FJORD – THE POWER OF EXPERIENCE

Facts: Builds yachts from 24’ to 60’. First shipyard to laminate with FRP in late 1950. Amazing design. 5 axis CNC milling machine. Lamination through vacuum infusion technology. CATIA CAE/CAM software. In 2006 introduced a new design which changed yachting world for ever. State of the art materials usage. Fully automated robotic carpentry. Legacy of Fjord Brand.

FJORD HISTORY.

A boat fair in Hannover? Yes, there was one back in the late Fifties – And one of its visitors was Alf Richard Bjercke. This amazing story starts with a simple fair visit, however it would become the defining force for Bjercke and Fjord.

The world needs boats like Fjord. This was the reality for the future Fjord-manager after his visit to the fair. In a very Norwegian way: resolute and reliable like a Viking and honest, seaworthy and solid.Bjercke started building precisely this type of boat in a rented shop in Arendal in the early Sixties. The small shop however, could not take more than 24 feet in length. But Bjerke had the recipe for selling these to new owners: the dinghy “Gressvig“, the 15 foot long “Bolt“, the 17 foot “Fjordling“ and a 21 foot long cabin cruiser to owners. He was successful.

In order to grow into the 30 foot range, he moved Fjord to a new larger shipyard in Arendal. It soon carried a reputation for being the most modern and productive shipyard of its time.

The recipe continued to work and in 1964 he had to move Fjord to another location in Fevik. During theﾠ following two years, Bjercks shipyard expanded to 120 employees. Competition is copying the Fjord ideas all over the world. The concepts are right.

Ten years after the founding of the company, over 700 employees provide satisfaction for all Fjord-owners. Bjercke offered 72 models from four shipyards. During these years Fjord left all European shipyards for motorboats behind and Bjercke began conceiving a 75 footer, unthinkable at the time.

The oil crisis in 1973 destroyed all dreams of expansion. Fjord shrinks. But in the late Seventies the brand is back; with new models and a motor sailor. In the late Eighties Eivind Amble transformed a traditional wooden ketch into the 28 foot long GRP-type Fjord “Terne“. Ten years later Inger S. Bravig concentrates production on this boat. By the end of the Nineties, the shipyard had developed a model range. Fjord created the Terne very individually with great attention to detail. She is not a boat for everyone and she has distanced herself from the Fjord-idea. In 2007, the Fjord-manager Jens Ahrens and Michael Schmidt, head of HanseYachts , agree that Fjord needs a new vision. The seed of the decades-old brand shall produce new blossoms. HanseYachts enters Fjord. The new team wants to bring Fjord back to it’s historical lead position: the top of the motor yacht shipyards in Europe. Many owners should again be able to profit from the Fjord experience and the seamanship of the Fjord-teams in the future.

FJORD – IN THE MOOD FOR THE NEW YACHT WORLD.

The new Fjord is on its way. The flagship is at sea. At the beginning of this year the shipyard introduced the Fjord 40 Open, a twelve meter long glider with 44 knots potential and a spectacular design: clear, cutting edged and uncomplicated.

This style was unknown to the 40-foot-class until now. The first new Fjord 40 Open proved her attractiveness at Boot Düsseldorf in January and everyone who saw her at the show realised this and that Fjord has built the new 40 into the future. Even though she first starts unfolding her mastery “on the road”.

A few weeks later the cruiser version of the Fjord 40 was put to sea. And again the onlookers saw an unusual picture: no steps, stairs and tripping hazards. Fjord built the main deck on one level from the stern to the control console. The light streaming into the salon of the Fjord 40 Cruiser, through her extensive window panes, creates a desire to put to sea immediately and set course for the sun.

Both 40’s demonstrate to the owners and the competition quite plainly, the combination of factors to expect in future Fjords: challenging styling with immense eye-catching value on the outside, thought-through comfort with a sense of practical solutions on the inside.

And there is more: the little sister Fjord 36 is already sailing the seas along with the Fjord 48 Open, Fjord 42 Open is the latest addition to the Fjord Fleet.

Owners can look forward for more innovative and eye-catching models.
More to come the Fjord 56 Open, Fjord 40 X and Fjord XX OOpen.

These are backed by a clear concept. But even the best recipe only tastes good with first-class ingredients. The new Fjord-series are being created on the Cote d´Azur, in Australia and the Baltic Sea. The designer Patrick Banfield is working his drawing board in France. Together with his partner Jim Wilshire he is designing the new Fjord-concept. As a builder, Wilshire is part of the team to draw in the immense spaces conceived by Banfield and to form these ideas into practical solutions.ﾠ He is calculating the design based on the rough coast conditions of Western Australia.

One likes to fly to the sun of the Mediterranean with fantasy wings. The other contributes experience and success with fast ferries and patrol boats. This is the signature of Allseas Design. HanseYachts brings the production experience as one of the most modern European yacht shipyards. Experience that has proven itself in the turbulence of daily shipyard routine. The Fjord-background is in tune. The new yacht world is already here!
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