History

Pearl was first conceived in 1998 when Iain Smallridge, an experienced captain, and John Yarnold, a local businessman, began building 41’ and 45’ aft cabin yachts to compete with the best yacht builders in the world. By 2003, it was clear that significant investment would be needed to achieve this ambitious goal. Iain approached Tony and Margaret Whittaker and convinced them that Pearl could bring his personal passion for motor cruising to the next level.

At the time, Tony, an experienced RYA instructor, was running a sales and charter company in the prestigious marina of Puerto Portals in Mallorca called Baxter Marine. With Tony and Margaret Whittaker onboard, we decided to invest. Margaret’s vision for the company was to produce a range of sleek, stylish flybridge yachts that would attract the attention of the most discerning Mediterranean yacht buyers and beyond. Iain quickly realised that this was the way forward for the boat builder, and Pearl Yachts was born.

Paul Hannah was appointed as Production Director and the new range became reality, starting with the Pearl 55, premiered at the Southampton boat show in 2004. The 25 years of production yacht building Paul brought to the table ensured a successful launch. The company has continued to grow with a tailwind ever since.

The next piece of Pearls jigsaw fell into place when Cenk Efe was appointed the MD of Baxter Marine, which quickly became Pearl’s best-selling dealer and remains so today. Cenk’s influence has been instrumental in introducing and maintaining the core of the semi-customizable, luxury yacht business - customer care.

The development and growth of Pearl Yachts continues today, with Iain Smallridge as Managing Director, Paul Hannah as Production Director, Cenk Efe as Business Development Manager, world-renowned Bill Dixon as naval architect, Kelly Hoppen MBE as the interior designer and Margaret Whittaker OBE as the owner and chair.

Model range

Pearl Yachts builds flybridge yacht models from 65 to 95 feet in length. The yachts are equipped by shaft drives or Volvo IPS pod drives and can achieve speeds of up to 35 knots. 

Production

Pearl Yachts is headquartered in Warwick, UK, with production facilities in Gosport (Britain) and in Xiàmén (China). The dealer network includes representatives in Europe and the USA.

Special features

Pearl Yachts is the first major shipbuilder to offer a five-year warranty.