In 2013, the vision of a walkaround boat redefining boating and innovation saw the light of day. A vision that would later change the direction for a large portion of the boating industry.
TEN YEARS OF ADVENTURE
A TIMELINE OF BIG AND SMALL MILESTONES
Take a deep dive into the history of Axopar, and relive the milestones, both small and big, that have made Axopar into what we are today.
2013
The vision came from taking the unique advantages of RIB-boats, with their outstanding handling, lightweight construction, clean, no-nonsense design, and unparalleled safety at sea.
When the result of that vision came to life, the Axopar 28 was in front of our eyes.
But before that vision could be turned into reality, an immense amount of work was ahead of us with designing every centimeter of our 28-foot vision, finding the right partners, and finding an OEM that believed this vision would make sense.
This was by no means easy, but our belief that we were onto something special kept us going.
At that time, we already had a core group of followers on Facebook who believed in our vision. We have always paid close attention to what our customers want, and this time around was no different. This core group of believers was involved in material and component choices, and some of them became customers that early on.
During Christmas time in late 2013, when the world around us started to slow down, we began to see what resembled an embodiment of our vision take form in front of our eyes in a fluorescent-lit workshop.
The first hull had come out of the mold, and we could finally start mounting the deck componentry. We were working around the clock to craft this embodiment into perfection in time for its world premiere at the Helsinki Boat Show, less than two months away.
During the first sea trials the hull proved to be just as special as we had planned. On top of excellent fuel consumption figures, we performed a 180-degree turn at 48 knots in only an 85-meter (278 ft.) curve.
2014
Launching a boat brand comes with many responsibilities. In addition to perfecting the boats, we crafted advertisements, launched a website, and hosted the local media for interviews, among many other things.
The public interest in Axopar was huge, which was apparent at the Helsinki Boat Show, and right from the get-go, two of our models were nominated for awards, of which the Axopar 28 Open won ”Motorboat of the Show”.
A star had been born.
The Finnish boating magazine Kippari was one of the first to test our boats, and the 28 range received the second-highest grade ever given by the magazine.
Thanks to the successful boat shows in the Nordics, and the publicity in the nordic boating magazines, we also started to gain attention from the international boating press.
The time we didn't spend on developing our concept, we spent on photoshoots. Whatever the weather, we were out there.
We continued the exhibition year with boat shows within the Nordics, and our first one outside the Nordics at the Istanbul Boat Show together with our Turkish dealer; Aqua Motor.
As the word about Axopar spread, our production lines were working at full speed to keep up with the ever-increasing demand.
2015
In 2015, we attended boot Düsseldorf and the Cannes Yachting Festival for the first time, boat shows which have become cornerstones in the Axopar event world. In Cannes that year we could also announce the delightful news that we had produced 200 boats in the past 18 months.
In 2015, we won our first major award, claiming the title ’Best for Fun’ in the ’Best of Boats’ award.
The first of many to come for the Axopar 28-Range in particular and for Axopar in general.
As you know by now, we haven’t ever been keen on sitting on our hands and living on past accomplishments. After recently having launched the 28-range, we were already finishing up the last details on two entirely new ranges to be launched in January 2016.
2016
At boot Düsseldorf in 2016, we launched the Axopar 37 & Axopar 24 Ranges.
Moving forward, our hard work was further recognized with awards such as the European Powerboat Award, Motorboat Awards, and the IBI Boat Builder Award.
Our global impact was also steadily starting to show on social media when devoted Axoparians from many corners of the world tagged their posts with #axoparboats.
2017
The year 2017 was off to a flying start when we launched the star of our fleet at that year‘s boot Düsseldorf; The Axopar 37 Sports Cabin.
In 2017, we had the honor of welcoming our global dealer network to our first-ever Dealer Days, which in classic Axopar fashion means good times, good insights, and adventure.
2018
At boot Düsseldorf 2018, our premium partner brand BRABUS Marine saw the light of day when BRABUS Shadow 800 Sun-Top Black Ops Limited Edition was launched, limited to only 28 exclusive units worldwide.
The story of BRABUS Marine started one year earlier, when Bodo and Constantin Buschmann strolled the boat show, fell in love with the Axopar 37, and got themselves a one to BRABUSIZE the boat. Doing a partnership didn‘t take much convincing when we saw what they had created.
On Saturday 7th July, 2018 Alex Luther and the Chasing Canguro team celebrated their incredible World Record Mediterranean marathon, which finished in Cervia, Italy. On the evening of Thursday 5th July, Alex reached his objective to break the previously unbeaten World Record set in 1970 by his grandfather, Harry Luther, waterskiing from Tangiers, Morocco, and tracking the Spanish, French, Monaco and Italian coastlines to Pula, Croatia.
In the end, Alex skied a total of 3,571.8 kilometres from Tangiers to Pula in 10 days, then an additional 127.5km in 2 hours and 17 minutes on Saturday 7th July by making a final trip from Pula across the Adriatic sea to Cervia, commemorating the race that first brought Harry to Italy in 1969.
The marathon’s full 3,699.3 km included a staggering 11-hour stint, covering 558km in just one leg through rough conditions from Barcelona to Monaco, where he was greeted by H.S.H. Prince Albert II. This record is something we at Axopar are proud of being a part of.
With the introduction of BRABUS to the Axopar family, came the opportunity to bring a spice of BRABUS Marine into our boats. With vibrant color choices and subtle yet distinctive details, Axopar buyers could now enhance the appearance of their boat with the highly appreciated BRABUS Line option.
In 2018, we hosted the Axopar & BRABUS Marine dealer days in Calanova, Mallorca, for the first time, a place that would prove itself to be an important location for Axopar, as we have returned there for some significant events in our 10-year history.
2019
In 2019, just two years after launching the MK I Axopar 37, we felt that we could do even better. So we did. We invited our dealers over to Helsinki to show them what we would be launching in Düsseldorf 2020. We rented the old Train Factory in Helsinki for one of the biggest boat launches in Finnish history. After the dealers had seen the boats in the coziness of inside, it was time for them to experience some all-weather boating in the harsh Gulf of Finland in November.
2020
At boot Düsseldorf in 2020 it was finally time to reveal the revolutionary boat range to the world.
In late 2020, the pandemic put a test to our creativeness when it came to boat launches. Instead of having people come to the launch, we had the launch coming to them instead by broadcasting the launch of the 22-range.
2021
In 2022 the Axopar 22 range accomplished a rare hat-trick in the boating industry, by consecutively winning all the three renowned European independent boating awards. The first time a boat manufacturer accomplished the hat-trick of these independent triple award victories for the same model consecutively happened in 2016. That time it was for the equally ground-breaking Axopar 28 range, not long after it first launched.
2022
Due to the pandemic cancelling social gatherings, no boat shows were held in the beginning of 2022. However, in the spring time, when things started to ease up, and people could gather, we didn‘t waste any time to launch the highly anticipated Axopar 45 XC Cross Cabin. We did so by hosting our own boat show inconjunction with Palma Boat Show, and our Dealer Days.
Right after a dear reunion with the international boating press, and our customers, it was time for another dear reunion, when we hosted the first Dealer Days after the lockdown.
2023
In 2023 we invested a part in the Norwegian high-performance electric outboard and inboard engine manufacturer; Evoy.
Both the Axopar 22 and 25 were developed with e-mobility in mind and are optimal for electrification due to the models’ efficiency, weight, balance, and modular construction.
We equipped the world’s first 300hp outboard electrical engine on the Axopar 25, to prove that high speeds and electrification can go hand in hand, creating the prototype for the AX/E boats.
In 2023, we also invested in Agapi Boat Club, aiming to attract a new generation of boaters looking for circular economy-based models, sustainability, and focused on offering alternatives to go boating besides traditional boat ownership, ultimately to get more people out on the water.
At the Cannes Yachting Festival in 2023, we expanded our flagship fleet with two new boats – the Axopar 45 Cross Top and Sun-Top, especially focusing on onboard functionality and enjoyment, further building on our philosophy of creating multiple functional and social spaces onboard.
In late 2023, we invited some of our dealers to our Creative & Innovations HQ, in Vaasa, Finland to test out the all-new Axopar 29 XC Cross Cabin.
We put on our thickest wool socks and sweaters under the dry suits, and set out to Ritgrund in a wintery landscape, cutting through the year‘s first layer of ice, in a convoy with the 29 XC alongslide the MKI and MKII 28‘s to see what the 29 was made of.
Needless to say: the dealers loved to see what kind of boat the 10 years of adventure had evolved into.
