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. Follow the AYS team through each stage of the process as they work from the purchase of the hull through to the launch of the completed (re)build.
With our expansive facilities, experience across leisure, superyacht and commercial vessel refit and rebuild, and extensive knowledge of vessel engineering, steelwork and carpentry, Amsterdam Yacht Service (AYS) is superbly placed not only as a staging post for key builders and their projects, but also as a highly versatile full service shipyard for extensive and complex projects.
Case in point: when we found a 25-year-old steel hull in a shed in The Netherlands – a 17-metre motor yacht that was being built to a design by renowned Dutch designer Pieter Beeldsnijder – we saw an opportunity both to highlight our inhouse skills by completing the yacht, and to reimagine the engineering of the design to bring it firmly into the now, with hybrid electric propulsion and other modern amenities.
“The yacht was never really started properly as a project so the hull sat in a shed for two decades,” begins Robert Binnekade, managing director at AYS. “The fact that it’s an older design is perfect, because it means we can show how we can take a project starting like this, and end up with a beautiful yacht like that. The challenge is to take a 25-year-old design and keep her looking like she originally did but with modern systems, modern engines and drivetrain.
“Essentially,” he continues, “we’re going to give her a face lift with a new design for the aft section, because she currently has a very old-style straight stern with a ladder to get to the swimming platform. Overall it’s going to be a great show-off project to highlight what AYS can do not only in terms of redesign and refit – such as modifying and extending the stern – but also in terms of the systems engineering to install a hybrid-electric drivetrain. My mantra is that you design a ship from the inside out – it’s a very technical way of looking at it, but I come from a school where a ship of any sort is a very technical thing! Of course, we also want to preserve the classic Pieter Beeldsnijder lines and style, and that blend of preservation and technology is what we do so well at AYS.”
A classic yacht is a legacy, and we treat it that way. We restore your yacht to its original glory, without losing its soul. We blend old craftsmanship with modern technology. Amsterdam Yacht Builders brings your classic back to life. Read more about our Classic Yacht Renovation services here.
Amsterdam Yacht Service sees all sorts of projects arrive for all sorts of works, but sometimes there can be a bit of a change of pace. Enterthe VO65 Team JAJO, a true round-the-world racer with the credentials to back her up. First launched for the 2014-2015 edition of The Ocean Race, where she placed second […]
Amsterdam Yacht Service is pleased to share its upcoming show calendar for this season. Robert Binnekade will be attending the Monaco Yacht Show, and would be delighted to meet with clients to discuss all their service, maintenance and repair requirements. Whether you have a specific project in mind or simply wish to explore how our […]
Getting repeat clients is always a thrill, not just because it’s testament to the capabilities Amsterdam Yacht Service offers, but also because it’s like greeting old friends. We were especially thrilled in late Spring this year to welcome back the mighty 64.5-metre schooner Atlantic, who trusted the AYS team to help with some involved work […]
It’s been a while since we’ve blogged about our 17-metre Pieter Beeldsnijder-designed motor yacht that we acquired part-complete in 2023. That’s partly because we’ve been so busy with a vast array of other projects that have been coming through the yard – from stunning sailing schooners like the 64.5-metre Atlantic to sections of a bridge […]
It’s no secret that Amsterdam Yacht Service caters to an incredibly diverse range of clients, from motor yachts to commercial vessels, tourist boats, and even – on occasion – civil engineering companies floating sections of bridges into place. Few could argue, however, that the stars of the yard are the stunning sailing yachts that make […]
It’s not only yachts, tourist boats and commercial vessels that get a revamp at Amsterdam Yacht Services – the shipyard itself is constantly upgrading its facilities. Most recently, AYS has taken a proactive approach to expand the drainage and water treatment system that serves the one and a half hectares of hardstanding, where vessels will frequently undertake out of water repairs and maintenance.
While a lot of the more intensive work we undertake at Amsterdam Yacht Service revolves around refit, repair and maintenance of steel and aluminium vessels and their systems, our team has the flexibility to tackle pretty much any material. That was ably demonstrated this winter when we took in a 29-metre Maiora called Three Point 4 for various works.
While the Amsterdam Yacht Service team brings a wealth of experience and expertise across a broad range of disciplines, they will still freely admit that every day is a learning day. In the case of the 16m Amel Super Maramu sailing yacht Trinity, the learning came from the yacht’s owner who, in the course of outlining how she wanted the yacht’s interior refreshed, showed the potential of AI as a quick visualisation tool.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 […]
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 […]
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.