{{Short description|Sailboat manufacturer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2018}} {{Use American English|date=November 2018}} {{Infobox company | name = S2 Yachts | logo = | caption = | type = Privately held company | traded_as = | fate = | predecessor = | successor = | founded = 1974 | founder = Leon Slikkers | defunct = | hq_location = | hq_location_city = Holland, Michigan | hq_location_country = United States | area_served = | key_people = President: Leon Slikkers | industry = Boat building | products = Sailboats | services = | revenue = | operating_income = | net_income = | assets = | equity = | owner = | num_employees = | parent = | divisions = | subsidiaries = | website = | footnotes = | intl = }}
'''S2 Yachts''' is an American boat builder based in Holland, Michigan. From 1974 until 1989 the company specialized in the design and manufacture of fiberglass sailboats and it continues as a builder of motorboats.<ref name="data">{{cite web|url =https://sailboatdata.com/builder/s2-yachts-usa|title = S2 Yachts (USA) 1974 - 1989 |accessdate = 15 May 2019|last= Browning| first = Randy |work = sailboatdata.com|year = 2019|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20181017083905/https://sailboatdata.com/builder/s2-yachts-usa|archivedate = 17 October 2018|url-status= live}}</ref><ref name="PS">{{cite web|url = https://www.practical-sailor.com/reviews/boatreview/s2_9.2-1236-1.html|title = S2 9.2|access-date = 15 May 2019|work = Practical Sailor|year=|archiveurl =https://web.archive.org/web/20181018165011/https://www.practical-sailor.com/reviews/boatreview/s2_9.2-1236-1.html |archivedate = 18 October 2018|url-status= dead}}</ref>
The company was founded by Leon Slikkers in 1974 and remained in business in 2019 as the parent company of Tiara Yachts.<ref name="data"/><ref name="Tiara">{{cite web|url = https://www.tiarayachts.com/contact/|title = Contact|access-date = 15 May 2019|author=Tiara Yachts|author-link=Tiara Yachts|work = tiarayachts.com|year=2017|archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20190515180726/https://www.tiarayachts.com/contact/|archivedate = 15 May 2019|url-status= dead}}</ref>
==History== Slikkers had initially founded a motorboat manufacturing company, Slickcraft. He sold the company to AMF Corporation in 1969 and stayed on as president of the new AMF division until 1973, when he became disenchanted with AMF. The sale of his company to AMF included a non-compete clause that precluded Slikkers from establishing another power boat manufacturing company for a period of some years. The agreement did not include sailboats, so Slikkers founded S2 Yachts in a newly constructed plant that included strict production efficiencies and quality control mechanisms. For instance the fiberglass hulls were constructed in a climate-controlled room and remained in their molds until the majority of the interiors had been fitted, ensuring minimum deformation of the hulls. The new company hired many experienced workers and also signed up experienced boat dealers to sell the product line.<ref name="data"/><ref name="PS"/><ref name="Henkel">Henkel, Steve: ''The Sailor's Book of Small Cruising Sailboats'', page 307. International Marine/McGraw-Hill, 2010. {{ISBN|978-0-07-163652-0}}</ref>
Author Steve Henkel conjectured that the new company name, S2 Yachts, indicated "Slikkers second company".<ref name="Henkel"/>
S2 Yachts hired naval architect and designer Arthur Edmunds to design several sailboats between 1974 and 1980.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Used Boat Review: The S-2 9.2A/C |url=http://www.sailingbreezes.com/sailing_breezes_current/articles/july99/s2review.htm|access-date=10 April 2022 |website=sailingbreezes.com|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210309182927/http://www.sailingbreezes.com/sailing_breezes_current/articles/july99/s2review.htm|archive-date= 9 March 2021|url-status= live}}</ref> S2 also hired the firm of Graham & Schlageter to design the popular S2 7.9 one-design racer and many of the company's later, more racing-oriented boats for production, including the S2 6.9, S2 9.1, S2 10.3, S2 22 and the S2 35.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://sailboatdata.com/designer/graham-schlageter|title= Graham & Schlageter 1975 - 1989|access-date= 7 December 2021|last= McArthur|first= Bruce|work= sailboatdata.com|year= 2021|archive-url= https://archive.today/20211128154748/https://sailboatdata.com/designer/graham-schlageter|archive-date= 28 November 2021|url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://sailboat.guide/graham-schlageter|title= Graham & Schlageter|access-date= 7 December 2021|author= Sea Time Tech, LLC|work= sailboat.guide|year= 2021|archive-url= https://archive.today/20211202175237/https://sailboat.guide/graham-schlageter|archive-date= 2 December 2021|url-status= live}}</ref>
S2 Yachts started building power boats once the clause had expired in the late 1970s, as the Tiara Yachts line of boats. Tiara Yachts remained in business in 2019. Slikkers eventually bought back Slickcraft at a fraction of the price he had sold it for. Sailboat production ended in 1989, due to the downturn in the sailboat industry, but the company continued as a motorboat builder.<ref name="data"/>
In 1989 the company was contacted by the class association for the S2 7.9, a popular sailboat racing boat. The association asked if the design could be put back into limited production and the company agreed, with a stipulation of a minimum order of ten boats to restart production. Despite an effort by the association and the S2 dealership network to drum up orders, the ten boat minimum was not met and production was not resumed. ''Practical Sailor'' magazine termed this incident, "an unfortunate commentary on the sailboat industry" and noted it marked the end of sailboat production for S2 directly.<ref name="PS"/> However, in 1990 and again in 1994 small production runs of S2 7.9s were constructed by S2's Tiara division.<ref name="Spin">{{cite web|url= https://www.spinsheet.com/boat-reviews/s2-79-used-boat-review|title= S2 7.9 Used Boat Review|access-date= 2 December 2021|last= Hornor|first= Jack|work= SpinSheet|date= November 2001|archive-url= https://archive.today/20211202190254/https://www.spinsheet.com/boat-reviews/s2-79-used-boat-review|archive-date= 2 December 2021|url-status= live}}</ref>
The company had a good reputation for the quality construction of its sailboats, including good interior fit-outs. ''Practical Sailor'' noted, "the S2s were well-built. Whereas other production companies frequently cheapened or upgraded models from year to year to find marketing niches, S2 made boats to sell near the high end of the production boat market, and kept the quality at a consistent level."<ref name="PS"/>
In a 2011 ''Cruising World'' review, Gregg Nestor wrote that S2, "sailboats are recognized for their performance, distinctive styling, and quality craftsmanship, and during its short history, S2 Yachts produced several sailboats that are still admired."<ref name="CW">{{cite web|url= https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/slick-sleek-and-slikkers-built/|title= Slick, Sleek, and Slikkers-Built|access-date= 9 December 2021|last= Nestor|first= Gregg|work= Cruising World|date= 5 January 2011|archive-url= https://archive.today/20211209184854/https://www.cruisingworld.com/sailboats/slick-sleek-and-slikkers-built/|archive-date= 9 December 2021|url-status= live}}</ref>
== Boats == Summary of sailboats built by S2:<ref name="data"/> *S2 8.0 A 1974 *S2 7.0 1975 *S2 8.0 C 1975 *S2 6.8 1976 *S2 8.0 B 1976 *S2 11.0 A 1977 *S2 9.2 A 1977 *S2 9.2 C 1977 *S2 7.3 1978 *S2 7.9 FK 1979 *S2 6.7 1980 *S2 6.7 FK 1980 *S2 11.0 C 1980 *S2 8.5 1980 *S2 7.9 1981 *S2 10.3 1982 *S2 5.5 1982 *S2 6.9 1983 *S2 9.1 1983 *S2 8.6 1984 *S2 22 1985 *S2 27 1985 *S2 35 1986
==See also== *List of sailboat designers and manufacturers
==References== {{Reflist}}
<!-- ==External links== --> {{S2 Yachts}}
Category:S2 Yachts