German yard for carbon fast cruisers and the world's largest solar-powered boat
Knierim Yachtbau is a German shipyard specializing in custom-built racing sailboats and carbon fast cruisers. Founded in 1965 by Günter Knierim in Laboe, on the east bank of Kiel Bay, the yard was taken over in 2000 by his son Gunnar Knierim, who relocated it in 2002 to the Kiel Canal (Uferstrasse 100, Kiel-Holtenau), where it now occupies over 20,000 m².
From wooden cutter repair to carbon composite construction
Initially, the Laboe workshop maintained and repaired solid-wood fishing cutters. The shift to high-performance composite construction occurred under the second generation. Today, the yard builds carbon sandwich sailboats from 30 feet to 30 meters: racing maxis (Botin 65, Ker 51/56), all-carbon fast cruisers (FC53, FC56), one-designs (6mR), and high-performance cruising projects.
A dedicated tooling division: Knierim Tooling
The group includes a dedicated division, Knierim Tooling, equipped with high-capacity 5-axis milling machines for manufacturing precision molds and models for its own boats as well as external clients. The yard also features a climate-controlled hall, a quay on the Kiel Canal, and lifting capacity up to 25 tonnes.
