“We do everything ourselves”: Whilst Poland has long been regarded as a traditional exporter of low-cost components for boat and yacht building, supplying many large-scale shipyards with hulls, decks and moulded parts, the Gdańsk-based company Galeon has always pursued a completely opposite strategy, as Sales Manager Patryk Pettke proudly explains. From mould-making to cleats, from the track for the sliding glass door to the hinge for the electro-hydraulically folding bulwarks, complete boats are built here with a virtually unparalleled level of vertical integration. Galeon employs its own upholsterers and joiners, bonds the foam cores of the mattresses itself, maintains its own testing laboratory for the resins and fibre mats supplied, and mills the moulds for hulls on its own CNC machine.
Founded in Gdańsk in 1982, long before the former Eastern Bloc country opened up to the West, the family-run business has gradually developed into one of Europe’s most modern yacht builders. Production of the models now takes place at two sites, one to the west and one to the east of this city steeped in tradition. It was here, at the former Lenin Shipyard, that the first independent trade union in the communist part of Europe was formed in 1980 in the wake of the Solidarność movement.
Two sites for production and final assembly
In Wiślinka, east of the tourist hub, the larger vessels, from 47 feet upwards, are built. In addition to the test laboratory, the hall for prototype construction is also located here. The shipyard’s own harbour on the Martwa Wisła river has space for around 30 yachts. This is where final assembly and commissioning, sea trials and, of course, handover to the owners take place.
Straszyn, in the south-west, is home to, amongst other things, the joinery workshop and all the company’s administrative functions. Here, with no direct access to water, the smaller models roll off the production line ready for road transport. In total, around 1,000 employees work across nearly 50,000 square metres of shipyard and office space at both sites; the total site area amounts to approximately 275,000 square metres. By way of comparison, that is equivalent to over 38 football pitches.
The outfitting halls can accommodate around 40 hulls at any one time. At full capacity, the shipyard can deliver up to 160 vessels per year. During the Covid years, the in-house record stood at 148 models. Since the turn of the millennium, Galeon has played a key role in the economic growth following EU accession in 2004 and has delivered just under 2,800 yachts to customers.
Although Europe is the main and home market, around half of the orders come from America. The trade restrictions under Trump have made the situation more difficult, but have had little impact on demand, reports the sales manager with a smile.
Superyacht ideas for smaller production models
Designer Tony Castro has been working for the shipyard for 20 years. He is responsible for the design of all Galeon models. A distinctive feature is the stepped line work, which defines the transitions between the GRP and window surfaces in the hull and superstructure. Drawing on his experience in the superyacht sector, the British designer has provided impetus for the development of new Galeon models.
The team’s creative input and the shipyard’s ability to test and implement new ideas in-house have consistently seen modern concepts incorporated into series production. These include the hydraulically folding bulwarks, which significantly increase the living space in the cockpit or saloon. Interestingly: Today, over 90 per cent of customers opt for these balconies.
Equally noteworthy are swivel sofas, such as those on the Galeon 430 EXP, and large, movable glass structures which, on the one hand, flood the interior with light and, on the other, create areas where the saloon and cockpit merge seamlessly. These are solutions that are standard on superyachts, but are still quite exceptional on boats from 30 feet upwards.
Five product ranges to suit homeowners’ preferences
Galeon currently caters to a range of owner preferences with five product lines. The Flybridge range comprises ten models between 11 and 26 metres in length. The 800 Fly is also the shipyard’s largest vessel. The hardtop yachts are sleek, sportier-looking pleasure craft. They are available in lengths of 12.50 and 14 metres, with two or three cabins. The models in the Sport Cruiser range, whilst sharing a similar design concept, offer greater dynamic performance. There are three models to choose from, ranging from 13.5 to 15 metres.
The Skydeck yachts skilfully integrate a semi-recessed flybridge into the lines of a hardtop model. The result is a hybrid with sportier lines than a traditional flybridge, yet still offering a distinct open-air feel.
The GTO and GTI ranges comprise four compact sport cruisers ranging from 9.99 to 13.65 metres in length, each with two cabins. All models prioritise powerful engine performance, ease of handling and driving pleasure.
The Explorer range is the latest addition: with the 430 EXP Galeon presents a long-range cruising yacht with a striking appearance, bringing the exceptional design features of large superyacht explorers to the 12-metre-plus class.
Galeon’s expansion into the superyacht sector
Galeon’s future course seems to be set: at the very least since the launch of the large flybridge models, the 680 Fly and 800 Fly, as well as the 700 Sky Galeon is competing in the superyacht league and is hot on the heels of brands such as Sunseeker, Princess, Azimut and Ferretti. The largest model currently measures around 25 metres, whilst the company’s in-house CNC machine is even capable of milling 36-metre hull moulds from a single piece. The yacht market is currently performing better in the larger yacht segment than in the mass market anyway, and the production sites certainly have the capacity to support this growth in size.
The in-house balance between the ten-metre ‘fun boats’ at the lower end and the luxury models at superyacht level at the upper end will therefore become even more pronounced. Not many brands can cater for such a wide range in such a balanced way. This, too, is certainly a unique selling point. Once again, the enormous vertical integration comes into its own here: even the most unusual owner requests are met, from a modified cupboard to safety fences for small dogs on deck.
As the boats grow in size, production processes are also changing. More and more components are being manufactured from carbon fibre, though this is primarily done on land. The use of carbon fibre in structural components keeps the overall weight within reasonable limits whilst also increasing stability. For the foreseeable future, however, according to sales manager Pettke, Galeon will continue to laminate its hulls from GRP. Aluminium is still a long way off; even for much larger projects, the composite material remains the material of choice.
Book recommendation
Yacht and boat building explains how hulls and superstructures are built, and also covers materials, moulds and manufacturing processes in plastic boatbuilding. Numerous drawings and photographs help readers to understand the individual steps involved. Anyone wishing to look beyond design and fittings to the structural aspects of boatbuilding will find technical background information here.
Is such a wide range of models a strength, or is Galeon at risk of finding the balancing act between compact sports boats and superyachts too difficult? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Jörg Müller-Dünow
Freier Autor