They were loud and funny, different and likeable: when designer Alexander Vrolijk and advertiser Stephan Boden enriched the scene with new ideas and fresh approaches in 2014, their success seemed unstoppable. The team and products were the talk of the town and the Bente 24 sold extremely well. Then came the surprising leap to the second model: the 39 once again made its mark with a unique, almost fully glazed superstructure and raised steering seat, a radical racer look and riding qualities. And a more mass-market 28 was added to the programme.
Then the end: "The company got into difficulties due to the high development costs for existing and planned yacht models. In addition, strategic decisions in the past had not had the desired effect," said the insolvency administrator Hendrik Heerma from Hamburg, who had already managed the Elsfleth shipyard with the "Gorch Fock" reorganisation case, among others. Insolvency proceedings were applied for at Bremerhaven Local Court on 1 April. The law firm FRH Finck Rinckens Heerma Rechtsanwälte - Steuerberater, which specialises in restructuring, has continued to manage Bente Yachts in the previous proceedings and has now transferred it to the company Ultramarine Meichle & Mohr in Kressbronn on Lake Constance.
From the press release: "Together with her father, Sonja Meichle manages Germany's largest inland yacht harbour, Ultramarin in Kressbronn, with around 1,500 berths on Lake Constance. In addition, the mother of two is the Vice President of the Federal Association of the Water Sports Industry in Cologne and has a degree in economics. Both are enthusiastic sailors and have been very successful with a Bente dealership since the beginning. Thanks to their many years of professional experience in yachting and Ultramarin's many years of entrepreneurial expertise, the family-run company will be able to exploit and raise the full potential of Bente in the future. They have also been able to recruit Christian Daum from Bente Yachts GmbH for the key role of Head of Bente Yachts."
Alexander Vrolijk is not involved in the new company, but will remain with Judel/Vrolijk & Co as a designer and source of ideas. The new constellation still requires the approval of the creditors' meeting. From 1 July Benteyachts be fully functional again. The Bente 24 will continue to be the focus of the business, the 39 will also continue to be built, and the Bente 28 is due to arrive, but still needs to be further developed and finalised. Optimisations in quality management and a few minor adjustments to the production process are planned. The current price list is still valid. The dealer network is to be expanded. The previous shipyard in Szczecin will remain the producer.
Customers who have ordered a Bente 24 and have not cancelled their purchase should receive their boats this summer without any losses. Bente 39s that have been ordered are to be delivered by summer 2021.
