ribs to superyachts. And they don't just build to order: The company buys around 75 per cent of the Prestige yachts at its own risk and offers the mostly 14 to 18-metre semi-custom yachts to potential customers, while the figure for Sanlorenzo is 40 per cent.
Owners have favourite areas
The owners have their own favourite areas. "Around 80 per cent of our prestige yachts stay in the Netherlands," reports Bas, "and 100 per cent of the Sanlorenzos we sell are in the Mediterranean." The same applies to the Sacs, although the Belgians like to move their treasures to the south of France and the Germans prefer to head for Mallorca. Bas Lengers has his eye on them there again, as he himself lives on the island for part of the year, while his brother Hans lives in France and pushes the business from there.
Bas Lengers speaks four languages fluently and loves to mingle with his customers, for example at the annual meeting of the Prestige Owner's Club. "We go out with 20 yachts and head for pre-booked harbours, where there is live music and good food." When the participants return home satisfied, that is the best advertisement for Lengers and the yacht brands.
The boss is actually always on the move. Ten to 15 events a year are organised around the Sanlorenzo brand alone, making it the ideal contact exchange. If a potential customer shows interest in a particular model, an intensive consultation session follows. What exactly should it be, with a flybridge or without? For a family? Once the basis has been established, Lengers travels to Italy with the interested parties, shows them the shipyards and the range of models. "50 to 60 per cent of customers are already owners," he says. Within two hours, he knows which way they are leaning. Once the decision has been made in favour of a yacht type, it's time for the interior. Together they roam the showroom, selecting the furniture and details. During the construction period, Lengers monitors every stage of production and the customers are often present during the flying visits.
A dream yacht in twelve months with Lengers
The dream yacht will be ready in around twelve months. This means that Lenger's customers are marching past the long waiting list for a Sanlorenzo. "Normally, an SD 118 would be launched in spring 2027," says the boss, "so it's good that we have reserved building slots or have a few yachts in stock." Naturally, he also attends the launch and gives a speech. In Italy, a priest always attends the ceremony, but not so much elsewhere. A good opportunity to demonstrate Nordic humour. "At a handover in Mallorca, I dressed up and appeared in full costume," says Bas, showing the video on his smartphone. The Dutch owner of the SP 110 and the guests had a lot of fun.
After delivery, things get serious again, Lengers tests the yacht and is the first point of contact for warranty claims and service. Contact with the customer remains close, "almost like in a marriage", smiles Bas and knows what he is talking about. His wife Evelien also works in the company.
Being successful as a retailer was not enough for him. "We want to grow," is his credo. "We seize the opportunities that arise and try to make everything possible." This also includes the idea of the shipyard and Stratos. "How great would it be to create our own brand, our own boat?" Bas has been asking himself for years. He had always liked dayboats and weekenders, and he knew how customers imagined something like this anyway. "We liked the idea of transferring the quality of a superyacht to 15 metres," he explains, "we wanted the design of a sport utility vessel, an SUV on the water that you can take out in four-metre waves."
Travelling in other spheres
Bas invited a few designers and engineers round to his house and they started drawing at the dining table. "We started with the carbon fibre hardtop, that's the most important thing," says Bas. He then mentions the minimalist design and the strict spatial separation of electrics and motors. "The order book is full," confirms Paul Verheij, the new brand manager for Stratos and former sales manager for Bugatti.
For the DB50, everything is to be "Dutch built", designed by top Dutch designers, built locally and independent of suppliers. The new location in Lelystad, also on the Ijsselmeer, is only half an hour's drive from Muiden. Here, too, construction work is underway on a new hall, and the Lengers Marine Centre with its 70-tonne crane will soon also serve as a repair workshop and winter storage facility.
There are already four DB50 hulls in various stages of production in a hall, and the world premiere of the number one will be in January 2024 at the boot in Düsseldorf. The name "Stratos" is not just a made-up word. "The stratosphere is actually impossible for humans to reach," says Bas Lengers, grinning again. What's it like to be a shipyard manager now? "Different," he says, "but luckily I have a talented team." When asked whether everything he has planned will work out, he just nods. He always looks ahead. "I'm 60, I want to go full throttle for at least another ten, maybe another 20 years."
