In the summer of 2021 we went to visit the sublime Swedish yacht manufacturer J Craft at its shipyard in Fårösund, located at the north coast of the beautiful island Gotland in the middle of the Baltic sea. Two weeks ago we once again had the pleasure to visit J Craft, but this time in Visby where the new shipyard is located, as we were invited to the J Craft Gotland Experience arranged by J Craft and the Italian bureau Negri Firman PR & Communication. This Official Roses x J Craft project will feature a series of articles where we in the first part will give you a brief retrospect of J Craft’s pursuit of passion and capture the essence of the brand; heritage, artistry, craftsmanship and woodwork. The design, craftsmanship, performance and technology in the glorious Torpedo model will be covered in the second part. Last but not least, in the third and final part we will articulate our impressions from the J Craft Gotland Experience.

Hope you enjoy it!

The Swedish boat building heritage goes all the way to the Vikings some 1000 years ago and dictates solid construction as well as a meticulous approach to craftsmanship. For centuries, Sweden’s harsh climate and unique geography have driven local craftsmen to construct robust, maneuverable boats that can withstand the punishing elements of the far north. The island of Gotland in the middle of the Baltic Sea has for generations been the home and the heart of Swedish boat building and it is here where J Craft carries these fine traditions into the 21st century.

The story began in 1999 when entrepreneur Björn Jansson had the idea to build his own dream boat; a fiberglass hull with a mahogany veneer inspired by the beautiful lines and styling of the wooden sport boats of the 1950s’ and '60s’. J Craft was therefore born from a passion for classic styling and boatbuilding heritage. Björn consulted with local boat builder Johan Hallén about how to proceed to build such a boat and the first J Craft Cabrio Cruiser would be built for none other than the King of Sweden himself, His Majesty Carl Gustav XVI! The 11.6m (38ft) Cabrio Cruiser, Polaris at just under 12 meters in length, featured a GRP hull with a mahogany veneer and was powered by Yanmar Engines. In fact, she remains to be His Majesty’s favorite tender for Mediterranean cruises. J Craft went on to build seven Cabrio Cruisers for discerning clientele around the Mediterranean Sea, but for Björn the J Craft story would pause in the early years of the new millennium due to his unfortunately fast declining health. In 2007 though, hedge fund manager and entrepreneur Radenko Milakovic and his wife Kristina would quietly acquire J Craft and rebuild the J Craft team around Johan Hallén as CTO to pick up from where they had left off. Having chartered a Cabrio Cruiser the previous summer, Radenko recalls that they were both so drawn to the J Craft styling, build quality and performance that they enquired about building a J Craft of their own - albeit one with some important modifications with a clear focus on the propulsion package. The inquiry led to them acquiring the company and its assets and continuing Björn Jansson’s quest for yachting perfection. J Craft has since then stayed true to Björn Jansson’s vision of retro styling, cutting-edge technology, superior performance and carried it into the 21st century. This resulted in the revolutionary 12.8m (42ft) J Craft Torpedo, fitted with Volvo IPS-drives and joystick control. The push of boundaries in terms of these factors led to the first J Craft Torpedo being unveiled to the world in Saint Tropez Pampelonne Beach on July 19, 2009.

The artistry of J Craft’s Torpedo makes her a runabout fit for a king but also with a style befitting Brigitte Bardot and the technological sophistication à la James Bond. In fact, the Torpedo was asked to be featured in the 007 movie Skyfall and in 2009, Sir Roger Moore christened the Torpedo Neptune! You could literally also say that she is the Rolls Royce of boats as J Craft and the British automaker have partnered on a unique collaboration that includes the first bespoke pairing of a Torpedo R and a Phantom Drophead Coupe. She embodies the raw performance of her Viking heritage but she also evokes all the glamor of the classic wooden speed boats of the 50s and 60s but with the latest design and engineering techniques. The sublime artistry transcends throughout the whole process of making a Torpedo, which is why she is the perfect luxury all-rounder at home on lakes, the inshore waters of the Hamptons or the ‘must be seen at’ jetties along the Riviera and can perform in any capacity: chase boat, tender or well-appointed day boat.

The striking veneer is made from eco-friendly, rainforest-free West African mahogany. The tree is carefully inspected before an order is placed to go to the shipyard in Visby, Gotland where it is treated, cut, bent, varnished and lacquered by the skilled craftsmen of J Craft. The workers have together more than 150 years of boat building experience, leading J Craft to have a unique amount of knowledge that embodies the Torpedo. The bending process actually requires an age-old technique that the Vikings used 1000 years ago already, where the wood is heated up in an oven and thereafter bent by hand by the workers. Every mahogany detail, not just the deck, is lacquered and varnished for a staggering amount of eighteen times for a peerless finish as well as incredible strength and durability. Furthermore, digital technology details are transferred into analog output to preserve the vintage aesthetics. This shows that J Craft is all about the details, and because of that more than 8,000 man-hours are going into each Torpedo, which enables her to genuinely be labeled as “made in Sweden”!

As you can see, the “la dolce vita” vibe that J Craft’s Torpedo emits is immense. This is a result of J Craft's heritage as well as its demand for the highest standards of artistry, woodwork, craftsmanship and it is in these factors that the essence of J Craft can be found. In the following article we will describe in depth more details of the Swedish superyacht so make sure that you stay updated. Until then, head over to www.j-craftboats.com for more info.

Thank you J Craft!