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Megayacht News Radio
Journey Through History and Craftsmanship With Burger Boat Company
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Prepare to embark on a captivating journey with us, as we sit down with Ron Cleveringa, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Burger Boat Company. Get ready to delve into the awe-inspiring 160-year legacy of Burger, from its beginnings crafting Mackinaw fishing vessels and schooners, to producing mighty military vessels and extravagant yachts. We discuss Burger's evolution and its commitment to tracking its fleet. Learn why even commercial clients prefer Burger's hands-on approach and the craftsmanship that goes into its custom yacht construction and modern-day steel and aluminum vessels.
In our second act, we journey into the heart of Burger's creation process as we explore the construction of two of their biggest projects right now, each a 180-foot yacht. Ron Cleveringa walks us through the careful planning and execution that goes into each venture, keeping the client's vision as the guiding light. Listen for insights into the dedication and detail that go into creating these seafaring beauties and the unique aspects of nurturing a long-term relationship with a client. Join us for this inspiring tale of craftsmanship, customer relationships, and the enduring legacy of Burger Boat Company.
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Welcome everyone. Founded by a German immigrant in 1863, which, to put that year into even more perspective, was during the American Civil War Burger Boat Company is one of the oldest Supriyat builders in the world. In fact, it is the fifth oldest globally and the second oldest in the United States. This year marks its 160th anniversary, and to say that the vessels being built and serviced in its sheds today are quite different from the ones all those decades ago is an understatement. I think it's safe to say that if the founder, henry Berger, saw the 180-footers being built at the shipyard today, he would be astonished. Still, though, there is one thread that connects modern-day burger to its origins, that being a focus on custom yachts. So for more on those yachts. It's extraordinary history and how it not only keeps tabs on some of its classic deliveries, but also has strong relationships with the owners of those boats. Ron Cleveringa, the vice president of sales and marketing, is joining the podcast today. So, ron, welcome to Megayot News Radio.
Speaker 2:Thank you, diane, it's good to see you.
Speaker 1:Good to see you too. So, given Berger's history, I think you could say if the proverbial walls could talk, the stories that they would tell would certainly be remarkable. There have been hundreds of different boats and yachts that have departed from Berger in 160 years. I know you and the team are celebrating the history, have always celebrated the history and have always paid really close attention to the developments over the years. That being said, I realized it's also hard to summarize 160 years worth of developments, but what would you say are some of the most remarkable moments over all of that time?
Speaker 2:That is a loaded question. Our history began in, like you said, 1863. Abraham Lincoln was our president and Henry Berger started building small 23, 24-foot Mackinaw fishing vessels that quickly evolved into very large schooners and freighters for on the Great Lakes. At that particular point in time the vessels for use on the Great Lakes had to be built here because there was no way to get them from the ocean. So basically, for the latter half of the 1800s Berger was primarily into commercial vessels Again freighters, sailing schooners, fishing vessels and so on. From there it evolved into some yachts. His reputation for quality construction allowed people to come to him as a custom builder to build various yachts of different sizes. So that kind of was intermingled in with the commercial vessels through about the depression, at which point in time things obviously changed and the local fishermen still needed vessels. So fish tugs fish tugs of various sizes were created and utilized on the Great Lakes. We've got hundreds of fish tugs that have been fabricated over the years and used Military vessels during World War II, actually even World War I, the Korean conflict, minesweepers, subchasers, patrol boats of various sizes.
Speaker 2:Shapes, steel construction we were one of the first to do welded steel in the fish tug arena That evolved into welded steel yachts. In the late 50s, reynolds aluminum approached Berger about building out of this fancy new material called marine grade aluminum. So we were one of the first to do that. We built commercial vessels steel yachts and aluminum yachts at the same time through about the mid 60s 1960s, at which point Berger decided to move to all welded aluminum yacht construction.
Speaker 2:2008 hit and you know what happened in 2008. Everything kind of dried up. So we kind of looked back at our history and said, well, let's bring back what we used to do. So we brought back commercial vessel construction. Ironically, the first commercial vessel we built was the Corrigonas for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to replace their 75-year-old burger Wow. So we were certainly there after we reintroduced steel construction to the shipyard, building several steel passenger vessels and a couple of research vessels. Then, when Northland came along, he wanted a steel hull aluminum superstructure explorer yet. So that's what we did. We built what he was looking for, built a couple smaller bolts and now we've got the 218s that you had mentioned earlier.
Speaker 1:Right. It's interesting because the commercial work, i think, is something that other yacht builders are kind of eyeing right now because it's almost a I don't want to say a guaranteed line of work but it's a pretty steady, constant need. So it does make a lot of sense. And obviously welding is welding, electrical is electrical, pipe fitting is pipe fitting. So it's the same concept, it's just a different client.
Speaker 2:Exactly The commercial clients really enjoy coming to Berger because we've carved out a niche in the, say, under 200 foot range for quality commercial vessels And the shipyards around here. The big shipyards deal with big, big ships up to well over a thousand feet in length. A commercial client can come here and be not be that little fish in a big pond.
Speaker 1:Right, right, there's a little bit more of that. You know, hands on touch, i guess you might say the smaller touch, so to speak, definitely makes sense. So you and the team I know for years have been keeping tabs on the Berger fleet. I remember back in the days of mailed newsletters, before we all had this wonderful fancy thing called the Internet, there was the Berger newsletter. You always have a page where you would include some of the more historic boats, the original name, the year the boat was built, the current name, And I always thought that that was really special, because not every yacht builder does it. And it may sound like an obvious question, but I think it's one that needs to be asked Why, why do you all track it And not just keep tabs on it for your own notes but really share it with the rest of the Berger community and people like me, people like some of the listeners maybe, who aren't Berger owners?
Speaker 2:Well, once you're in the Berger family, you're in the Berger family. There is a passion in the yachting community for the older burger yachts And to be able to help these folks out with questions to keep their boat running is exciting, and to hear the stories that they have to say The passion that they have with these vessels is just incredible. And again, because you're in the burger family, you're in the burger family. I've known clients who've purchased a burger yacht, enjoyed it for several years, got out of it and moved on to something else. And they're still in the family. We still keep in touch.
Speaker 1:Right, Right, That's nice. I know the owner of the first so-called small burger the series that you launched a few years ago. I know she's a really good representation of that passion and that enthusiasm You and Jim Rofalo and the other team members. Whenever I talked to you about her it always sounds like she's just jumping out of her skin, ready to launch the boat and can't wait to go cruising again and really make more memories.
Speaker 2:Yeah, she's incredible. I was at the shipyard when she came to pick up her boat this spring. She keeps it with us for the winter because she is a Wisconsin resident. She brings it in every winter, does whatever maintenance needs to be done, maybe a couple little upgrades or tweaks or changes, whatever she might want. When the boat goes in the water and she shows up, she is just giddy. We got a text from her captain the other day. They had taken a trip across Lake Michigan and he said she told him one more time I can't believe this boat is mine. This is something she's always wanted all her life. She wanted a burger.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I love those stories. That's terrific. That's the enthusiasm that everybody wants from their customers.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:So the yawning industry overall. I think this conversation about her enthusiasm is a really good jumping off point for what I wanted to ask you next. The yawning industry likens itself to a service industry, because owners are getting what they want. There's someone who is a dream and she was a good example. She always wanted to own a burger, so that dream came true in working with you and working with your suppliers. So I always like to ask people if they could use just one word to describe what owners want. What is it? So if you had just one word to describe, what word would you use?
Speaker 2:I guess I'd have to say adventure Okay.
Speaker 1:Elaborate on that.
Speaker 2:Well, the boats that we build allow you to go to places you've always dreamed about. I'll go back to Blue Boat Home, the first Burger 48. That individual enjoyed Door County, which is up in northern Wisconsin, with their previous boat, always wanted to go further, wanted to go to that next port, wanted to cross Lake Michigan, do Mackinaw Island, go to the North Channel? All of these things on their bucket list, so to speak. Those are new adventures. What we build allow people to go on those new adventures and enjoy different places, and Do it in something that they created.
Speaker 1:Make a lot of sense, definitely so. Speaking of adventure, burger is currently building a 180 footer for some owners who obviously will be keeping anonymous. How do they fit into this whole concept of Adventure and and how do they really embody the spirit? Is there something special that they're having done with the yacht, or is this maybe a huge step up for them?
Speaker 2:Well it's. It's a step up for them. Part of it is pretty simple They want to go further. Then they've gone before. They want to be in a, on a platform or any yacht that Has the redundancy that they want to ensure that they can continue their voyage if something were to happen. It has two bow thrusters, for instance, full backup, redundancy, things of that nature. But it comes back down to being able to cruise to those farther, further destinations and enjoy. Enjoy the journey as well as the destination, and part of the journey is building the boat.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's a good point. Yeah, people don't usually think about it from that standpoint, but that that definitely is true.
Speaker 2:Well, we have a long-term relationship with a client who builds a yacht. I mean, it's a marriage that you have to Work on throughout the entire process of building the yacht And when that client comes to the shipyard and sees the people who are building it, there's a synergy there, there's an excitement. You can feel it when they visit and that goes part of the adventure. They can. We had one client come back and give everybody in the shipyard t-shirts. He was the second owner of the yacht but he came back to just Thank the people who built his yacht, which he didn't build with us. Another client did and he bought it on the pre-owned market but he was just so thrilled To come back to the shipyard and share with our guys his adventures and his excitement for his boat.
Speaker 1:Now, that's so special, that's great.
Speaker 2:That was a lot of fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I can imagine the the surprise that everybody had when he was handing out the t-shirts. You don't expect that from a second owner.
Speaker 2:You don't. And actually another owner brought his yacht back here. He was cruising the Great Lakes, he was the yeah, he was the second owner. He brought the boat back to the shipyard through a Luncheon for the guys, opened the boat up for the guys in their families to go tour the boat and he had made some pretty significant changes to it, especially the interior, and He wanted the people here to see Their product, their product, because, let's be honest, we're in Wisconsin. Once the boat is finished, it doesn't necessarily come back.
Speaker 1:Right, people are off to the med or they're cruising the east coast or maybe going up to Alaska, something like that, yeah.
Speaker 2:Our yachts can be found around the world.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:Right.
Speaker 2:It's cool when they bring them back.
Speaker 1:Oh, totally, that's great. I would love that too if I were one of the craftspeople. That would be so neat to be able to see something years later, to see what the owners did and be able to show the family especially the work that you did, because they may not necessarily always get that chance.
Speaker 2:Well, and when they leave here they're finished, but yet everything's covered with plastic. protective coatings are in place. It hasn't been lived in. It doesn't have the finishing touches that the owner brings to the yacht Right. And those little details, i think are really important.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, definitely, because that's when it really is truly theirs, 100% theirs, and their families, right? So with the 182, if I remember correctly, this is the first yacht that is going to have the NIAID Total Ride Control. Is that correct?
Speaker 2:We're building two 180s right now. The first one has the NIAID's Total Ride Control installed on it. The second one it's available as an option. But yes, that is correct.
Speaker 1:Okay, and in layman's terms, what does this system do? I understand it, but I'm not sure that everybody else understands it.
Speaker 2:Well, NIAID's Total Ride Control helps eliminate pitch in a C-way, pitch being to bow up, bow down, pitching motion of the yacht. So it consists of a bow foil and trim tabs. The bow foil works in conjunction with the trim tabs, which are aft to reduce up to about 60% of the pitch, depending on the speed of the vessel.
Speaker 1:So it's basically that much more of a higher tech, more modern way of making sure the boat is that much more comfortable.
Speaker 2:Exactly.
Speaker 1:Very cool. I look forward to seeing that in action. So with the other 180 that you mentioned that is in build on spec, which I think might surprise some people, considering Berger has been doing custom yachts for so long. So what convinced you to take this approach and what do you think makes this particular project right for what today's owners are seeking?
Speaker 2:Well, the second 180,. Part of the reason that we decided to move forward with that project is the ability to put Tier 2 engines in it. We were able to lay the keel prior to the implementation of the Tier 3 requirements, so we were grandfathered in The engineering, between hull number one and hull number two are shared, so that reduces the cost and duration for the engineering side of things, and it also gives someone the opportunity to jump into a boat that's already under construction, thus reducing the lead time for the project itself. The project is. It really has the Berger DNA, i guess you call it. You can tell it's a Berger, it's more modern, it's aesthetic, but you can still feel the Berger DNA the quality of construction, attention to detail, things of that nature.
Speaker 1:Nice.
Speaker 2:It would be a great project for somebody.
Speaker 1:And when? Oh sorry, go ahead.
Speaker 2:I know it will be a great project for somebody.
Speaker 1:Oh, absolutely So. when is that supposed to finish up? When would delivery be able to be?
Speaker 2:We're looking at probably about three years.
Speaker 1:Okay, yeah, and people are still looking for sure right now at projects out of a quicker delivery time. It's incredible. I thought that would have waned already And perhaps there's a little bit of it going on, but it's still pretty strong.
Speaker 1:It is For example Yeah, well, good, well, hopefully somebody who is listening will be an intrigued buyer and come see you. So, ron, thanks for joining us on Meggy at News Radio today talking about the incredible history of Berger and talking about the 180s. Those are definitely projects that we're going to be looking at closely.
Speaker 2:Keep an eye out for more.
Speaker 1:Absolutely Well, everyone. If you would like to learn more about Berger Boat Company, you can visit their website, which is burgerboatcom. Until next time, i'm Diane Byrne.
