The heyday of the hand-laid wooden powerboat may be lost to the same glorious past-tense that includes new Faulkner in bookstores and West Coast jazz spinning into the wee small hours of cocktail parties, but one company keeps the flame of classic, watercraft craftsmanship alive.

Although—as is the case with a manufacturing business that develops out of a loving admiration and appreciation of the product in question—the people at Van Dam Custom Boats are clearly aiming to outshine even the most iconic boats…past or present. And, like many businesses that have transposed obsession into a workable living, Van Dam’s ideal customer is the customer that shares their obsession with timeless luxury and the status of ‘one in the world’. If you know your classic American and European launches, you should be ready for an intense and familiar conversation when you speak with them about your own commission.

Van Dam’s been at it since 1977, which speaks volumes about the quality of their work. As does their number of repeat customers. They take on each client’s commission as a unique project, producing a custom vessel for them and only for them; there will never be another like it, unless that customer decides they’d like a matched set. They work with mahogany, teak and more, using their decades of expertise to pair wood with water in the most amenable way possible. They fabricate their own stainless accents and custom electronics. They offer a lifetime guarantee. The prevailing design ethos? Breathing life into your imagination and pairing it with modern tech and old world craftsmanship.

Pricing upon request.