Founded in 2008, Yukay Denizcilik delivered two boats to customers in the 58 and 38 models produced between 2011 and 2014 under the Mazu Yachts brand. The company, which is preparing to launch its third yacht, the Mazu 38, is taking careful and deliberate steps in selecting brokers to handle the brand's promotion and sales. Yukay Denizcilik plans to showcase the Mazu 38 at yacht shows in Monaco, Cannes, and Abu Dhabi, and also undertakes new construction and refit projects based on demand.
Halit Yukay, who studied industrial design for two years and yacht design for two years at the University of Miami in the United States, worked at three shipyards in Florida that manufactured refit and new construction boats before returning to Turkey in 2008 and founding Yukay Denizcilik. Yukay provided design consultancy services to leading shipyards in the industry for a period of time, but when he encountered problems getting paid for his work, he decided to focus on developing his own business. After intensive work, he designed two models for Mazu Yachts within a six-month period. The design of the remaining model and the projects for all models were completed within 1.5 years. However, Halit Yukay states that effective marketing was not possible in the early years because there was no product available, saying:
Since our production capacity is limited, we are very selective in choosing brokers. We make serious efforts to find the best companies.
When you first start building boats, it's not possible to get good marketing services. Since there's no product yet, there's a serious trust issue. Brokerage firms don't want to take the risk of marketing your boat to a trusted customer. Therefore, the best market initially is your own circle, the people who know you. However, once you have a couple of products out there, you have the chance to convince and support outside investors. That's why I had to do all the marketing myself for the first two years. Having two boats in the Mazu model launched, a third boat in the manufacturing stage, and other projects we did as Yukay Denizcilik strengthened our position.Since we have proven our quality with our projects, we can now be selective in choosing brokers. We have advertised in both digital and print magazines. We have established agencies in four countries in Asia. We are in talks with Australia and Brazil. We are now in a position to choose.
In addition to our Mazu brand, we also undertake new construction and refit projects in line with requests received by Yukay Denizcilik. We have completed three to four refit projects within the last 1.5 years.
Due to our limited production capacity, we are very selective in choosing brokers. We put in serious effort to find the best companies. We find acquaintances in the country where the demand comes from and research the company from several angles. This year, we made significant progress in establishing our marketing network. Next year, we plan to continue these efforts, build the infrastructure for marketing, and focus more on our core business, boat building.
Can you provide information about your customers?
We built our first boat, the Mazu 58, for Fenerbahçe soccer player Selçuk Şahin, and our second boat, the Mazu 38, for Timur Savcı, owner of Tims Productions. We are currently building our third boat, the Mazu 38, for an Italian customer. We also sold one of our two hulls to Italy. This was a very exciting development for us. It was a source of pride that a country that is a leading boat manufacturer in the world, with hundreds of brands, chose our brand. In addition to our Mazu brand, we also undertake new construction and refit projects at Yukay Denizcilik in line with the requests we receive. We have completed three or four refit projects in 1.5 years. We completely refitted a 2000 model, 12-meter American sport fishing-style fishing boat. We remanufactured a 10-meter classic dragon racing sailboat in a manner that was identical to the original (restoration). Timur Savcı's boat, a 1997 model Azimut 75, was among the projects for which we carried out a complete refit.
Why Cold Molded?
Cold Moulded is the most expensive production technique in the world, and it is also a very time-consuming manufacturing method. The boat is perceived as being made of wood, but only the main frame of the boat is wooden. We cover the entire surface of the boat with carbon fiber. The most important advantages of Cold Moulded are lightness, strength, and the absence of mold costs. Compared to a polyester boat, our boats are 20% lighter, 50% stronger, and have high strength. Since there is no mold system, we can make any changes we want to the boat without incurring additional mold costs. Making changes according to the customer's request leads to the right results more easily.
What are your design preferences?
I wanted to create a design that was extraordinary, unconventional, and noticeable. That's why the forms are more rigid than necessary in order to be noticed. It's not very important that people like it, but it's important that it's not ordinary.
Design is not a very conscious choice. The forms that have formed in your mind since childhood guide your design. There is a standard mold model and a compatible design approach all over the world. In our semi-custom production model, our production numbers are limited. I wanted to create a design that was not ordinary, that was out of the ordinary, that stood out. That's why the forms are harsher than necessary to be noticed. Being liked isn't very important, but not being ordinary is important. It's a positive thing for me if people criticize it as bad. There's an explanation for bad, but there's no explanation for ordinary.
Our colors are unlimited according to customer preference. We generally use two colors on the body. We prefer metallic colors on the main body and solid colors on the small parts so that the colors do not clash. We first show the customer their preferred colors on renderings. We have two designers in-house, specializing in industrial and interior design. We plan the interior layout according to the customer's requests. All details, such as fabric, furniture, and color selection, are determined based on customer preferences.
What approach do you take to sourcing materials and equipment?
We obtain material prices from abroad and compare them with domestic prices. If domestic prices are close to those abroad, we source the material from the domestic market. When there are significant differences or gaps in prices, we import the product directly from abroad ourselves. We purchase all the materials for the boat's production in bulk and bring them to our shipyard before starting production. Once the manufacturing process begins, we continue production in a planned manner without encountering problems such as material procurement.
Volvo Penta IPS systems are standard equipment on all your boats. What kind of advantages does this machine offer?
We only use Volvo IPS systems in Mazu boats. The boat's weight, speed, and fuel consumption vary depending on the engine. All our calculations regarding the speed and fuel consumption we predicted prior to manufacturing matched perfectly with zero error in both of our boats.
When Volvo Penta IPS stern drive systems first hit the market, I had the opportunity to use this equipment for the first time at a shipyard in America. Volvo developed this system after 20-25 years of development. Volvo IPS engines ranging from 1,000 to 1,200 horsepower are highly efficient. The IPS system offers significant advantages to both manufacturers and users. The fuel savings, speed, and quietness are truly incredible. Since the shaft system is unconventional, there is virtually no vibration on the boat. The exhaust is in the water, so you don't smell it. In addition, there is a very good connection between the engine and the navigation system. You can control everything from one screen. Everything is provided automatically with a package program. The ride on the boat is excellent; you feel like you're flying. We only use the Volvo IPS system on Mazu boats.
We offer speed, RPM, and range options depending on the model. We achieve the speed we provide to the customer on paper before manufacturing exactly as promised at sea. Since we have two boats in the water, we also have the ability to take interested customers out for sea trials. Alfa Marine Design performs our engineering calculations. Following these engineering calculations, we conduct hull speed tests in Sweden with Volvo Penta using 3D designs. We determine the changes we will implement for the perfect compatibility of the engine and hull through computer-based tank tests. We have 3-4 separate engine options for each hull. The weight, speed, and fuel consumption of the boat vary depending on the engine. All our calculations regarding the speed and fuel consumption we predicted before manufacturing matched perfectly with zero error on both boats.
Can you tell me about your facility?
At our facility in the Yalova Shipyard Area, which is our own property, we have 1,000 square meters of indoor space and 300 square meters of outdoor space. We have our own furniture and paint workshops. We obtain chrome plating and painting services from subcontractors we work with on a regular basis. We handle all other work in-house. Our facility is very clean, with no dust. It is cleaned regularly 24 hours a day. We have customer offices with glass walls overlooking the shipyard, where our customers can visit their boats and comfortably conduct their own business.
What's on your agenda?
Our plan for the future is to find the best brokerage firms in key regions around the world and accept a limited number of requests, capped at 10 per year. For us, being marketed in the best possible way by the best brokerage firms is more important than the requests and sales themselves.
As a shipyard, our priority is to launch the second Mazu 38 and then exhibit it at the Monaco, Cannes, and Abu Dhabi boat shows. Our goal is not to sell boats at these shows, but to promote our brand. These shows are particularly important for us to establish relationships with brokerage firms. After participating in these shows, we will have completed an important milestone in our promotion. We have not yet appointed representatives in the Arabian Peninsula and Europe. We plan to make our representative selections after the boat shows. We are careful to move forward slowly but surely. Selling boats on our own is not a goal for us today. It is much more important for us to establish the marketing infrastructure that will ensure the regular sale of our boats. We do not want to be constantly involved in boat sales; we do not have the capacity or the goal to do so. It is more important for us to make our investment in good brokerage firms and maintain a standard sales volume each year. As Yukay Denizcilik, we already manufacture and deliver boats according to individual requests we receive. Our main goal is to find the best brokerage firms in the world's leading maritime countries and be marketed by them. After that, our job as a shipyard will be solely to carry out the manufacturing.
What are your goals for the next five years?
We want to grow in sales under the responsibility of brokers rather than individual sales. Working with brokers provides professional solutions in sales, financing, and marketing. As a shipyard, our sole responsibility is to deliver the boat at the promised quality and time. Today, we are very worn out because we also handle the marketing and financing of the business.
In our 35-meter by 17-meter boat manufacturing area, we can build five boats from the Mazu series simultaneously. As a shipyard, our annual production capacity for the three models in the Mazu series is 10 boats. We don't want to expand or exceed this. As a boutique manufacturer, our production times are longer. Although the hulls are the same, each boat is actually different. Each customer's interior, hull, and deck design is different. Therefore, we work on each project separately. We don't have the option of keeping projects in stock. Our production volume is low. Our plan for the future is to find the best brokerage firms in key regions around the world and limit our total annual demand to 10 units. We have to put any demand above that on a waiting list. For us, being marketed in the best way possible by the best brokerage firms is more important than demand and sales...
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