Delivering Delta: Kershaw shines spotlight on Seattle
Tim Kershaw is sales director of family-owned Delta Marine based in Seattle.
His first glimpse of a superyacht lit a spark. He was on a one-year break from a fledgling law career in Auckland but suddenly the future looked very different.
The yacht was Delta Marine’s 73m Laurel, a “big, beautiful boat with a blue hull”.
“Back then, I just wanted a job as a deckhand on the boat for a year,” says Tim Kershaw. “But I fell in love with the industry.”
Fourteen years later, Kershaw has taken up the role of sales director with the very same Delta Marine, the family-owned Seattle, US shipyard known for custom superyachts.
Sign up for the Superyacht Investor newsletter
Kershaw was flying back to his native New Zealand for a few months following two years with Turkish brand Dunya Yachts when he popped into Seattle on the way to see Delta Marine, the shipyard founded by brothers Ivor and Jack Jones in 1967.
He arrived in February, the day before the NFL’s Super Bowl, in which the Seattle Seahawks were taking on the New England Patriots in California.
“I joined the Jones family at their home to watch the game, and of course, Seattle won,” Kershaw tells us.
“We went into town for a bit afterwards and Seattle was just erupting into this giant party. It was a great introduction to the city.”
The following day they toured the shipyard, which houses all its own marine trades on site, and looked at various projects under way, including the builds of Discovery (47m/156ft) and Zembra (45m/152ft).
“I was really impressed with the scale of their production and excited to see the heritage and the passion and drive to make beautiful yachts,” says Kershaw.
The Delta Marine shipyard spans 25 acres on the banks of Seattle’s Duwamish River.
Delta began by building commercial fishing vessels for the Pacific Northwest and evolved into a custom superyacht facility pioneering the use of composite superstructures on metal-hulled yachts. To date, the 25-acre site has built 52 superyachts, with Albatross the largest at nearly 2,100 gross tons (GT).
Back in New Zealand, Kershaw called Delta’s vice president Michelle Jones to continue the conversation about joining the team.
“It’s still got that same philosophy that Jack and Ivor started with, building boats that can be taken around the world in some challenging conditions,” he says. “You don’t buy a Delta to have it sit on the dock. It’s really exciting to be part of that.”
Kershaw’s role is to leverage his extensive network among owners, family offices and brokers and “stay in front of the industry”. He will split his time between Seattle, Florida, Mexico and Europe.
“It’s interesting seeing where the demand is,” he says. “We’ve got two 499GTs in build but at least 50% of what we have on the table is around the 1000GT mark or larger.”
‘Cool things’
The client base is “very much” global but “led” by American buyers, says Kershaw.
“One of the cool things I’m seeing already with Delta clients is they love the build process,” he adds. “They want to be part of it. It’s not just having something built in America. It’s having something built that’s close to them so they can be a part of the whole journey.”
European design influences are also creeping into the business, as evidenced by the drawings for Longtail (38m/125ft) from Italy’s Roberto Curto Design.
“There is a beautiful, classic American style, but a lot of our clients who spend large amounts of time in Europe are now starting to really like the European-style designs,” says Kershaw.
READ: Why construction finance is a bit like Vinted
Conversations with clients are also increasingly focused on the use of technology, such as hybrid solutions for propulsion, creating efficiencies in the hotel load and the use of complex composite materials.
“Sustainability is a top priority, particularly in our corner of the world,” says Kershaw. “Each yacht is engineered for seaworthiness, efficiency and comfort, with layouts and systems tailored to the owner’s vision.”
Delta is one of a small number of US superyacht shipyards but its reputation for “top-end” custom yachts keeps it competitive with rivals from Europe, insists Kershaw.
“America is still a great place to build,” he adds. “It’s just at a smaller scale. We have exactly the same challenges, with prices of building increasing, making sure you hold on to great craftsmen and developing the next generation.
“We’ve got a great history of having really long-standing craftsmen at the shipyard and we need to make sure we maintain that.”
READ: What would Maverick do? Why auctions could be an ace move
Rising costs throughout the supply chain is “creating a longer discussion and negotiation process”, says Kershaw. “And clients are becoming more and more involved and really understanding what they’re buying, which is something that we like,” he says.
Geographically, Seattle is far removed from the traditional US yachting hotspots of South Florida but Kershaw says its heritage in the rugged wilds of the Pacific Northwest is an essential “part of the brand”.
“Clients are typically doing business all around the States, so to tack on a trip to Delta is no problem,” he adds.
Previously, Delta Marine has preferred to “let the product do most of the talking”, says Kershaw, but with two builds set to go straight to charter the company senses a time to open up.
“They’re going to create a lot of exposure for the brand, and that’s a great opportunity for someone in my role,” he adds. “We want to have more voice in the industry.”
As the reigning Super Bowl champion and with six FIFA World Cup games to be held in the city, Seattle is in the spotlight. Delta Marine hopes to keep it shining on yachting.
Subscribe to our free newsletter
For more opinions from Superyacht Investor, subscribe to our email newsletter.
