Majesty 120 underway

Majesty

I’m always fascinated by the yacht builders I meet because they all share a simple trait—passion. Now, I know that sounds like a cliché. Maybe it is. But it’s true. And that’s especially the case of the UAE-based Gulf Craft Group that build four different brands: Majesty, Nomad yachts, Oryx, and SilverCat boats in several facilities in the UAE and the Maldives. In fact, the company has been building yachts and boats for over 40 years. And as any long term yachting entrepreneur will tell you, being able to successfully weather the ups and downs of the yachting industry for 40 years is a major accomplishment.

How’d they do it? Well, I sat down with CEO Erwin Bamps to find out. It turns out, he’s actually returned to the CEO role he held from 2009-2019. Back then he led the company through a decade of significant growth—expanding the workforce, diversifying the product portfolio across the leisure and superyachting segments, and establishing a strong international presence.

BS: What’s it like to come back?

EB: It may be the same title, for the same company. But other than that, it’s no longer the same challenge. Back then we had to build everything from scratch. Now, the challenge is very different. The progress that has been made in terms of the product evolution, you look at this Majesty 100 Terrace, the innovation, the team, the automation and the machinery that has been acquired is amazing

Yet I believe we’re the best kept secret of the Middle East and the yachting industry as a whole. So, I want to build visibility of the various brands and establish a distribution network and partnerships.

BS: Where is Gulf Craft headed? What does your market research tell you?

EB: What we are seeing is that our customers are looking for a yacht that’s light and roomy so they can socialize on the water. They’re looking for a home away from home, a place to socialize and relax. We see most people looking for something in between—between the office and the home—especially in markets like Asia and the Middle East. They want to invite the customers or their friends, not necessarily all the time to the office because it's too impersonal, too business oriented. And not to their home either because it's too personal. The boat is the perfect mix.

And you can see that approach in the newest Majesty models. The Majesty 100 Terrace that’s designed in collaboration with Phathom Studio in the Netherlands features a private owner’s bow-terrace, fold-down cockpit balconies and full walk-around decks. The goal was to maximize indoor-outdoor living in the 100-ft class, with five staterooms supporting both family use and charter.

Meanwhile, the Majesty 120 is a 123-foot-long tri-deck with six cabins and lots of interior volume that that’s rare aboard yachts in this size range.

Stay tuned to see what they are working on next.