Lurssen has been at the forefront of Germany’s luxury motor yacht industry for more than a century. Their designs have revolutionized the sector and ushered in many new developments. This brand created the world’s very first motor yacht and the first diesel engine vessel. They also released the first remote control boat.
Today, the shipbuilding company builds superyachts and naval vessels at their shipyard in the Bremen-Vegesack district. They also perform refits.
Yacht Selection
There are dozens of different yacht models in the Lurssen collection. They’re all set apart by their stunning architecture and luxurious details. They’re also exceptionally long and powerful on the water.
The A+ is one of their largest yachts. It’s 147 meters long and launched in 2012. This yacht is special because famed British designer Terence Disdale decorated all of the interior spaces and legendary designer Tim Heywood created the exterior.
Kismet is their most recent addition. This is a 122 meter superyacht built for one of the brand’s most loyal clients. She boasts a seven star wellness suite complete with a Turkish bath, sauna and cryotherapy chamber. Some of the other special features include a private massage room, state of the art gym and a movie theater with underwater seating.
Brand History
Lurssen was founded in Germany in 1875. Friedrich Lurssen founded it and it remains a family owned company to this day.
Lurssen was a boatbuilder who wanted to join his father’s boatyard to learn more about the industry. Instead, his father encouraged him to start a yard of his own. At just 24 years old, he set up his first workshop in Aumund, near the German city of Bremen. He was successful early on and soon began taking orders with his father.
At first, he only built wooden racing boats for the local oarsmen. He became famous for creating vessels that looked great and performed wonderfully in regattas. People began clamoring for one of their own.
In 1886, Lurssen built the world’s first motorboat. He created it in partnership with an engine manufacturer named Gottlieb Daimler who wanted to test the quality and performance of his newest design. The Daimler engine in this boat weighed just 60 kilograms but had an impressive 1.5 horsepower output.
The brand continued to expand throughout the years. In 1904, they opened a strategic site in Bremen-Vegesack that put them closer to the water. Lurssen died at age 52 and his wife Frieda took charge in 1932. Over the next few decades, third and fourth generations of the Lurssen family assumed leadership positions at the brand.
They changed locations throughout the years as they acquired other shipyards. This includes the acquisition of Kroger Werft in 1987 and Hamburg’s Norderwerft Shipyard in 2012. In 2013, they released the longest yacht in the world. It was called AZZAM and spanned 180 meters. The next year they released a yacht called DILBAR that broke the record for the largest yacht in the world.
Unique Selling Points
While Larssen has been around for nearly 150 years, I love that their superyachts are still customized. Some of the world’s biggest and most illustrious yachts have come from this brand.
You’ll appreciate that they focus on engineering precision just as much as beautiful design. Their team includes esteemed naval architects, engineers and some of the top designers in the world.