Teak Isle’s Low MOQs and Innovative Engineering Helps HCB Yachts Offer the Customization Options Their Customers Demand

Background

When you build high-end center-console yachts with seven-figure price tags, you get lots of requests for customizations. That’s certainly the case with HCB Yachts, which pioneered the 50-plus-foot center console market with the debut of its iconic 53 Sueños at the 2015 Miami International Boat Show. Other boat builders followed suit over the ensuing decade, but HCB remains a marquee name in mega center consoles.

OEM Partnership

Executing on those customization requests requires not only exceptional internal capabilities in lamination, rigging, upholstery and more but also exceptional OEM partners, says Ryan Garrison, HCB’s Design Engineering Manager. When it comes to Corian countertops and other surfaces, exterior cabinetry, and miscellaneous acrylic and King Starboard parts, the company’s choice is Teak Isle. In fact, Teak Isle supplies upwards of 85 unique parts for the 53 Sueños alone.

Even before individual customer requests arise, Garrison says, Teak Isle’s ability and willingness to work closely with HCB on specialized designs allows the company to offer its customers a level of quality and customization that would otherwise be impossible.

Quality Difference

“On Corian surfaces throughout our builds,” says Garrison, “we have some specific details that we execute with the layup, like adding a fiddle [a raised lip to keep items from sliding off a horizontal surface] above and below. It’s good for practical reasons, but it also gives a beautiful, solid look to the counter that we really like. I think if we’d gone to most Corian companies and said, ‘Hey, can you create this for us,’ they would have probably laughed.”

In addition to working closely with HCB on the fiddle details, Teak Isle also readily accommodates a variety of different countertop options — lidded sink cutouts, grill covers, wine bottle holders, etc. — that HCB can spec up front. “Integrating all those options into one product that we order easily for our standard offering is huge,” Garrison says.

Inevitably, though, customers still want to customize more. “It might be, ‘Can we move this sink over 6 inches because we want a little bit more countertop space here,’ or it might be, ‘I want to use this brand of grill instead of the one you offer.’” says Garrison. “Teak Isle’s ability to supply customized, one-off solutions really sets them apart for us and lets us offer the level of customization our customers expect.”

The story is similar with the cabinetry Teak Isle supplies to HCB. “We push the boundaries with our acrylic exterior cabinetry,” Garrison says. “For instance, a lot of our drawer boxes have a pretty intricate gutter detail on the back side to catch any dribble of water that gets past the gasket, all so we can confidently say that our drawer boxes are truly waterproof. I’m not sure other companies would even consider executing it.”

Design & Engineering

Ultimately, though, it is Teak Isle’s engineering capabilities that Garrison says set the company apart. “The level of engineering they have put in place makes it possible for us to offer the customization we do. “There are other companies for acrylic boxes. There are other companies for Corian countertops. There are things we can do here in-house. But nobody can do it at the level Teak Isle can. They are truly the best at what they do.”