HISTORY

The creative spark and driving force of the Sunreef Yachts shipyard is Francis Lapp – the company’s Founder and CEO.

Born in France in 1958 Francis Lapp began his business activity in the domains of electric power and construction. After occupying managerial positions in the industry’s major companies he endeavored to found his own. An avid rally enthusiast, he visited Poland for the first time to take part in a race held by Warsaw’s Automobile Club. Having discovered Poland’s immense development potential throughout the 1990’s he chose to establish his business there and soon became a successful manufacturer of electrical equipment for some of the biggest global brands, soon expanding to providing services including the design and installation of electrical, sanitary and air conditioning systems for large industrial facilities.

Poland is also where Francis Lapp developed a vivid interest for sailing, having discovered the world of small racing catamarans. This experience encouraged him to buy his first, larger cruising catamaran which he based in Madagascar. With the purchase of more similar yachts he opened a travel agency, specializing in charters on the Indian Ocean. The company grew quickly as clients demanded more comfortable and larger catamarans. While trying to source such boats, he discovered there were no suitable yachts available on the market. This inspired him to get involved in building large, customized, luxury multihulls. This is how Sunreef Yachts was born.

Starting a new business and a lifelong adventure with yachting, Francis Lapp opened a shipyard in Gdansk - a city with long traditions in naval construction and the most skilled workforce. With the launch of the world’s first 74ft luxury oceangoing catamaran with a flybridge in 2003 Sunreef Yachts started a new era in the history of yachting and sparked a change in the philosophy of multihull design.

Today, over 90 Sunreef Yachts both sailing and power, are cruising worldwide and spreading the unique Sunreef touch around the globe. The company is now the world leader in the design and construction of large, customized luxury catamarans, exhibiting at the most important yacht shows including Cannes, Monaco, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Dubai, Qatar or Singapore.