New shipyard site near Berlin - Upswing East
Andreas Hoffmann and his wife Dörte Schiemang actually only wanted to create aHouseboat for their own needs. Both have felt a connection to water since childhood. As a trained carpenter and architect, Andreas Hoffmann wanted to use hisCombining his passion for water and his professional skillsbring. However, his design and, above all, the completed houseboat were so well received by friends and acquaintances that he finally decided to give up his profession as an architect and become an entrepreneur.the plunge into the deep end to dare. That was six years ago.
The risk has paid off. The construction of the new shipyard is progressing; once completed, the 10,000 m² site in Niederlehme near Königs Wusterhausen will house a 1,500 m² shipyard hall and offices. In addition, the company's ownMarina for charter operations and a variety of service facilities for owners and charter customers. There is already a large crane, a washing area for the houseboats, a small marina, a water filling station and a self-service petrol station on land as well as various shopping facilities. In the near future, there are also plans for a second, larger marina for houseboats, retail space, mobile holiday homes and possibly caravan sites and restaurants. Hoffmann's company currently employs 14 permanent staff and several freelancers. There will soon be 20 to 25 in the new marina and shipyard.
"At our new location, we want to offer a complete service for houseboaters that has not yet been available in this form."Andreas Hoffmann describes his plans.
New construction, maintenance, charter, winter storage and mooring: everything from a single source. That is his vision for the coming years.2 million euros are to be built in the Mark Brandenburg sand this summer in order to realise these plans. To get this far, however, difficult years had to be overcome. The banks were not convinced from the outset that houseboats were a viable concept for lending, and there were many a learning curve to overcome when building the boats. In the meantime, around40 houseboats of various sizes have been delivered, and the company can no longer fulfil demand with its current capacities.
Nautilus currently builds the following houseboat series: Nautino mini and Nautino maxi, the event boats Vagabund 30 and 43 and Nautilus 40 and 53; plus floating holiday homes of the Ei-Home type in sizes 45, 80 and 160 m²).
While it was previously possible to deliver a maximum of twelve boats per year, in future it will be possible to build more than 100 in parallel on 13 construction sites. Capacities can even be expanded if required.
"Our success is based on good quality, good design, comfort and good driving characteristics"Andreas Hoffmann explains the interest in his designs.
Nautilus houseboats have the appearance of a modern flat or loft on the water and obviously meet the tastes of many customers. Lawyers, managers, actors and pop stars such asYvonne Catterfeld and her partner Oliver Wnuk have now bought a houseboat as their home.Second home, as a weekend residence or as an investment for chartering out and are prepared, depending on size and equipmentto spend between 200,000 and 500,000 euros. Wood-burning stove, sauna, heating, extendable side decks, underfloor heating, air conditioning, ultra-modern kitchen - almost everything can be realised so that this investment can even be used all year round.
Houseboats are undoubtedly in vogue, and Nautilus houseboats is clearly targeting this trend. However, Andreas Hoffmann does not just want to serve the German market with his new capacities. A sales office has recently opened in Norway, and other countries are soon to follow.
Info: Nautilus Hausboote GmbH, Grünauer Str. 57, 12557 Berlin, Tel. 030/24 35 55 87, Fax 030/722 49 78, www.nautilus-hausboote.de
