Marquis-Larson Boat Group and VanDutch Yachts have signed a new contract build partnership agreement.
Marquis-Larson, builders of Marquis and Carver Yachts, has been building VanDutch models for more than five years, recently under an expired agreement.
To date, the Marquis-Larson shipyard in Pulaski, Wis., has built more than 65 VanDutch boats, the company said, noting that all pending litigation between the two companies has been resolved.
The original deal was signed in December 2013. It faced challenges when Marquis brought a lawsuit against VanDutch regarding its molds and tooling that had come from S2 Yachts — the company that had previously been building the Dutch company’s boats.
That lawsuit was settled in 2015, but another one was filed the following year. In March 2016 Marquis sued again, saying VanDutch had breached its contract.
“We are happy that we were able to come to terms and establish a new build agreement with VanDutch,” said Marquis-Larson Boat Group president and CEO Rob Parmentier in a statement. “We have felt, treated and acted as if VanDutch was one of our brands, therefore, did not want to see it go.”
“The leadership and group of boatbuilders at Marquis-Larson have set a standard of build and service quality that is one of a kind,” said Bas Mulder, managing director of VanDutch Holding B.V. “It was important to us that we continue our relationship with the Marquis-Larson Boat Group to ensure we build and deliver VanDutch boats as our clientele have come to expect from VanDutch.”
