The Family Way

Tiara’s C53 Coupe Is New and Improved, but only where It Counts. 

- Capt. Richard Thiel

Tiara Yachts is, in many ways, the last of a dying breed: a privately owned, independent boat builder that can trace its heritage in an unbroken line back to the man who started it. On February 2, 1974, Leon Slikkers founded S2 Yachts, his second boat company. He had sold his first, SlickCraft, to AMF in September 1969, and as part of the purchase agreement, Slikkers agreed not to produce any powerboats for five years. Thus the first S2s were sailboats, but powerboats soon followed; in 1976 the company introduced the first Tiara. So depending on whether you calculate it from the founding of S2 or of Tiara, this builder has been in business for 40 or 42 years. Either way, it’s an accomplishment that few competitors can challenge.

But it’s not just the length of time that S2 has been building boats that makes it rare, it’s the unbroken chain of management. Almost from the beginning, Leon’s four sons were in the business, and they remain so today, as do many of their children. And although Tom is president and CEO of S2 Yachts, Leon, now chairman at age 88, remains active and deeply involved. In August, the company unveiled its newest boat, the C53 Coupe, at an event near its factory in Holland, Michigan, and while Leon wasn’t one of the presenters, his presence in the room was palpable, and when he did offer a comment, everyone paid rapt attention.