Esline Yacht, a subsidiary of Selah Denizcilik, which entered the industry in 1982 with yacht production and has launched its 77th vessel, is transferring the accumulated experience of a family with a long history in seafaring to yacht production. The company, which began production by building small boats classified as 4-meter water toys, has launched 5 boats ranging from 9 to 15 meters in length over the past 5 years.
The company, which has increased the length of its boats and expanded its range of models, has sold three of the five boats it launched: two 9-meter Esline Labstor models, a 15-meter Esline 55, a 10-meter Esline Tender, and a 16-meter Esline 55S. Esline, which also provides refit and maintenance services, will carry out the complete interior work on its 55-meter yacht.
The company, which develops with a strategy of producing a new model every year, continues to work on the renderings of a 35-40 meter catamaran in addition to the new model, Esline 78. Stating that their goal is to combine quality with affordable prices without compromising on quality, Esline Board Chairman Emirhan Selah evaluated the development of the Esline brand.
We have produced light and fast boats that are below the expected weights.
“In 2012, we started yacht production by converting a 1,000-square-meter space we rented from Erkan Selah within the shipyard into a facility. We made significant investments in our brand and continue to do so. The entire infrastructure of our hangar was built to ensure high-quality product output. We made substantial investments in molds and worked with Hexagon Studio, the largest R&D organization in Turkey for mold production. The better your molds are, the better the resulting product will be. We produced molds that are almost flawless. We also reaped the rewards of our investment in molds. We produced boats that are lighter and faster than the anticipated weights. Lightweight boats provide fuel economy for customers, which is a significant advantage.”
“Our design firm is a young team that has made its mark on world-renowned yachts. We take great pride in the fact that our yachts are entirely the product of Turkish engineers and designers. All our boats meet Turkish Lloyd CE quality standards. We handle furniture production from A to Z ourselves. The furniture team of a major yacht manufacturer that closed down has been fully integrated into our organization. When you work with qualified personnel, you produce quality products. The quality of our team has also shown continuous improvement. Today, we have an experienced team capable of working on the production and refit of a 40-50 meter mega yacht.”
We are definitely not inferior to foreign brands in terms of quality.
“We also offer complete refit and repair-maintenance services, utilizing the capabilities of our shipyard. We can haul out boats up to 90 tons and handle all aspects of the work, from bottom cleaning and painting to furniture and engines. We will be doing the complete interior work on a 55-meter yacht that a shipowner has brought to our hangar. In today's market, refit work is definitely more profitable than building new boats.”
“We never compromised on the use of quality materials. We offer boats that are as high-quality as those of the world's leading brands, but at a 35-40% more affordable price. However, we are not a country that makes sufficient use of the sea, and demand for boats is quite low compared to other countries. Parallel to the increase in size, we have continuously developed and renewed our boats. My family's contributions to seafaring have been very important to us. After each boat we built, our belief and confidence in ourselves grew. Today, we are definitely not inferior to foreign brands in terms of both quality and finishing.”
Renderings of a 35-40 meter baltabaş boat during the design phase
“Our latest boat, the Esline 55S, which we also exhibited at the CNR Eurasia Boat Show, is attracting attention especially for its aesthetic appearance. We are continuing to increase our boat sizes. We have completed the design of the 25-meter Esline 78. Following the 78, we are also in the drawing phase for the renderings of a different 35-40-meter boat. We will also try to gather market demand for this boat, which will have a steel or all-aluminum hull.’
“The extreme volatility in the exchange rate in the domestic market is negatively impacting boat sales. We plan to go abroad and appoint sales representatives with the world's best brokers. If only the law reducing VAT on domestic boat sales to 1% and eliminating excise tax had been enacted sooner. This regulation will have a positive effect on increasing domestic boat sales. Had this law been enacted earlier, it could have been a lifesaver for major domestic yacht manufacturers that have closed down. Better late than never, as they say.’
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