Germany’s Bente Yachts, which is behind the Bente 24, Bente 28 and Bente 39, has filed for bankruptcy.

Insolvency petition proceedings were initiated at the Bremerhaven District Court on 3 February 2020 regarding the assets of Bente Yachts GmbH and Bente GmbH.

Lawyer Hendrik Heerman has been appointed insolvency administrator.

The Bente 39 was much acclaimed when launched. Credit: Richard Langdon

The company is run by Alexander Vrolijk, son of naval architect Rolf Vrolijk of Judel/Vrolijk design which has drawn production boats for the likes of Hanse, Baltic, and Dehler.

He said high development costs were to blame for the decision to file for bankruptcy.

‘At the current time, it can only be said that the economic success has not materialised in the current constellation. The BENTE 24 is successfully placed on the market with over 120 boats sold, but in recent years the company has had high development and manufacturing costs. This needs to be optimised, the company reorganised and put on a professional footing,’ explained Alexander Vrolijk.

Existing customers are committed to their orders and the expectation is that these will be delivered.

Founded in 2015, Bente launched its first yacht, the Bente 24 the same year to much acclaim. More than 100 were built.

The Bente 39 followed, which was praised by many in the industry for its new ideas including a delta hull shape, large cockpit and glass-roofed pilothouse.

The yard also embraced using sustainable materials where possible.

Bente Yachts at the 2019 boot Düsseldorf

Examples on the Bente 39 included the use of recycled PET as worksurfaces in the galley and a fridge which was insulated with cork

The Bente 28 was announced last year, which came with a swing keel as standard and a 8-10KW built-in electric motor.

In January 2020, Bente said it would not be exhibiting at boot Düsseldorf.