Custom Wooden Boats & Yachts, Hand-Built in Michigan Since 1977
Every Van Dam is custom built for one client & lasts a lifetime.
AS SEEN IN
Built by Hand.
Owned for Generations.
Since 1977, Van Dam Custom Boats has built one thing: the finest wooden boats in the world. Not the fastest to produce. Not the cheapest to commission. The finest.
Every boat begins as a conversation. What do you want to feel when you’re on the water? What does it mean to you — the lines, the grain, the sound of a wooden hull meeting a wave? From that conversation, our craftspeople in Boyne City, Michigan shape every plank, fit every frame, and finish every surface by hand.
No two Van Dam boats are the same. Each one is shaped around its owner, built to order, and engineered to outlast the generation that commissions it.
Wooden boat building is not a lost art. At Van Dam, it’s a living one — practiced daily by the same hands, in the same workshop, with the same uncompromising standard that has defined this company for nearly five decades.
featured build
VICTORIA-Z
35 feet. 1,100 horsepower. 85 knots. Twin Sterling 427 Cobras paired with Arneson surface drives, finished with wood detailing and custom metalwork shaped by a dedicated team of craftspeople VICTORIA Z was built to be one of the most commanding and beautiful speedboats on the water, and to look like a work of art doing it.
Every Boat Tells a Story
Browse 60+ one-of-a-kind builds — classics, speed boats, and sailing yachts crafted over five decades.
Custom Power Boats
Performance and beauty in a single hull — from runabouts to race-proven designs.
Custom sail Boats
Open water in a vessel that ages as gracefully as it sails.
How a Van Dam Boat Comes to Life
The process is collaborative from day one.
You bring the vision — we bring everything else.
Your vision sets the course. Our process brings it to life.
01
The Conversation
It begins with a conversation. We take the time to understand your vision, how you plan to use your boat, where it will live, and what kind of experience you want to create on the water. From there, we begin shaping the possibilities together, establishing a clear foundation for the design that follows.
02
The Design
Our design, marine engineering, and naval architecture team translates your vision into concepts, drawings, and renderings. From there, we refine proportions, materials, details, and performance until the design is exactly right. No templates. No standard models. A boat designed specifically for you.
03
The Build
This is where preparation becomes craftsmanship. With the design fully developed, our team begins cutting wood, shaping structure, and bringing the boat to life in our Northern Michigan workshop. Owners are encouraged to visit often, watching imagination become reality at the helm, on the deck, and in the details shaped by hand throughout the shop.
“
I wanted something unique—unique to the point of being one of a kind, and this is where Van Dam really excels. If you want a boat like your brother-in-law’s, don’t bother with Van Dam; but if you want something truly unique, take a trip to Boyne City.”
– Jacqueline Owner
Every Van Dam Boat Begins with a Conversation
We build a limited number of boats each year, each one commissioned to order, designed around its owner, and built to last a lifetime. If you have been dreaming about a build of your own, let’s talk.