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The Yacht Businesses That Pass from Fathers to Sons — and Daughters
This Father's Day, we list the world's most iconic yacht brands that have been passed down from father to sons and daughters. Every father passes something down. For some it's a watch, a recipe, a way of telling a joke. For others it's a work ethic, a set of values, a stubborn belief that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right.
And then there are the fathers who passed down an entire shipyard.
There's something deeply moving about the idea of a child growing up inside a boatyard — spending summers surrounded by the smell of varnish and the sound of grinding metal, watching their father obsess over a hull line or argue passionately about the weight of a keel. They didn't plan to take over. But one day they looked around and realised they already knew everything — the craft, the culture, the pride that goes into every vessel that leaves the dock.
This Father's Day, we list the world's most iconic yacht brands that have been passed down from father to sons and daughters.
Hodgdon Yachts in Maine is perhaps the most striking example. Founded in 1816 — before Maine was even a state — it is today run by Timothy Hodgdon, the fifth generation of the same family, with a sixth already stepping in. Two centuries, one family, one shipyard.
In Italy, Benetti followed a similar path. When the founder passed, his sons renamed it Fratelli Benetti — Brothers Benetti — and the family kept growing into the business with each generation. Today, Benetti is one of the most iconic superyacht names in the world.
Germany's Lürssen, founded in 1875, built the world's very first motorized yacht. Four generations later, the Lürssen family still runs the yard — and now builds five of the ten largest yachts on the planet.
In the Netherlands, Damen Shipyards passed from father to son when Kommer Damen took over in 1969 and revolutionized production with a modular building concept. His son Arnout is now chief commercial officer, and his daughter Rose joined after earning her MBA abroad. "We have no shareholders to satisfy," Arnout says. "Our mission is to survive for the next generation."
Italy's Azimut tells a father-to-daughter story. Paolo Vitelli built the empire; his daughter Giovanna now runs it.
