PHOTO COURTESY OF TIARA YACHTS
Since the time he first started in the boatbuilding industry in the 1940s, Leon Slikkers has created a legacy of innovation, pushing the boundaries of design and engineering to create multiple successful brands that have become ubiquitous with quality and innovation. Over the years, he’s been said to have built more quality boats than anyone in the history of the industry.
Now, after 75 years in the business, he is handing over the reins to the next generation.
Slikkers started his career as a carpenter for Chris-Craft in 1946, later starting his own company manufacturing mahogany runabouts, called Slickcraft Boat Building Company. In the 1970s, he began S2, which became the foundation of Tiara Yachts and Pursuit sport fishing boats.
“This company, its rich history and all that it has accomplished wouldn’t have been possible if not for the vision, passion and unyielding entrepreneurial drive that our father has demonstrated for a lot of decades,” says Tom Slikkers, CEO and president of Tiara Yachts. “His dedication to excellence and the translation of his passion for boatbuilding across three generations will be a lasting legacy as we continue to provide exceptional customer service and highly specialized products.”
Pursuit sold to Malibu Boats in 2018, but the legacy of Tiara Yachts has continued, with cutting edge design and innovation evident in every stage of the company’s history, leading the industry in inboard and outboard design, with a recent focus on the luxury outboard market.
Now, the company looks forward to the culmination of its innovation, represented in the 55-foot inboard yacht to be released in 2022, a combination of an LS and coupe that represents the most personalized and technically advanced product from Tiara. Impressive growth in recent years has led to doubling revenue from 2017 to 2020, positioning the company for added growth and new innovation in the years to come.
To learn more, visit tiarayachts.com.
