Home away from home
One of the things that always strikes us is the vast array of projects that float through the Amsterdam Yacht Service facilities, from classic sailing superyachts to commercial vessels, tourist boats, and even bridge components.
Electric dreams: How Amsterdam Yacht Builderscould supercharge the industry
By Georgia Tindale
A vision of a more eco-friendly
future for yachting.
What do you get when you combine a prime location with deep technical expertise, a historic shipyard dating back to 1921 and currently the largest travel lift in the Netherlands (480 tonnes). The answer: Amsterdam Yacht Builders. A fresh entry to the superyacht scene which came into being in January this year, Amsterdam Yacht Builders offers the whole gamut of services, from refit to maintenance, new build and more, bolstered by a management team of industry experts.
But how do you make a name for yourself when entering the densely populated Dutch yacht-building market? Here, we speak to director Robert Binnekade to find out how AYB’s recent full-electric workboat project offers a vision of a more eco-friendly future for yachting.
Experts in-house
One of the key elements of Amsterdam Yacht Builders’ operation is ensuring that its team is clued up about all of the facets of yacht building. Crucially, this enables them to work closely with the wealth of shipbuilding experts in the Amsterdam area.
As Binnekade explains: ‘What we want to do differently from our competitors is having at least one person in the company that has the expertise for every subset of skills you need to build a ship.’
He continues: ‘They can verify everything to ensure we design the right engine and generators and order the correct components from subcontractors – we get it right the first time, and don’t end up ‘Lego blocking’ a yacht together. This ensures the yacht is made to the best possible specifications.’
Electric: fully charged
AYB has already proven its technological mettle through its recent full-electric workboat project with an Amsterdam-based non-profit organisation, in which they converted the company’s diesel-powered waterway cleaning vessels into electric powered boats.
Measuring 13 metres and with a top speed of 15.5 knots, these are the world’s first-ever fully electric push boats, with a DC to DC fast charging capability of 30 minutes or less to get back to full power. ‘Think Tesla supercharger, then add a bit more,’ says Binnekade.
Sizing it up
But could this technology be harnessed for a larger size? Binnekade thinks so. `We can fully customise an electric or a hybrid powertrain in any yacht. We envision a world in which we use the mother vessel’s batteries to fast charge tenders, dinghies and other craft. As well as silent drive, owners can have the comfort of tenders not powered by gasoline or diesel. This is a unique selling point for us.’
This eco-friendly offering extends well beyond the powertrain. ‘We don’t just look at the powertrain of a yacht, we can add in all the air conditioning and hot water units because everything is an energy source or energy storage. You can combine the batteries with these systems and you don’t quite have a zero-emissions ship, but you have a very energy efficient ship.”
Then there is the question of cost, with this technology potentially making the powertrain 60-70% more expensive. However, as Binnekade highlights: ‘Making a cutting-edge yacht is never a cheap proposition. If you look at it from a whole system perspective, you can get some gains in terms of total power usage – and diesel prices are going up. In the near future it will get to a point where it is comparable.’
Green giants
With AYB currently capable of building new-build yachts up to 50 metres, Binnekade hints towards larger future possibilities. ‘With some investments, we could go bigger, as our travel lift can lift much larger than that.’
On the new build side, things are looking promising, although it’s still early days for AYB (and there’s been the matter of the global pandemic to contend with), as Binnekade explains: “So far, we’ve had three real expressions of interest in new builds, and we have made some offers. We are just waiting for somebody to sign their name on the line.”
In the meantime, AYB will focus on building its reputation through refit and service work, including for the three-time shipyard visitor, the 28-metre Hakvoort sailing yacht Mandarine, as well as the 35-metre Claassen F-Class Firefly, and many more.
With all of this technical know-how in its arsenal, all that remains is to keep an eye on the sheds at Zaandam to see what innovative projects emerge from Amsterdam Yacht Builders in the coming years.
Merry Christmas and a Happy 2026
2025 has been a dynamic and rewarding year for Amsterdam Yacht Service. Our team has continued to expand and refine its expertise, successfully delivering a diverse range of maintenance, refit, and custom projects for clients across the globe.
Multiplying returns
It’s perhaps the greatest compliment we can receive when customers come back for a return visit to our state-of-the-art facilities in Amsterdam. Sometimes it’s for larger works that make use not just of our hardstanding areas or large sheds but also our expert inhouse team of engineers, carpenters and fitters – and sometimes it’s for general maintenance jobs.
Join AYS at Metstrade 2025!
The Amsterdam Yacht Service team will be present at the Amsterdam RAI exhibition centre for all three days of Metstrade, 18–20 November 2025. It’s the ideal moment to meet us in person and discover more about our state-of-the-art facilities and onsite expertise: everything you need to ensure your next build, maintenance, or refit projectruns seamlessly from start to finish.
Meet us at the MYS
Members of the Amsterdam Yacht Builders team will spend two days in and around Port Hercules this week as they visit the Monaco Yacht Show. If you would like to meet up and discuss any potential project we would be delighted to do so on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 of September. It’s sure to […]
Happy days
The long summer days are finally here, and it’s time for most yachts to switch from maintenance mode to magical-days-on-the-water mode. For the team at Amsterdam Yacht Service, of course, the work never stops – even during summer, we have vessels coming through for haul-outs, services and all manner of works.
Atlantic crossing
Few things can match the glamour, beauty and sheer elegance of the 64.5-metre sailing yacht Atlantic – a 2010-launched recreation of the original schooner Atlantic which first touched the water in 1903.
Simplifying survey
While the Amsterdam Yacht Service team can turn its hand to pretty much anything, and while the shipyard itself can handle pretty much any type of vessel, not every project involves complex hull repairs or hotwork.
A bridge too far?
We pride ourselves on the variety of vessels and projects we work on here at Amsterdam Yacht Service – from yachts to tourist boats to commercial vessels and workboats, they all come to take advantage of our in-water berthing, haul-out and hardstanding, refit sheds and inhouse expertise.
Near and Far Niente
It’s perhaps fitting that a 32.7-metre modern classic motor yacht styled after the Dutch herring luggers of the early 1900s should land in a Dutch refit and maintenance specialist shipyard, and that’s exactly what happened in the Autumn of 2024.
The gold standard
It’s one thing finishing a summer season then heading to a shipyard with a list of works to do over the winter and plenty of time to complete that list – but quite another when you arrive in the Spring and need to get those works completed in time for the summer charter season.
BLOG 5. ‘The making of a modern classic’ – An inside job
As we make steady progress with the construction of Hull 405 – the Pieter Beeldsnijder-designed 17-metre steel yacht that had laid part complete for two decades, before we acquired her in 2023 in order to finish her build – we are starting to think about some of the fun stuff.
A true Grand Dame: AYS-refitted superyacht wins major St Barths Bucket prize
Excellent news reaches us from the Caribbean of a stunning performance by one of our recent projects. A key remit from the vessel’s highly experienced owner for the refit of his 56-metre Perini Navi Panthalassa was to bring her technically up to speed and highly competitive in sailing races.
BLOG 4. ‘The making of a modern classic’ – Redesigning the aft end
If there’s one thing we’ve learnt here at Amsterdam Yacht Service after decades of experience working on commercial and, in recent years, yacht and superyacht refit and rebuild projects, it’s that you don’t always need to go for the most high-tech solution in every aspect of the vessel.
Solving the chromium-6 conundrum
When a shipyard’s refit project needed to be lifted out to undertake remedial works ashore, Amsterdam Yacht Service proved to be the ideal choice – and as it turned out, not just for its yard facilities and location. The project in question involved a vessel originally constructed in the middle of the last century, but […]
BLOG 3. ‘The making of a modern classic’ – Creating a 3D hull scan
With the classic Pieter Beeldsnijder 17-metre steel yacht hull – known as Hull 405 – safely ensconced in our advanced facilities, the team has been able to begin the detailed engineering work needed to bring the hull to completion.
Base jumping
While the Amsterdam Yacht Service teams are always on hand to assist with serious project work – from hull replating and finding solutions to other engineering challenges to the capabilities of the new woodworking department – the extensive AYS facilities are also highly prized by other shipyards and superyacht builders who need a base for […]
BLOG 2. ‘The making of a modern classic’ – Making short work of a long lift
Having acquired a classic Pieter Beeldsnijder 17-metre steel yacht hull that had been laid up unfinished for more than two decades, we faced our first big challenge – how to get the part-built boat back to the AYS shipyard facilities near Amsterdam.
Extended refit works – The art of adaptation
The experienced team at Amsterdam Yacht Service is no stranger to adapting on the fly to the changing demands of projects. This flexibility and expertise was highlighted by the team’s work on a 24-metre commercial vessel in 2024, which came in for a leak to be fixed and left with an extensively rebuilt aft section […]
BLOG 1. ‘The making of a modern classic’ – A build, re-imagined
Does an old hull mean you have to settle for old tech? Amsterdam Yacht Service says no, and they are set to prove it as they take on a 25-year-old, part-completed 17-metre Pieter Beeldsnijder steel hull, re-imagine the build, and re-engineer the design to skilfully blend classic style with modern hybrid systems and amenities.
Meet the AYS team at METSTRADE
As the annual METSTRADE exhibition at the Amsterdam RAI from 19-21 November heaves into view, it offers the perfect opportunity for owners, owner representatives, yacht managers, captains and other interested parties to come meet the Amsterdam Yacht Services team. We’re looking forward to talking with you about the superb facilities we offer and the onsite […]
AYS expands with new jetty and hardstanding
From fishing vessels, steel commercial ships and classic Dutch barges to yachts and superyachts, Amsterdam Yacht Services has welcomed vessels of every type to its extensive facilities. Now, as the shipyard continues to grow its business by offering its broad expertise to a range of sectors including classic yacht and superyacht refit, it is expanding […]
AYS electrifies tour boat sector
Amsterdam has its fair share of famous features (aside from Amsterdam Yacht Services, of course), from the clattering throng of myriad bicycles to the enchanting fan of canals that radiate through the city centre. Those canals also play host to more than 100 cruise and tripper vessels that offer tourists a unique view of the […]
Hendrika
Steering toward success It’s one thing being able to offer first class facilities for maintenance, refit and rebuild projects, but it’s quite another to be able to back that up with an experienced team for whom the demands of design and the pressures of time are just two more things to be taken in their […]
A Fantastic Union: Hull and superstructure marriage of 64m Hakvoort at AYS
December 2023 marked another significant milestone for Amsterdam Yacht Service, as its highly experienced team carried out its first ever marriage of a hull and superstructure. The event took place over the course of just one day for the 64-metre Hakvoort motor yacht (build number, xxx, the shipyard’s newest project) which has a steel hull […]