Britain’s Classic Boat magazine — one of the most respected names in traditional boating since 1987 — profiled Van Dam Custom Boats in April 2026, spotlighting the Boyne City, Michigan yard as a leader among the new generation of Spirit of Tradition designers. Writer Milly Karsten framed Van Dam’s range through three custom wooden boats: one from the past, one from the present, and one still on the bench.
The past is Tattler II, a 28-foot sandbagger built in 2016 in collaboration with Stephens Waring Design — a modern wood-composite reimagining of a dangerous 19th-century raceboat, tamed with a lead centerboard, reduced sail area, and electric drive. The present is Victoria Z, a 35-foot exotic speedboat developed with Michael Peters Yacht Design, whose twin Sterling-tuned Ford Cobra 427 engines push 1,100 horsepower through Arneson surface drives to a staggering 85-knot top speed. The future is Sunray, a 50-foot twin-Cummins wood-composite cruiser built to the pinnacle of the market — Seakeeper stabilizer included — and currently available for a new owner to see through to completion.
Together, the three boats capture what Classic Boat recognized: a builder equally at home with a canoe-sterned sailing sloop and an 85-knot race machine, all cold-molded by hand in Northern Michigan.