German furlers for world's largest sailing yacht

When the 127-meter-long "Koru" sets sail soon, the crew of the world's largest sailing yacht will also use important components from a Deutsche Yachten member. Reckmann Yacht Equipment from Rellingen near Hamburg supplied three giant furlers for the Oceanco build, which is said to have been commissioned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. Each of them is made entirely of stainless steel and weighs around 900 kilograms - together they serve one of the largest sail areas ever seen in yachting.

Reckmann CEO Marcus Schuldt says, "The first discussions about the three furlers began back in the fall of 2018, and then some time passed before all the technical details were clarified. Even we, as the world market leader for headsail furlers, have to go deep into development for such a project."

The schooner "Koru", which was built in recent years at the Dutch Oceanco shipyard under the utmost secrecy, is thereby considered a new milestone in Reckmann's more than 130-year company history. Marcus Schuldt: "We entered the megayacht business in 1988 with 'Extrabeat'(36m), followed by significant projects such as 'Georgia'(48m), then 'Kokomo'(60m) 'Vertigo'(66m), 'Aglaia'(66m) and of course 'Aquijo'(85m)."

To deliver such massive and structurally complicated furlers as for "Koru", three engineers at Reckmann Yacht Equipment are involved in the planning and calculation for one year, and then the production takes another year. "This is a very special business in which we, as a German company, have gained a unique position," says Marcus Schuldt. "For us, German engineering stands for the highest functionality and operational reliability."

Claus-Ehlert Meyer, managing director of the German Yachts Working Group, comments, "For such highly specialized companies as Reckmann Yacht Equipment, this group was once created. The current delivery from Reckmann brilliantly illustrates the extraordinary quality of our members."