Ralf Marquard discovered his enthusiasm for boating on the tranquil Aller, first with inflatable boats and later with a 6-meter cabin cruiser. His electrical engineering studies at HAW Hamburg took him from the southern Heidekreis (Lower Saxony) to the Hanseatic city. Ralf Marquard has been working for the BOOTE editorial team since 1997, where he trained as a test editor. He tests both small inflatable boats and larger yachts. His personal boat is a 4.50 meter long, self-built wooden boat with a 50 hp outboard motor. In 2007, he was appointed deputy editor-in-chief at BOOTE.