Keen and active blue water yachtsmen Roger Goldsmith and Dick Beaumont have commenced a joint venture with Taiwan-based boat builder Ta Yang Building Co. Ltd and Tayana Managing Director Peter Chen to help develop a new vision and new direction for Tayana Yachts. Roger Goldsmith, Managing Director and Dick Beaumont, Chairman joined the business in 2013, and set up Tayana Yachts (Hong Kong) Ltd.
With a lifetime of sailing experience between them, Goldsmith and Beaumont used their knowledge of blue water cruising and sailing, to review the systems, designs and overall yacht quality to help shape the new Elegance range of Tayana yachts. The new team joined forces working alongside renowned designer Bob Perry, who is famed for perhaps the most successful bespoke semi-custom cruising boat ever built, the Tayana 37.
Attending the Taiwanese International Boat Show and Hong Kong International Boat Show in May, Tayana Yachts (HK) Ltd, Managing Director Roger Goldsmith said: “This is a new chapter for Tayana. As a company, we are truly proud of what has been achieved over the past 40 years, and we are excited for what the future holds. We have a new focus, and a new direction, but at the very heart of what we do is handcraft beautiful, luxury high quality and performance blue water cruising yachts.”
Tayana Yachts, who celebrated its 40th year in 2013 was founded in 1973 by Y.P. Chen in Kaohsiung, Southern Taiwan. Ta Yang Building Co., Ltd set out to build handcrafted yachts of the highest quality, built for comfort and performance, yet little is known of the team behind one of the finest yacht manufacturers in the world. Indeed it will come as a surprise for many to learn that the boat builders who have crafted 1600 yachts since the company’s launch, have never actually sailed themselves.
Traditionally purchased by yacht dealers from the US and Australia, Tayana Yachts were built to 70-80% completion in Taiwan, and then were finished and sold through dealers. Despite the luxury yachts being handcrafted in Taiwan, dealers often finished the boats using locally sourced manufacturers. Whilst this gave dealers greater opportunity to customise the yachts for their buyers, and set their own price points, the move did not allow Tayana the opportunity to exercise the consistency in quality and standard that they are known for today.
Today each yacht is 100% handcrafted and finished to an impeccably high standard in Taiwan, and unlike most other manufacturers, each yacht receives its very own 3-day, 460 mile ocean passage trial sail. It is clear that this alone is one of Tayana’s great advantages over its competition – the ability to test each boat to ensure that she is sea worthy before it is delivered to its new owner.
The newly-formed Tayana Yachts (HK) Ltd, based in Hong Kong have now replaced yacht dealers, which is key according to Goldsmith. “Our aim is simple, we want to build yachts that are 100% blue water ‘sail away’. The price you see, is the price you pay. With our new Elegance range, our prices include standard equipment and build specifications that offers our clients piece of mind, unlike other manufacturers who set just the base price. To me, the most important aspect of purchasing a boat is to be in direct contact with the manufacturer. We know that we have an exceptional brand, and that is why we have set up our sales office here in Hong Kong, so we can be the customers’ main contact, and this ultimately means giving our customers a better price, without reducing the quality of our yachts.”
A move that allows custom-built yachts to include the majority of the standard equipment and build specifications, without a compromise in quality and overall price is fundamental to Tayana’s future. Certainly this new direction puts Tayana Yachts (HK) Ltd at the forefront of blue water yacht building, as well as ahead of competition with yacht manufacturers based in Scandinavia and the UK.
Chairman of Tayana Yachts (HK) Ltd, Dick Beaumont added, “We believe that people should be buying a yacht for their intended purpose, such as blue water cruising, not purchasing a yacht for all purpose sailing. You wouldn’t cross the desert in a vehicle that wasn’t fit for purpose, and the same goes for sailing. We want to help those who are new to sailing understand this and with our experience as sailors, help educate them on what makes a purpose-built blue water cruising yacht.”
In May, Tayana Yachts (HK) Ltd unveiled it’s new, state of the art Elegance range of 51ft, 57ft and 66ft yachts. The new range of innovative yachts, designed by Beaumont and Goldsmith promises to uphold the company’s reputation for manufacturing style and elegance like no other. The company also released details of their flagship yacht as part of the new fleet - Elegance 66 called White Dragon. This new yacht will incorporate a specification that is normally only found in super yachts, showcasing contemporary design, carbon mast, and brand new carbon “Ocean” in-boom furling system, developed by Southern Spars, the world leaders in yacht masts, spars and rigs. White Dragon will launch at the end of 2014, and the team expect it to be at the vanguard of the blue water cruising market.
Customers that wish to see White Dragon are invited to see her in January and the end of March 2015 at Tayana Yachts (HK) Ltd Hong Kong sales office at the Gold Coast Marina. Please visit www.tayana.com for more information.
About Tayana Yachts
Founded in 1973 in Kaohsiung, Southern Taiwan by Y. P. Chen, Tayana Yachts is Taiwan’s premier builder of handcrafted, bespoke, semi-custom yachts offering the highest quality, performance and timeless design at an unrivalled cost. One of the company’s top sellers, The Tayana 37, designed by Bob Perry was constructed and introduced in 1975, making it one of the most successful bespoke semi-custom cruising boats ever built. With a rich heritage in boat building, coupled with a reputation for handcrafting luxury yachts, the company is considered a leader in building custom interiors, and Tayana Yachts has continued to evolve to meet and exceed the expectations of their loyal clients. Today, Peter Chen, Y. P. Chen’s son, is the Managing Director of Tayana. Roger Goldsmith has joined Tayana Yachts (HK) Ltd as Managing Director and along with his staff now handles the worldwide sales of Tayana Yachts, from a new sales office based at the Gold Coast Marina, Hong Kong.
