Jasper Smith's formative years were full of outdoor adventure; of climbing, mountaineering and sailing, and while his professional background would eventually anchor itself in the software business, the older he got, the keener he became to build tangible products that could bring others the kind of experiences he had so enjoyed. "I've owned boats for the last 25 years and I've done quite a lot of long-distance passages," he says. "I've sailed from Sydney to Alaska; from the Faroe Islands to South Africa. I've done various transatlantic ocean voyages. So I was really interested in where form meets function and where adventure really plugs into that."
That's essentially how Arksen began. "There are very few sailors who don't dream of sailing off into the distance and across the horizon, but actually, the vast majority of boats are just not built for that. So starting Arksen was really about trying to build machines that give people the confidence to go as far as they could possibly dream of going." To that end, they're designed and built as commercial vessels rather than leisure yachts; to Workboat 2 and Cat 0 standards for unrestricted offshore operation. As Jasper puts it, "They're designed and built as mini ships for continuous use so, subject to maintenance, they could run 365 days a year, in the same way that maybe a ferry could."
Critically though, Arksen is about much more than just capable hardware. "When you're building a business, you need to think about what it is that an owner of one of your products wants to get out of it. And almost nobody we speak to is interested in owning a boat. Fundamentally, they're only owning a boat because they want to go and do something else, so the traditional model of 'Come to me because I can sell you a product' - well that model is pretty much just legacy now." And that's where the new Arksen syndicate comes in...
SHARING THE ADVENTURE
Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
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Denne historien er fra June 2024-utgaven av Motor Boat & Yachting UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Lofoten or Bust- Part 4- Grandezza owner Per Harrtoft heads back to Sweden after an epic 3500nm adventure deep into the Arctic Circle to visit the mythical Lofoten islands
After ten memorable days in the Lofoten Islands in the far north of Norway, we are on our way back south towards Sweden. We have already made it as far as Trondheim, a charming place even if it was raining so hard we had to cycle round the city centre clutching umbrellas. But now we are back on board Deamare, our Grandezza 40 Fly, eating up the miles at a steady 31 knots.
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YACHT TRANSPORT
As the name suggests it's a means of having your boat moved professionally from one location to another. It might be as simple as hiring someone to tow your RIB a few miles down the road or as complex as shipping a superyacht halfway around the world.
HANDLE A SINGLE SHAFTDRIVE BOAT PART 1
Single shaftdrive boats are relatively rare these days but the reduced costs of buying, servicing and fuelling such a simple but reliable drivetrain does mean they are making a bit of a comeback.
COCKWELLS MOTOR LAUNCH
There can be very few boats that have appeared three times at the Southampton Boat Show and been sold off the stand each time.
INSTALLING AN AUTOPILOT
Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot
GOOD AS NEW
Why fit a brand new engine when Volvo Penta's remanufacturing service can rebuild you an old one to the same standard for a fraction of the price?
BENETEAU SWIFT TRAWLER 54
Alex Smith heads to France's Beneteau HQ for a UK exclusive on what might just be the best Swift Trawler yet
ΧΟ EXPLR 44
Can XO's all-new aluminium flagship really make it big in the Med?
BUYING OUR FIRST CLASSIC
Instead of whiling away their retirement playing bowls, Rob and Shona Adams decided to invest their time and money in a classic Silver gentleman's yacht. Would the gamble pay off?
PRINCESS S65
Torn between the V and F Class flagships? The new S65 might be the boat you've been waiting for...
