The second day of Metstrade saw marine industry stalwart Leon Slikkers honored for lifetime achievement at the seventh edition of its Boat Builder Awards, with several other awards bestowed on boatbuilders in a variety of categories.
Slikkers, the founder of Tiara Yachts and a boatbuilding pioneer whose lifetime in the marine business dates back to the 1940s, officially retired earlier this year, capping a legendary, 75-year career.
Leon’s son Tom Slikkers, president and CEO of Tiara Yachts accepted the award on his father’s behalf.
The awards, jointly managed by Metstrade and International Boat Industry and sponsored by Raymarine, recognize the contributions of partners working with boatbuilders globally. This year, judges received more than 100 nominations, from which 7 winners and 5 honorable mentions were named.
“We also owe particular thanks in 2021 to those who made the Boat Builder Awards happen this year, from the sponsors to the nominees,” said awards chair Ed Slack in a statement. “It is important to consistently recognize achievement within boat and superyacht builders and their supply chains and we look forward to an even stronger set of nominations in 2022 as the industry continues to grow off the face of the current popularity wave.”
The winners are:
The Retail Marketing Initiative, sponsored by Kohler Power Systems, was awarded to The Princess Experience series by Princess Yachts.
In the Innovative On-Board Design Solution category, sponsored by Fusion Entertainment, joint winners were named: Candela C-7 and C-8 hydrofoils were recognized along with the Sunseeker 65 Sport Yacht’s SkyHelm.
Polish builder Sunreef Yachts was chosen for the Environmental Initiative award for its Sunreef Yachts Eco. The category sponsor was Confindustria Nautica.
In the Collaborative Solution between Boat or Superyacht Builder and its Supply Chain Partner category, sponsored by Ultraflex, the partnerships between Excess Catamarans, Torqeedo and ZF was recognized for the Excess 15 hybrid power system.
In the Lumishore-sponsored Rising Star category, the winner was Marko Škrbin, the marine division director of Elan Yachts.
Click here for honorable mentions and shortlist nominations.
