40 years of X-Yachts Holland & the Schuttrups family | (2024)

40 years of X-Yachts Holland & the Schuttrups family

The start

When Rob Schuttrups saw an X-102 during a Scandinavian summer holiday 4 decades ago he instantly knew he had to have one. It wasn’t until wintertime that he found the time to visit the team at X-Yachts, where the address on the Marstrup Mollevej turned out to be a house with a medium-sized shed. Rob and his wife were invited for a coffee around the kitchen table – this was in the days when there was no office!

Later Niels Jeppesen called and persuaded Rob not only to buy an X-102 but also to take up the Dutch dealership, saying the dealership wouldn’t take up too much of his time. It took almost a year to sell the first X-Yachts in Holland, an X-79, but she was quickly followed by two X-402s – which were considered massive yachts in those days. The company grew quickly after that and within a few years, Rob’s order book was overflowing. Hard to guess the exact amount of sold boats, but our best guess is that Rob has sold around 250 new X-Yachts.

Rob is an expert racer as well as a very experienced cruiser sailor (including 7 Atlantic crossings). He has raced with the X-One ton boats, X-99 and X-35 one design classes with many successes, and cruised every holiday with his wife Marja and kids Nanno and Nikki on their X-102 and later X-332 in the South of France. Later they stepped up to an X-46 and then an X-50 to sail further offshore, including crossing the Atlantic. Once the second generation (more on that below) came into the office Rob and Marja got themselves an Xc50 and sailed it from the Netherlands all the way to Puerto Rico.

The second generation

Nanno and Nikki both grew up with the X-Yachts brand, sailing on almost every model the yard has produced. Rob and Marja however always encouraged them to pursue their own interests. Nevertheless, they were pleasantly surprised when Nanno announced that he wanted to join the business after finishing his Masters’s Degree in Aerospace Engineering in 2007.

Since joining the business Nanno has raced a year with his own team on an Xp33 and crossed the Atlantic 4 times, in his free time he is a keen Finn dinghy sailor.

Some years later, Nikki provided the next surprise as she also joined the company in 2012, after her Bachelor in Communications and some years at another company. Another lifelong X-Yachts sailor, also racking up 1 Atlantic crossing herself.

Nanno and Nikki took over the dealership with Nanno as director of sales and Nikki in charge of service and administration. They are now joined by their team technician Fabrizio and rigger Keesjan. Rob and Marja still frequently help at the office during busy times and with the boat shows.

“When we took over the business we were asked many times if it would be a good idea to have a business together with your brother/sister. We simply figured we knew each other very well and trusted one another.

Now 12 years later we can confirm we got it right and still enjoy working together and with the X-Yachts brand.”

After spending so much time in the office and working with X-Yachts of all types, do they still enjoy being onboard themselves? Absolutely! Nanno and Nikki currently own an X4.3 which they keep in the South of France and use for cruising with their own families. The passion for X-Yachts looks set to continue for many more years and perhaps the third generation will take over in 20 years…?

Loyal clients

The dealership has been based in Marina Muiderzand since 1991, just 20 minutes from Amsterdam. The set-up includes an office, a workshop, 5 moorings in front of the office, a 25 m. land dock for easy access to (pre-owned) yachts and an indoor storage hall for 6 yachts, sails and spare parts. We provide an all-around service for our X-Yachts clients, including winter storing between 25-30 yachts each year.

Our clients are all enthusiastic sailors, keen on having a yacht that sails well but who also place demand on good looks and a high level of quality. Since that is a combination that X-Yachts has specialized in over the years we can offer them just that. Meeting the needs of our clients, each with their own specific wishes and areas of interest makes the intriguing part of our business – particularly making sure we deliver the correct yacht in the correct specification for every client. Our own experience in both racing and (long-distance) cruising helps us and our clients to get it right.

We also notice that our clients very much appreciate the fact that we are a family business. We aren’t just selling yachts but we sell a way for our clients to enjoy themselves on the water, fulfilling long-awaited dreams. Sharing this passion for sailing gets their approval every time.