From carpentry business to top address for superyacht outfitting
List GC has evolved from a small joinery into a top address for superyacht outfitting. The Austrian company is still firmly in family hands. In an interview with Boote Exclusiv, managing directors Josef Payerhofer and Christian Bolinger explain how tradition, international relationships and state-of-the-art production come together.
Here in the east of Austria, around 70 kilometres south of Vienna by car, hardly anyone would expect to find a specialist in yacht interiors. Around the small town of Bad Erlach, there is no room for larger ships far and wide. Josef Payerhofer is well aware of such concerns. "Yes, we are perhaps a little out of the way compared to our competitors," says the Managing Director of List GC. The 54-year-old does not see this as a disadvantage, on the contrary: "We have little staff turnover here." He himself is the best example of this, having worked for the company for more than 32 years. He started out as a master carpenter and now oversees the business of the now 330-strong GmbH, including the German subsidiaries Cohrs and Riederle Werkstätten. Together with Christian Bolinger (born in 1971), he is jointly responsible for the fact that the salons and suites of superyachts beyond 100 metres such as "Lady Jorgia" (ex. "Ahpo", 2021, issue 5/22) or "Black Pearl" (2018) are on the reference list and new yacht construction accounts for a good 75 per cent of annual sales.
From five-star hotels to cruise ships and private yachts
When Josef Payerhofer joined List in 1991, yachts were not yet on the agenda. However, the company, which Franz List senior had founded around 1950, furnished five-star hotels, including the "Louis C. Jacob" in Hamburg. The Austrians were then asked to take part in the tender for the "MS Deutschland" and won the contract for the suites and salons of the "dream ship". The leap onto the water was made - and the path to private yachts was paved. "The first steps turned into furniture deliveries for the Oceanco project 'Stargate' (80 metres)," recalls Josef Payerhofer. At the same time, the interior of the Lürssen-HDW project "Al Salamah" (139 metres) was on the agenda in 1999, although it was built in accordance with SOLAS, the strict regulations for ships with more than 36 guests. The breakthrough in the private yacht sector came in 2001 with "Lady Lola" (63 m), again from the halls of Oceanco: "We delivered the complete interior and exterior furniture practically turnkey," reports Payerhofer, "for which we received great feedback from shipyards, brokers and designers at the Monaco Yacht Show."
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North German and Dutch shipyards in particular have been regular customers ever since, and sailing yachts have also enriched the portfolio, such as the 30 metre long "Ribelle" or the 107-metre "Black Pearl" project six years ago. "We have a broad base and a wealth of experience," confirms Christian Bolinger. The second Managing Director, himself a sailor, has been working for List GC for seven years. Before that, the qualified shipbuilder had his own design office and ran a small shipyard in the Netherlands. "Back then, I handled a number of projects with Josef Payerhofer," says the Swiss native, explaining how the contact came about. As he still lives mainly in the Netherlands today, he forms List GC's personal bridge to the north.
"Ribelle" was a highlight for the company in many respects and was particularly challenging in terms of materials. "The beams in the salon are clad in copper," explains Payerhofer. And adds: "It was difficult to find suitable galvanising basins for the required length." Generally speaking, wood is no longer the main theme in the interior. Christian Bolinger: "It's becoming more complex, we have liquid metals, composite, leather and fabrics. Plus innovative, sustainable materials." Customers today place more value on natural surfaces. "We're moving away from high gloss," he summarises the trend. At the same time, great craftsmanship is more in demand than ever.
The "human component"
For Christian Bolinger, the "human component" is important. "We work in teams, closely together with shipyards, designers and brokers." A great deal of sensitivity is required for the various stakeholders. "We bring many cultures and countries together," confirms Josef Payerhofer, "at the end of the day, we operate in a small market, so everyone involved has to be satisfied." His colleague puts it this way: "We want to manage good projects, but for us it's not just the result that counts, but also the way to get there."
In addition to new builds, refits are a growing market, "an exciting business segment", as Christian Bolinger emphasises, as they often end up being almost new builds. The "residential" sector, i.e. private villas and flats, now only accounts for around ten per cent. "The main orders come from owners who want a similar quality for their home as for their yacht," explains Bolinger. Josef Payerhofer still remembers a customer who wanted to have several floors of a high-rise building fitted out and said to them: "Build me a yacht in the sky."
Interior flexibility
Project durations vary greatly. "We have smaller refits that can take less than six months and large new builds that can take up to four years," says Bolinger, adding that it depends on the order volume, not the length of the yacht. For some, only a few hundred square metres of interior are in the plan, for others like "Alfa Nero" (2007, 82 m) a good 2000 square metres. What counts in the end is always "the best living", that the customer feels comfortable. To achieve this, you have to be flexible. "We make the seemingly impossible possible," says interior expert Josef Payerhofer.
To consolidate its position, List GC has taken over two competitors in recent years: Cohrs Werkstätten in Bad Fallingbostel, Lower Saxony, and Burgauer Riederle Werkstätten (Bavaria). "They are also family-run companies and very good craftsmen's businesses, so it was a good fit," reports Bolinger. It also brought them closer to the large shipyards in the north. In addition to the geographical advantage, there are many "new" faces: "We had reached certain limits here in Austria." Keyword: shortage of skilled labour. With the German locations, the company can now "fish in new ponds and continue to grow".
How 3D printers are used
3D printing opens up completely new possibilities for yacht interior fitters. Fittings can be produced faster, cheaper and in any quantity. Böwer is also experimenting with large-scale wall and ceiling panelling.
A tap on the screen, the printer hums, and in just a few hours the perfectly fitting component is ready - made of plastic or metal. This is what 3D printing ideally looks like: fast, clean, without waste, but inexpensive. The German interior outfitter Oldenburger has been using the technology for more than ten years, Metrica since 2020, to produce small components or prototypes. The situation is similar at Böwer in Neuenkirchen, where the topic has long been on the minds of the managing directors.
The decisive impetus came in 2018 from the children's hobby. "I simply took the little 3D printer from my son's nursery and brought it into the company," says Stefan Böwer. The company's team got started, tried things out and researched how they could get started in production. In the end, they ended up at Niedersachsen Additiv, a state-funded "laboratory" with XL printers. "That made sense for the first steps," says Böwer, "we wanted to see which applications were suitable for us." Some had potential, other test objects led nowhere. "We tried out the frames for portholes, which was a dead end," admits Stefan Böwer. Here they reached their limits in terms of materials and effort. "The best technology is useless if there are other ways to do it better. It has to be economical, that's the benchmark," says Böwer.
Advantages in production
He sees the main advantage of 3D printing in the material savings. One example: for a free-form staircase part, you take a PU foam block one cubic metre in size. "After milling, five per cent is left over," says Böwer, "with 3D printing, everything is used." This means that the process is not ablative, but additive (build-up). The flexibility of the material is huge.
The first in-house printer was installed in the hall in 2020, now there are two, for objects up to a base area of 50 x 50 centimetres, one metre high. Another model will be added in April this year, for one square metre by 1.50 metres. "We currently have larger objects manufactured externally." What Stefan Böwer is referring to are the acquisition costs: a 3D printer costs between 50,000 and 500,000 euros, and the energy costs for operation must also be factored in.
What comes out of the printer at Böwer today are fittings designed in-house or, for example, safety catches for drawers. "We would otherwise have to order injection-moulded parts for this, 1000 pieces at a time," says the Managing Director, explaining the dilemma. "Now we customise the printer and print the right number of pieces." He also sees great potential for decorative components, such as milled furniture and wall or ceiling panelling. The big challenge here is finishing, for example with leather, fabrics or lacquer. "Only then is it a finished part for the interior."
Böwer's aim is to finalise a large portfolio by the end of the year, in the form of a gigantic sample case with 3D objects. These samples with various surfaces will be presented to interested designers. They can then talk about the layer thicknesses, the right spacing and "develop the whole thing further together".
Sustainable interiors: oak instead of precious wood
Superyachts and sustainability - they hardly go together. But the first steps are being taken in this direction, and not just with economical drives. Natural surfaces and local woods are the trend in interior design. What's more, leftovers from production are being recycled.
It's a field of tension. "Customers' demands for uniqueness and their desire for materials that stand out are sometimes difficult to reconcile with sustainable raw materials," says Kai Dittmar, Managing Director of Metrica, which is based in Senden and has branches in Austria and the USA. Ebony, for example, is popular but rare on the market. This is where the search for alternatives that look and feel similar to the original begins. Or stingray leather: "You could use cowhide and imitate the typical embossing."
Unfortunately, it is only possible to influence the materials to a limited extent. The designers have made their selection and set the direction. The Metrica team repeatedly endeavours to influence the client and points out limited wood, "species that are no longer so easily available or that grow back so quickly in terms of quality", as Dittmar emphasises. It often helps if the customer wants "real" teak but is happy with plantation teak or a natural selection. "It's then easier to get it from different countries of origin with sustainable cultivation," confirms Nico Ostendorf. The sales manager at Oldenburger in Dinklage would like to tell his customers more often: "Let's go for oak."
Domestic woods can be upgraded for the interior
If robustness is the primary concern, there have long been alternatives to exotic species. For example, domestic woods can be technically upgraded using heat treatment processes "so that they can stand up to comparison with tropical woods", outlines Dittmar. In addition, the look of "precious wood" can be imitated through skilful colouring.
Whether teak or oak: Anyone who insists on a very specific wood grain always accepts that a lot of material will be left over and ultimately end up as waste. "To select 3,000 to 4,000 square metres of veneer, we sometimes have to have 20,000 to 30,000 square metres delivered," explains Kai Dittmar. "It shouldn't be the case that we cut away 300 to 600 per cent just because the wood hasn't grown perfectly." Nico Ostendorf agrees, although he is increasingly noticing that some Oldenburg customers are reacting in a more relaxed manner: "In the past, there often wasn't a knot or a dot to be seen."
In order to counteract the enormous consumption somewhat, attempts are being made to utilise the leftovers from production in other sensible ways. According to Ostendorf, discarded veneer is well suited as a backing for panels or for thermal utilisation. Once a year, Oldenburger organises a flea market for employees. "The staff can buy the material there for a small amount," says Nico Ostendorf. Kai Dittmar also has various ideas. "We make leftovers available to nurseries free of charge, for example as garden fence decorations." His company has already donated harmless wooden blocks and construction games to many daycare centres.
The desire to rethink
The interior designers would like to see a rethink on the customer side. "We have to convince the owners," says Kai Dittmar emphatically. "We all have a responsibility and should bring this to the market. Owners often accept what they are told and offered."
This rethink is slowly taking place, even among designers. Dittmar already observed this last year at a British studio: "Sustainable material in accordance with the UN Charter was explicitly listed in the offer for a customer." The interior designer who is awarded the contract for the realisation then has a guideline.
The changing, often younger clientele also influences the materials. Many owners previously favoured high-gloss surfaces with a high consumption of high-energy materials. Increasingly, a natural feel is desired, which is achieved with much safer oils. Yacht trends are also influencing tastes, such as the increased demand for explorers. "These owners seem to have a great respect for nature," surmises Dittmar, "they prefer natural materials and oiled surfaces." Nico Ostendorf likes to emphasise the sailing yacht customers in this context: "They generally have a better feel for the topic." Some owners take a completely different approach to sustainability. One of them once asked Oldenburger how much forest he should now buy to offset the production of his yacht. "Unfortunately, I don't know if and how much he actually bought," admits Nico Ostendorf.
Two companies that came together at the Monaco Yacht Show 2021 show how waste wood used for deck construction can be reused in practically the same place: Wolz Nautic and Eva Mechler. The yacht deck specialist based in Gaukönigshofen near Würzburg supplies its "leftovers" to the master carpenter, who uses the pieces, which are more than a metre long, to make exclusive seating furniture for mega yachts.
"The focus is on sustainable management," says André Hofmann, Head of Marketing at Wolz Nautic. It also creates the opportunity to offer customers not only a yacht deck but also the deck furniture in the same type of wood. One of these types is increasingly Tesumo, a double-modified wood that looks very similar to teak. It is already being used on various yachts, such as "REV Ocean" (195 metres, VARD shipyard) and "Project Fox" (35 metres, Pendennis). The certified Tesumo is considered to be very durable and is available in large quantities and lengths.
A real alternative to teak
In her workshops in Switzerland and Germany, Eva Mechler primarily refines local woods such as oak, ash and chestnut to create her furniture collections. For the first prototypes of her lounge designs, she tried her hand at Tesumo. For the master craftswoman, the material is a real alternative to teak, "a pleasant, calm wood that is easy to work with".
However, there is also a lot happening on the materials market outside of wood processing. The British company Silverlining, for example, makes fine furniture from cork, more precisely from the bark of the European Douglas fir from the Alentejo region in Portugal. The "milk colour" for the finish is based on a traditional formula with milk protein, natural pigments and often clay, is completely non-toxic and biodegradable. Turnstyle's door and cabinet handles are also "Made in Britain" and are usually made of metal, but can also be made of marble dust. What is left over from natural stone processing goes into the composite. Recycling at the highest level.
