The Comfortina brand, known for its timeless, high-quality yachts, is relocating production. Comfort Yachts managing director Niels Töbke, together with a long-standing Comfortina 42 owner, the Kiel-based entrepreneur Chris de la Motte, has bought the complete brand rights, moulds and plans. Now things are moving forward - in Germany.
Last week, the entire inventory was transported from Arvika in Sweden to Freienohl. At the same time SQ Freienohl goes into operation a shipyard that wants to restart in the former Dehler halls and with part of the old Dehler workforce.
The first of these will be two Comfortina 35s, which will be laminated in the coming days and then extended. As Niels Töbke explained to YACHT, production in Sweden has led to ever higher prices and lower yields due to the appreciation of the euro. In the long term, this is "no longer profitable", according to the managing director.
In fact, the previous shipyard in Arvika had already gone into controlled insolvency a year ago, but could be saved. It was then that economic problems first became apparent. Seen in this light, the relocation is only logical.
The Comfort Yachts boss expects consistently high quality from contract manufacturing in Sauerland. "The Dehler team has stayed, and they have always proven that they can build boats," he said. In addition, production in the Sauerland region should provide owners with more choice in future. The three models - Comfortina 35, 39 and 42 - can "now be individually equipped and furnished according to customer requirements", writes Töbke in a letter to his customers.
For SQ Freienohl, the decision means a certain basic capacity utilisation right from the start. The shipyard, which is exhibiting for the first time at the boot Düsseldorf with an information stand in Hall 16 (B44) will be represented at the event, but has no plans for its own models. So the order from Comfort Yachts comes just in time.
