The History of Nordkapp
Grand adventures at sea - since 1966.
With roots stretching all the way back to 1966, we have a rich and proud heritage. Named after a cliff on a local island, the brand Nordkapp was first registered in October of 1966 under the company "Nordsjøplast AS" owned by Godberg Larsen. Designed by Otto Scheen, the first ever Nordkapp was ready for production later that year.
The initial line of boats featured the Speed 14, Sport 16 and King 17 - the latter was available as a day cruiser and a hard top.
Shorty after, the King 22 DC was introduced and took the market by storm. The small shipyard ramped up the production and reached a staggering 1000 units produced per year. Other iconic models introduced in the 1966-1973 period was the Comtesse 20 and the Crown 36 - a 36 feet sailboat.
Nordkapp quickly became one of the largest brands of the leisure boat industry in Scandinavia, exporting vessels to Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Germany, Switzerland and Austria. The young company also laid down the ground work to branch out to the blooming boating market of the US.
Journalists often reffered to the elegant and modern lines of the vessels along with their incredible seaworthiness as the common denominator for the brand's success.
The Nordkapp shipyard at Sundløkka in the early 70s
Eventually 1973 came around, the economy suffered heavily from the oil crisis and the market drastically slowed down. In the aftermath of the crisis, Nordkapp was sold to Alicraft - a shipyard based in Arendal, Norway.
Alicraft continued production of Nordkapp for a few years, but the volume of units gradually decreased until production came to a halt in 1986 when Alicraft went bankrupt.
Since the glory days in the late 60s and early 70s, the rapidly growing and well renowned brand suffered a steady decline until the complete halt of production. 1986 marked the end of a journey, but not long after in 1990 the journey took an unexpected turn for the better.
Ronny Antonsen purchased the brand rights from Alicraft and decided to bring Nordkapp back to life. Under the new company "Nordkapp Boats AS", Antonsen teamed up with designer Espen Thorup and got to work.
In collaboration with Otto Scheen, the designer of Nordkapp in the 60s and 70s they concieved the Premiere 730 which was launched in 1993.
Work carried on expanding the new line of boats and the remainder of the 90s brought some important models to life - some of which lives on to this day. Alongside the Premiere, followed the Vitesse and the Comtesse. The first editions of the Enduro and Avant series also came to life in this era, series we still produce to this day, almost 30 years later. Paving the way for the Enduro and Avant series was the Avant 490, Avant 590 and Enduro 590.
In 1999 a partnership with Mirage Boats, a factory located in Augustow, Poland was established. This partnership nourished the Nordkapp-brand and allowed for further expansion. Simultaneously Nordkapp entered a partnership with Evinrude, meaning all new Nordkapp-models would be equipped with Evinrude engines.
Entering the next millennia our Avant and Enduro models recieved a facelift, giving them a more modern appearance along with new features. This marked a new design-era for Nordkapp with sharper lines and more aggressive V-hulls. The flagship of this new era was the Noblesse 760, introduced in 2005 it was the first model of our Noblesse-series. It quickly became one of the most popular models and production ran until 2014 when it was replaced with the Noblesse 790.
The leisure boat market was rapidly growing in the period 2005-2008 with an ever increasing demand for new and exciting models. Nordkapp answered these demans by launching the Vitesse 850, Noblesse 620 and Noblesse 650. The Enduro and Avant-line recieved yet another update.
The Nordkapp Vitesse 850, our flagship in the 2000s
2011 saw the Nordkapp Enduro 760 enter the market. Pushing the boundaries for what a center console ought to be. Its revolutionary design combined the renowned design of the center console with features and amenities of the day cruiser. It had a spacious cabin, a freshwater tank combined with a sink and toilet. The design also took a giant leap in modernizing the Nordkapp-lineup resembling the modern day design.
The Enduro 605 finished its development in 2013 and was presented in spring of 2014. It immidiately caught on and recieved the European Powerboat of the Year award. The jury emphasised its design, dynamic handling characteristics and smart solutions. Later that year the Noblesse 790 stepped in as the successor of the Noblesse 760.
Nordkapp introduced yet two more models the following year - the Avant 605 and the Noblesse 605, based on the same hull as the award-winning Enduro 605.
By 2017, designer Espen Thorup and Nordkapp lays the foundation for the new and updated design of future Nordkapp models. The first model out with the brand new design-language was the Noblesse 660, introduced in 2018. It took the market by storm and won the European Powerboat of the Year award.
Following the Noblesse 660, the Noblesse 720 was launched in 2019 and quickly became one of our most sought after models. Later that year Nordkapp introduced a brand new model line and with that our latest flagship model - the Gran Coupe 905. Marking the first wheelhouse boat ever in the Nordkapp-line.
2019 also marked the largest change the company had seen in 30 years. The Bergen-based company Frydenbø Marine bought 80% of Nordkapp, including 50% of the factory in Poland. The move was strategically executed to allow room for further expansion and access to more financial leeway. Founder of the modern day Nordkapp, Ronny Antonsen made the following statement in Dagens Næringsliv (a Norwegian newspaper) regarding the change: "We have realized the need for entering a larger constellation to keep growing at the current rate. Financing is a vital factor of this."
Our current flagship model, the Gran Coupe 905
Following the acquisition we launched a brand new lineup featuring three models. The RS 800C, RS 705A and RS 705E. The RS-series is our aluminum hull lineup, made to withstand heavier conditions and rough seas, earlier known as the R-Line series.
In line with the visions and projections for the company, Nordkapp kept expanding and growing. January of 2022, Frydenbø Marine aquired more shares in the polish manufacturing plant, Mirage Boats. The total stake of Frydenbø grew to 92% and in turn the facility was renamed Frydenbø Boat Production. Growth and expansion was happening accord to plan and production was able to reach 1200 units per year.
After 8 years of development, yet another brand new model line was finally launched in March of 2021 - the Airborne series, lead by the Airborne 7. This also marked the first ever RIB in the Nordkapp line and the start of an exciting line of products which aimed to give the RIB more leisure-like features and design. Combining our knowledge and expertise in leisure boating with the sturdy RIB concept made for an enticing concept. The Airborne series has quickly caught on and become an acknowledged contendor in the RIB market.
Following the Airborne 7, Nordkapp unveiled the Airborne 8 a year later. Expanding the RIB-series with an 8 meter version made room for even more ammenities on board. For model year 2023 the Airborne-series expanded once more, this time with the Airborne 6.3 around off the trio with an option for a more compact RIB. Aiborne has become a popular choice of RIB amongst the market, and the Airborne 8 was the choice of super yacht M/Y Victorious for their tender on board.
The latest installment in our exciting lineup is the Noblesse 830, presented autumn of 2022. It marks the first time in 15 years a day cruiser above 8 meters is available from Nordkapp, which comes with a range of benefits and features from the added size. It's often referred to as a weekend cruiser, as its size allows for more comfort and longer journeys.
Nordkapp is known for pushing the envelope with innovative design, solutions and features. This is a part of our brand and our DNA, it defines us and our line of boats. Being pacesetters we immidiately saw an opportunity to create something unique when Mercury announced their V12 Verado 600hp engine. We reinforced the hull of our Gran Coupe 905 to withstand the added torque and power, formed an exclusive trim package and the Gran Coupe 905 V12 was born.
The Gran Coupe 905 V12 is a true testament of our brand and its values. Additionally we created a custom Enduro 805 Wakesurf Edition together with our ambassador Helene Olafsen. Definitely one of our most ambitious projects yet, but the result is truly something we're proud of. By flicking a switch it turns from a normal Enduro 805 into a fully fledged wakesurf boat, in the matter of seconds.
Today we have dealerships in 17 countries, with boats being distributed all over Europe.
