André Hoek: a designer who creates timeless classics

Early in his career, André Hoek read “The Proper Yacht” by Arthur Beiser. He shared a lot of the author’s ideas, but he found one of them particularly close: “Of all the elements that go into a proper yacht, the one that should never be compromised is beauty".

André has been sailing since he was five. At that time Dutch traditional leeboard sailing boats called “skûtsjes”, “lemsteraken” and “schokkers” were gaining popularity. There was a time when they served as fishing or merchant vessels, but after World War II they were repurposed as family cruisers.

The Hoeks owned a boat like this and took part in the races. Every owner did their best to improve their lemsterak’s performance, so young André joined the engineering competition in an attempt to optimize the hull.

He remained true to this principle throughout his professional career of a yacht designer: impeccable classic beauty above the waterline and technologically advanced solutions below it. 

In 1980 Hoek graduated in Naval Architecture, but failed to get a relevant job, as absolutely different tastes dominated European yacht design at that time. So he went to Canada, where he started working with C&C Yachts. 

Having gained some experience, he came back to the Netherlands and got a job with ITC, a company specialising in heavy-lift transportation. At the same time, he was getting his MBA degree. Later he confessed that the experience allowed him to learn the vocabulary, allowing him to communicate with wealthy businessmen, who were going to become his clients quite soon. 

Hoek Design Naval Architects B.V. was founded in 1986 in Edam. A year later his first ocean yacht, the Joss, was launched. She was a sensation and largely determined the direction for André Hoek’s design: despite the “ancient” look, she was a really innovative vessel with a steel hull, a winged keel and powerful racing rigging. 

The next signature vessel was a “truly classic” sailboat built in 1994 for a famous yachtsman, Michael Peacock. She started the most famous range by André Hoek named Truly Classic. The concept comprised a number of projects ranging from 56 to 102 ft in length and combining the elegance of the 1930s and a modern hull configuration. 

Moreover, Hoek introduced the semi-custom construction method, which allows one to avoid “reinventing the wheel” again and again, but to rely on tried and proven technological solutions, varying layouts, rigging and equipment, which saves owners’ time and money considerably. 

In 1999 Ruurt Meulemans became André Hoek’s partner, and by now the company’s staff has reached ten people, while the fleet designed by the studio has exceeded 300 pennants. There are sailing and motor yachts ranging from 30 to 220 ft, of wood, composite materials and aluminium. Many of them have won prestigious awards, but the designer thinks that the true highlights of his portfolio are the J-class replicas: Lionheart, Topaz and Svea.

Today, Hoek Design Naval Architects B.V. collaborates actively with Dutch yards like Claasen Shipyards, Dutch Built Yachts, Essence Yachts, Holland Jachtbouw, Leonardo Yachts, Vitters Shipyard, as well as boat builders from other countries, including British Pendennis Shipyard, Finnish Baltic Yacht, Turkish Turquoise Yachts, New Zealand Alloy and others. 

André Hoek’s yachts are recognized as benchmark classics, so it is not surprising that they retain their value in the secondary market. 

“Some years ago, we started a brokerage – for our own boats – at the request of our existing clientele. In some cases, they were selling for more than they originally cost. The reason is simple,” says André. “Where ‘modern’ boats are concerned, next year will produce yet another new style or feature that looks good in order to generate demand – but a Hoek design will still be a beautiful boat in ten or twenty years’ time.”