Derani Yachts and Phuket's boating boom

The majority of boat owners in Asia, says Håkan, are non-Asian. “There’s also quite a flow of people who are settling down in Phuket and one of the first things they want after their house is completed is a boat. We meet a wide variety of potential customers and some are very experienced and know exactly what they want, while others require a lot of guidance and time to feel sure they are getting the right boat for their needs/ expectations.”

“However, the future market is local and there is a new generation that through their overseas studies have been exposed to boating and they are now moving up the ladder and want to take up boating as a life style in their home country.”

Derani Yachts’ role is to be there and look after the variety of requirements both before the boat arrives with regard to crew and mooring needs and then after the boat has arrived so that our customers are getting quality boating all the way.

They cater especially to customers new to boating by offering reasonable entry levels.

“They can begin with a smallish boat although they could afford something larger and more expensive.”

“We always try to put ourselves in the shoes of a potential buyer and learn from them what they expect to be able to do. Very often, there is a misconception about the usage area or limitations of a particular design and we try to set that right early on in a discussion. If a customer still wants to proceed with their dream, then we are in a much better help to advice and guidance within the parameters given,” explains Håkan.

Being very brand-focused he has carefully chosen the product line: “I don’t want to collect brands and not being able sell them, but I have looked around thoroughly during a longer period and have a complete portfolio. Ideally, we would have preferred to reduce our portfolio of boats but as the market is still relatively small, we need to offer a broad range to make sure we can offer a good boat to whoever contacts us.”

“We have something for all income groups and the idea is being able to offer something worth its price for each individual from our various models.”

A key part of their services is also being a one stop shop for clients who want nothing whatsoever to do with maintenance of their boats. “We can on request take care of everything from A – Z”.

The X2K, produced by NorthSea Boats and with design originating from Sweden, is among the boats successfully sold by the boat brokerage. Using the latest technology, design and material from the Formula 1 offshore racing circuit, this boat offers cruising speed “in a class of its own”, superb sea-keeping and fulfils many needs.

North Sea Boats and their success story with the X2K being a performance boat in a user friendly package is going from strength to strength as the boats are built to a very high standard at a very competitive price.

The X2K model is just the beginning of a series of new and exiting boats that are on the drawing board of North Sea Boats. A new RIB version of the X2K will be launched, as well as a catamaran design (38 foot) aimed for pleasure boating.

Regarding Phuket’s ambition to become a World Class Destination, Håkan hopes Thailand’s marine industry can leap frog somewhat by learning from previous experience and other countries’ mistakes even if things take time.

“Phuket is definitely the centre and it’s going from strength to strength with new companies making long term commitments in all sectors of the industry. Obviously, by learning from mistakes made in other parts of the world, it’s a fast forward progress mode where more and more local job opportunities are created and all the complimenting services that a boat owner want to have access to is available. With the recent initiative of tax reduction, new marinas and serious initiative from TAT to promote Thailand as a leading boating destination it’s all looking quite promising although there is bound to be some bumps on the road.”

“As much as everybody would like to move forward, there are always various obstacles that do not seem to get better in any parts of the world. You also have the human element; that not everybody sees the benefit in collaborating and joining forces in some areas that could be to mutual benefit.”

Håkan also thinks it is important that there is not too much progress too soon: “There are many issues such as crew standards, language barriers etc. that take time to develop and if it was easier for foreign expertise to come and transfer knowledge and technology, then there could be some major improvements in the marine industry.”

“I certainly believe in a world class destination as an achievable goal with joint efforts from the marine industry and the Thai government and this is one reason for moving our regional office to Phuket,” he says with confidence.

/Text and images: Joakim Persson

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