Boatbuilding artistry since 1920

Still privately owned, Boesch has been committed to passion in boatbuilding for four generations. Here are some of the milestones in the company’s remarkable history:

1920 Boatbuilder Jakob Boesch acquires the Treichler & Co. boatyard in Kilchberg, laying the cornerstone of the family business.
1920s In the “Golden Twenties,” the company builds, overhauls, and repairs sailboats, motorboats, and rowboats.
1930s Internal combustion engines become more and more popular as power trains for motorboats. Boesch conducts its first experiments with planing hulls.
1940s Jakob’s son Walter Boesch develops the first fast motorboats according to the principle that stands behind the now legendary concept of Boesch horizon gliding. With financial ingenuity and an instinct for business, his wife, Rösly Boesch-Jacober, contributes to the company’s commercial success. The outbreak of World War II causes shortages in fuel and materials; Boesch concentrates on sailing craft and rowboats during this period.
1950s Boesch gains acclaim with its Star boats – small one-off racing yachts with V-bottom hulls. In 1952, Boesch introduces series production. The Type 500 ushers in the era of specialization in motorboat construction. The production of sailboats is discontinued. Thanks to their excellent performance characteristics, Boesch motorboats become the preferred craft for waterskiing enthusiasts.
1956 Boesch begins to craft motorboats in series.
1960 – 1976 The world and European championships in waterskiing are carried out with Boesch boats.
1960s Thanks to volume production know-how acquired in the United States and to productivity enhancements, Boesch is able to further boost its boatyard output. The company firms its reputation as a manufacturer of high-end luxury boats. Celebrities from all over Europe join the circle of Boesch enthusiasts.
1964 The innovation now known as the Boesch laminate construction, a forerunner of modern composites, triggers a new epoch in boatbuilding. The company’s type families are expanded and production output rises; meanwhile, two-thirds of the boats built by Boesch are exported.
1970s The oil shock, the fall of the dollar, and look-alike competition from overseas forces Boesch to focus on niche markets. The company now develops and builds even larger and more luxurious craft.
1973 Klaus and Urs Boesch, representing the third generation, join the company. Production facilities are relocated to Sihlbrugg.
1975 Boesch launches its first coastal craft, the Daycruiser 720. It demonstrates its seaworthiness during a storm run from Cannes to Corsica at Beaufort 6.
1980s The niche-market approach is refined: Boesch produces classic, high-powered mahogany sport boats. The power train is optimized with the bulge rudder, and epoxy resins are introduced as new coating materials.
1988 The Type 850 boat is available as a classic runabout and as a coastal cruiser – with its V-8 engines, it can attain speeds of up to 40 knots.
1990s The shapes of the hulls and the drive trains are further refined. Development work on the new “Retro” line begins.
1991 The World Waterskiing Championships are carried out with Boesch boats.
2000 Markus Boesch, Klaus and Doris Boesch’s son, joins the company. As a representative of the fourth generation, he will safeguard the continuity of the Boesch boatbuilding heritage.
2004 Featuring an innovative bow rudder, the Boesch 710 Costa Brava de Luxe makes its debut.
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