Peter Lürssen, passion of creation and strong work ethic

Peter Lürssen is one of the most influential people in the luxury yacht business; a man thrived by passion of creation and a strong family oriented work ethic.  Mr. Lürssen is co-holder of one of the most antique shipyards in the world, and although the ride hasn´t been easy, it has filled him with knowledge and pride toward his legacy.  We had the opportunity to speak with him and were able to pick up some of the inside of this land mark shipyard as well as the wisdom of a man who loves what he does and above all…who keeps loving yachts!  

 

 

There is an old saying:  it’s not hard to get to the top, the thing is to stay there.  Due to the history of your enterprise, how can you put this general point of view into a personal learning experience? 

I would translate that old saying as to say it is difficult to keep a business such as ours 100% in family hands. It is a great challenge every time a new generation is taking over the helm, and the difficulty is that the style is different from generation to generation but no matter what we are still a family business.

Since you are a fifth generation enterprise, do you maintain that family spirit? In what does its essence consist of?  

The shipyard is managed today by my cousin and me, we are the fifth generation. My cousin’s son has joined the company a few years ago and one of my three children will hopefully join in a few years as well. It is very important to keep the involvement of the family alive as it gives us that special relationship with our clients and our employees.We build yachts on family bonds and we cherish those relationships.

How has the naval construction of vessels changed in the past 125 years?

When my great grandfather started the company in 1875 he built small rowing boats. This changed in 1886 when he, together with Gottlieb Daimler from Daimler Benz, built the very first motorboat in the world.

There after we have been involved with smaller navy boats, some even remote controlled in the beginning of the 20th century. Then we built wooden mine sweepers in the 20s and 30s and wooden fast patrol boats up to 40 - 45 m.

Today we are building mine hunter out of non magnetic steel and surface combatants up to the corvette and frigate size.

With these designers of extremely creative ideas, are most of them able to be made? What is the most interesting proposal you have ever had? 

We are normally not faced with very extravagant designs as most designers involved in our projects have a familiarity with the constraints of the interior in yacht posed by the rules and regulations. Owners do have a certain lifestyle and have special ideas but so far we have been able to realize most of them.  The owner of Octopus for example wanted to have a professional music recording studio. This was very unusual and we succeeded in accommodating his request.

What role does the client play when he or she asks for a yacht to be made? 

The client is the most important person in a new project and first and foremost it is our mission to build what the client wants, to create the bespoke yacht that fulfils the client’s dreams and expectations.

 

 

 

What challenges do you meet with when building a ship? 

All our yachts have a unique design and we always try to be at the forefront of development and use the latest proven technologies. This is not always easy but our large pool of highly experienced engineers allows us to tackle these challenges. 

With the creation of the Azipod drive System, for the yacht MY ICE, is there a challenge you met up with during the construction of this type of intelligent motor for the environment? 

It was a new experience but we found the process straightforward and the results are fantastic!

What are the latest innovations made toward sailing technology? 

We are concentrating on building motor yachts rather than sailing yachts.

How many yachts do you produce per year?

We deliver 2-3 beautiful yachts per year.

Who are your costumers? 

Our customers are individuals who have understood that the best way to enjoy the beauty and peace of this world is on board a wonderful and well-built Lürssen yacht!!

What is that makes you different from other yacht builders? What is your distinctive seal? 

Lürssen is a family business founded in 1875 and now the 5th generation is starting to work in the company. This definitely sets us apart from most of the other shipyards. Our family name stands on every yacht and we are proud of every single yacht we have built. German engineering also plays a big role why we are different. We have a pool of approx. 500 engineers throughout our shipyards and they can deal with every challenge which arises. Lastly, we build exactly the yacht the client wants.

What is the prize you have accepted with most satisfaction? 

It is nice to receive awards for the best yacht in this or that category of course, but for us, the most sought after reward is to have a happy and satisfied customer.

What other products or markets other than yachts do you take part in? 

We have a naval division which manufactures surface vessels for navies throughout the world, from patrol boats to frigates.

Is there an emerging market in the yacht industry, if so, which one? 

We, as many of our competitors, have been studying the Chinese market for several years. 

The infrastructure and the regulatory environment is currently more suited for production boats up to a maximum of 100 ft. However, with the ongoing development of the Chinese market we are hopeful that there will be, eventually, a market for larger yachts as well. One just has to be patient. 

During the last century, have there been any hardships in the industry?  

Hardships in the yachting industry are like a wave. They happen from time to time and the last time was in 2008, when the world-wide financial markets collapsed. 

Is there a yacht or project that has changed the company’s history? 

Carinthia VI definitely changed the yard’s history. Although built in 1972 her design by Jon Bannenberg is still a classic. She has inspired many other designers and was for us an excellent reference and allowed us to enter the yacht market in earnest with a pedigree already in hand. Other significant yachts followed, some large some not so large, some fast and some not so. 

Where is the future of yacht making head to? 

I hope we will continue to meet interesting clients who will keep us busy.

For us lovers of ships and the sea, do you have any special advice? 

Keep loving yachts!

 

 

Text: María Grajales ± Photo: Charter World / static