THE STORY OF SILTALA YACHTS OF FINLAND AND THE WORLD FAMOUS NAUTICAT

The yard is situated 40 kilometres from the city of Turku in Southwest Finland. The company has been building yachts for almost 40 years and today both administration and production facilities are concentrated to Riihikoski. The company has an international chain of skilful and experienced dealers that takes care of world-wide nauticat sales and service.

The story begins in late 1950´s when they moulded their first small fibreglass boats. In 1966 they were asked by some local sailors to build a comfortable 10-meter motorsailer with a proper pilothouse. The nauticat 33 was born and the designer of this yacht was the Finnish engineer W.Aarnipalo. The general hull form was nothing exceptionally new , it closely resembled to sturdy Nordic designs often seen battling their way across a stormy Baltic or bedecked with flowers and good cheer during celebrations under the midnight sun. As the popularity of the nauticat 33 soared and the company grew, a demand for larger boats was the natural result. The nauticat 44 & 36 both designed by W.Aarnipalo later accompanied the nauticat 33. Through international co-operation another motorsailer the nauticat 38 was born in 1975. Even some motorboats, and a small motorsailer, the minicat, were built by the yard and until 1980 also a 7,5 m long keelboat called GT-kryssare was in the product range.

At the beginning of the 1980´s the nauticat 52 was launched. It was the largest yacht to date built by the yard, and the 52 was later replaced by the nauticat 521 and this exceptional offshore yacht got smaller sisters called 43 and 40. All three yachts came from the drawing board of Sparkman & Stephens. These yachts were quite different from the traditional nauticats in sense of both design and performance. These yachts were the first steps in the direction of pilothouse sailing yachts that were to be introduced later. The pilothouse was lower than earlier, the hulls were more sailboat-like and the entrance was in the cockpit and not from the pilothouse sides as earlier. The 521, 43 and 40 were designed with ocean crossings in mind and this could easily be seen when having a look at for instance fuel- and water tank capacities. For some time at the beginning of the 80´s the yard even produced ordinary sailboats, the nauticat S-series, like the S-300, the S-320 and S-340. The S-300 and 340 had earlier been called Finnsailer and they were renamed nauticats when Siltala Yachts bought the moulds and the rights for these fine yachts.

At the end of 1986 the yard launched an own design that became successful overnight, the nauticat 35. The boat started a totally new era at the yard, since all yachts starting with the 35 have been designed by Kaj Gustafsson. Now even more attention was put on creating yachts with better sailing performance than earlier and still not loosing the traditional nauticat values as the cosy wooden interior, close warm pilothouse, and safe and good overall performance. The 35 was the first nauticat in the range of pilothouse sailing yachts, and she was offered with sloop rigging as standard. Earlier the ketch rigging had been the traditional nauticat way of rigging the boats. The size and accommodation of the aft cabin on a nauticat 35 is still in the lead of yachts in this size and category.
Encouraged by the success of the 35 the yard and the designer Kaj Gustafsson launched the nauticat 32 in 1990. This was the smallest nauticat ever built according to the pilothouse concept and this yacht became exceptionally beloved all around the world. With various rigging and keel alternatives the 32 has been adapted for different markets and needs.

In 1990 the yard took over a motorboat manufacturer called Oy Flipper Ab and for a short time the yard produced Flipper motor boats besides the nauticats.

Once again more weight was put on better sailing performance. During the recession in Finland in 1993 the yard and it´s designer and now managing director Kaj Gustafsson introduced the nauticat 39. This yacht embodied the yard´s new philosophy. More sailing area, better performing hulls under sail and more efficiently shaped keels and rudders. This yacht became an immediate success and she was in 1995 followed by the nauticat 42 which offers the same concept as the 39 . The 42 was warmly welcomed by a broad audience. The 42 is well adapted for different environments and needs. The boat immediately found happy and proud owners in both Europe, the United States and Asia.

At the end of 1996 the first nauticat 515 was put into water. This good looking yacht is a unique combination of performance, safety, comfort, style and power. The 515 is their first centre cockpit yacht.

In 1997 they modified their “Grand Old Lady” the nauticat 33, that also earlier had gone through significant modifications since her birth at the end of the 60´s. The boat got a totally new hull and deck and was renamed nauticat 331. This yacht is offered with two new keel versions 1,48 m or 1,65 m draft. She is rigged as a truly classics should be, as a ketch. The 331 has a legendary reputation to sustain and this yacht offers superior comfort and handling in the category-traditional motorsailers.

In 1999 they developed their successful and beloved nauticat 32, the result was a new yacht called nauticat 321. The nauticat 321 has that distinctive nauticat looks and is a harmonious combination of performance and style. She is equipped with a 40 HP engine as standard and is offered with several keel and rigging options.

In spring 2002 the nauticat 37 was launched. This yachts was designed by Kaj and Patrik Gustafsson, father and son, and she represents the latest design and production methods in the category pilothouse sailing yachts under 40 feet. This yacht is going to set new standards regarding the combination of safety, performance and comfortability. The 37 is unique in terms of speed under sail, volume inside, safety, overal comfort and easy handling.

Philosophy
The secret behind the nauticats is quite simple-the demanding Nordic climate and good taste. Finnish craftsmanship and the experience gained from building more than 2600 nauticats have resulted in yachts admired amongst discerning yachtsmen all over the world. The nauticat range of yachts today is divided into two distinctive groups. The traditional ketch rigged motorsailers and the pilothouse sailing yachts. The traditional motorsailers like the nauticats 331, 38 and 44 offer you traditional looks and still very modern cruising abilities. The pilothouse yachts, the nauticats 321, 35, 37, 39, 42 & 515 were designed with high performance under sail in mind, never forgetting the traditional nauticat qualities and values.

No matter the size or type, nauticats have common qualities . They all provide the vision required to command the yacht from inside or outside. The pilothouse of a nauticat offers all-around visibility. The pilothouse also offers shelter from burning rays of sun as well as from the freezing wind. That’s why a nauticat is suitable for both the Caribbean area as well as the climate in Finland or Alaska. The nauticats are famous for their comfort, spaciousness and reliability both under sail and power. At the yard they think that there are no shortcuts to quality and therefore they are dedicated to upholding their reputation for building elegant and individual yachts to highest standards based on experience. They think quality is not just a tired concept squeezed dry by unimaginative copywrites. It’s an attitude a philosophy.

Customisation
When choosing a nauticat you have the possibility of individualising your boat to an extent not seen at other yards or on yachts of similar size. They have a in-house design team and their crew encourages to fulfil your dreams. Since all work is carried out at the yard in Riihikoski the yard can be very flexible in the building process. They are also aware of the fact that individualising of the yachts needs on the spot discussions and that’s why most of their clients visit them several times during the building process. First the boat is only existing on a piece of paper but step by step the dream comes true.

Building
The whole building process of a nauticat yacht is concentrated on quality. They want to build the safest and best quality yacht possible. They think this is assured only by concentrating the whole building process of the yacht to one place. their production is concentrated to their premises in Riihikoski. They have full control over their construction process, due to the fact that they laminate the GRP hulls and decks ourselves. their carpenters individualise interiors out of teak-wood, and the installations and fitting is carried out at the yard. Most stainless parts on deck are made by their own skilled craftsmen. Even the cushions, curtains and other textiles are made by ourselves.

The close co-operation with their suppliers has resulted in constant improvement of functionality and quality of the equipment fitted on the yachts. The rigging is provided by Seld×™n, the engines are made by Yanmar, their sails are manufactured by the local North Sails loft and most navigation instruments come from Raymarine. On the other hand, one has to bear in one’s mind that due to the individualising of the yachts they are used to fitting products from other manufacturers as well. their building process is a constant development process with the goal of offering their customer’s the best possible quality.

In the design and analysing of the yachts and for customised interior drawing they are using the latest yacht design and CAD programs avafilable.

To ensure a long lasting and strong hull the hulls of nauticats are always laminated by hand, using the best materials possible. The hulls and decks are made of solid single skin laminate. Every yacht is tested thoroughly in the testpool at the yard, before delivery. All equipment is tried and goes through a testing program. Every single yacht is even rigged and the sails are tested , no matter rain, snow or shine. their modern production facilities are heated up all around the year. During wintertime the outside temperature in Finland might even go down to – 30 degrees Celsius, so they know what it is like to build boats for severe conditions.