Bring the Hearses Back and Ask for Your Money Back from the Mourners: Boating is Not Dead

After a four-day visit to the 2025 Düsseldorf Boot, here’s what I’m taking home to share with you.

Let me preface this: covering the entire show and talking to everyone in just four days is impossible, so take this as a slow flyover of the 17 halls of the world’s largest indoor boating exhibition.

Yes, there were absentees. Talking about those playing “at home,” the Hanse Group (except for two Fjord models—one outside and one in Hall 5) and Bavaria didn’t exhibit.

Other brands familiar to us were missing, and there were some gaps among exhibitors here and there.

On the other hand, it’s understandable: in a year when sales are slowing and the costs of acquiring space and transporting boats are soaring, some have wisely decided to take a break and wait for more dynamic times.

But there was no shortage of people, contacts, new dealers acquired, and overall movement—in fact, not just movement but a substantial one.

There was a bloom of new brands—or at least ones I hadn’t seen before: VTS (Polish), Santasevera (Italian), Aiata (Turkish), Kumbra (Spanish), Level Yachts (also Spanish), Zyara (Greek), and Eclipse Yachts (Dutch). What struck me slightly less positively was the repetitive trend: walkarounds around 43 feet.

Some stayed just below that size, like Kumbra with their 34-footer, Aiata with a 38 (and they had three on display), or others went slightly above, like the Mylius 47, which, to be precise, is more of an open with a hardtop since the bow is decked. But much of the creativity seemed to have burst at this point.

Question: Are we sure the market only wants this type of boat and from brand-new players? In many cases, beyond the brand and big names, like Level Yachts who called in Tony Castro for design, it’s hard to see the difference.

FIM’s work with Design Work, the studio behind the aesthetics of BMW, Mini, and Rolls Royce, was interesting. Their Contessa 640 flagship, still visible only on displays or VR headsets, seems to make a decent leap forward in the otherwise static world of yachting.

Once again, Italian “small boating” manages to stand out thanks to regional collectives like the Calabrian and Sicilian ones. In the latter, I was particularly struck by the young team from Cantieri Stradivarius.

Beyond the aesthetics, which are subjective, they offered a reinterpretation of space usage, surface management, and functions with what they call shy technology—hidden technology that only appears when you need it—or solutions that allow the boat to recognize you as you approach.

Another highlight was the return of wood: on display were Comitti, Boesch, and Debel Yachts.

A bit off the beaten path, tucked away in Hall 13 (one of the two dedicated to charters), was the Beneteau Island Concept. Judging by the reactions to the video I posted—plenty of pros and cons—it sparked significant debate.

This concept was already unveiled in Cannes last September, but here I saw it live. The boat is based on usage data from 1,000 vessels over four years, boiled down to these findings:

  • 80% of time “sailing” (or more accurately, outside the harbor) is spent at anchor.
  • The average trip is 16 miles.
  • The average speed is 8.5 knots.

Hence, with the help of J&J Design, Beneteau produced this boat with electric engines that can silently run for 2.5 hours at 7 knots, generators that recharge the battery pack for up to 300 miles of autonomy, solar panels covering 30% of energy needs, eight berths, and a remarkable amount of deck and interior space rarely found on monohulls.

In fact, they call it a monomaran: bow and appearance of a monohull, but the stern splits into two hulls, with the superstructure made entirely of glass. If you want to see more, check out my video.

Currently, there are two units: one exhibited in Düsseldorf and another available for charter in the Caribbean. They’ll decide whether to produce more later. The estimated price in a fully loaded version is €550,000 (excluding taxes).

As for sailing, here in the north, the market for smaller sizes (22 to 30 feet) is alive and well, catering to all needs and budgets—even compact cabin cruisers of 2.30 meters priced at €5,000.

Oh, and if you’re looking for boats with flared bows, check out replicas—almost no one offers this design anymore, not even brands traditionally tied to past aesthetics like Hallberg-Rassy.

Electric boating is growing, with more options for European lakes where combustion engines are prohibited. Solar boats are increasing (e.g., Spanish Lasai and Finnish Elvene), as are electric-focused models like the Swedish Hwila or VTS.

There’s also a rise in ultra-niche tenders, like AMY’s full-carbon tender presented by Amare, known for its onboard accessories, and kids’ watercraft by Slovenia’s Darth Craft or Sea Nxt’s aquatic scooters.

Be warned: electric propulsion is becoming a Chinese domain. While incentives for developing electric motors and solutions have helped, they might eventually target traditional boating, though they don’t seem interested for now.

Highfield, a Chinese brand specializing in RIBs, is growing rapidly. If they start offering “normal” boats at competitive prices, Western manufacturers could face challenges—especially given how consumer loyalty to brands has dwindled.

Intelligent systems and automation are also on the rise, like Dockmate’s remote control for stress-free docking or Delphis’ stabilization systems that double as trim correctors and gyroscopic stabilizers.

Get ready, because big groups like Brunswick plan to introduce self-docking boats by 2026.

Will this grow the boating market? I’m unsure, but even experienced boaters might appreciate tools that make life easier.

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