The Shipyard

The Expedition Yacht Experts

The Bestevaer family is brought to you by KM Yachtbuilders. With over 100 fine ships to our name, each built in-house from start to finish, KM Yachtbuilders has established a strong reputation as the world's leading builder of aluminium expedition yachts up to 100 feet.

Founded in 1999 by Eeuwe Kooi, KM Yachtbuilders is located in Makkum, a typical down-to-earth Frysian town with a long heritage in fishing, sea trade, and boat building. Known as the gateway to the Zuyderzee in the Middle Ages, Makkum still today is a nautical hub and home to many of our dedicated craftsmen.

Uncompromising Craftsmanship

Decades of experience, expertise and many specialized eyes for detail. KM Yachtbuilders is where passion meets purpose.

Driven by perfection and uncompromising craftsmanship, we build high-quality go-anywhere yachts for go-anywhere people. Exploration and innovation are in our DNA, and like our customers, we prefer to think without limitations. In our world, there's always a way to reach even the furthest of destinations.

The Bestevaer is a spectacular amount of boat to take on a true adventure.

Yachting World

Everything

In-House

All our yachts are built in-house by our own craftsmen. As one of the few complete shipyards left in the world, we hold all boat-building disciplines under one roof. Construction, interior, outfitting - each department its own expertise. Each expertise its very own specialists.

  • ALUMINIUM HALL

    Welding, sanding, polishing: each yacht takes countless hours of handwork by our master craftsmen to shape aluminium to the absolute smoothest ideal.

  • CARPENTRY

    Our carpentry team delivers made-to-measure interiors and exterior finishings, like teak decking. Expect finesse woodwork from Holland’s finest woodworkers.

  • OUTFITTING

    Electronics, mechanics, insulation. In our outfitting hall, various skills come together to prepare your new-built yacht for the waters of the world.

  • PAINTING

    Aiming for perfection, layer upon layer. A yacht’s paintwork is key to its durability and to achieve perfection requires patience, an eye for detail, and experience.

  • RIGGING

    Our rigging specialists have years of experience in bringing the most intricate sail plans to life. Mast, spars, furling systems, lifelines – they get the job done.

  • ENGINEERING

    Reliable technology can literally be a lifesaver when at sea. Our engineers are up-to-date with the latest developments in mechanics, hydraulics and pneumatics.

Aluminium, Material of Dreams

Lightweight, strong, maintenance-free, environmentally friendly and incredibly good-looking.

It is with good reason that aluminium has been our material of choice since day one. Sturdiness will make all the difference when tackling the constantly cold and unpredictable weather patterns of the Polar regions. Furthermore, aluminium alloy hulls are resistant to abrasion, well-insulated and offer a naturally protective layer of oxide on its surface.