When Boatbuilding Becomes Fine Art: Inside Van Dam’s Metal Shop and Paint Studio

The most functional parts of a boat rarely get a second look. At Van Dam, they’re crafted and finished with the same care as everything else.

Three of the most extraordinary elements of the 2024 flagship build — ★★★★★ — are also among the most functional. From exhaust tips to the cutwater and the finish below the waterline, these details aren’t treated as afterthoughts—they’re refined, balanced, and integrated into the design of the boat. The result is a level of consistency that carries through every surface, whether it’s immediately noticed or not.

That philosophy is on full display in the metal shop and paint studio, where form and finish come together to elevate even the most utilitarian elements.

Exhaust Tips: 351 Pounds Reduced to 29

Each exhaust tip on the 2024 flagship began as a 351-pound billet of 316L stainless steel. After 85 hours of CNC machining — each individually programmed, with tolerances held to 5 to 10 thousandths of an inch — that billet had been reduced to a sleek 29-pound sculptural element.

The final polishing was meticulous, achieving a mirror-like finish. Each assembly includes a corner block with a 3D geometric pattern, designed specifically to harmonize with the other hardware details on the boat.

The Cutwater: Form, Function, and a Mirror Shine

The cutwater — the structural element at the very tip of the bow — was engineered to depart from the pointed cutwaters found on classic boats. Instead, it features a rounded edge for a softer, more streamlined profile.

Made from machined and welded elements, it includes integrated bow lights and a sturdy bow eye — form and function in the same piece. After welding, extensive fine-tuning was required to achieve a flawless fit against the hull. Once perfected, it was polished to a mirror shine, mounted with epoxy and screws, then fitted to align perfectly with every line and angle of the boat’s design.

8,200 Triangles Below the Waterline

The owner’s vision for the 2024 build included a traditional bright finish across the entire hull and deck exterior — the natural wood grain visible on every inch of the boat. The challenge: some structural reinforcement areas couldn’t receive a final wood planking layer, which would have meant a visible break in the finish.

Van Dam’s design team proposed a different solution. They showed the owner a supercar featuring a fading geometric pattern and asked: what if we do something like this?

The owner was all in.

The final design took shape as an intricate geometric pattern—8,200 individual triangles defined by more than 25,000 hand-laid tape lines—spanning the boat’s entire underside. The Paint & Varnish team masked the pattern, applied a full black finish, then carefully removed each line before building up successive clear coats to achieve a smooth, high-gloss surface.

The result: stained wood grain juxtaposed against a striking geometric black pattern — visible only when the boat is on her lift—disappearing completely once she’s in the water.

Proof that even the most functional elements can become extraordinary.

Commission Your Own

Every Van Dam build includes the same level of craft — from the elements on display to the ones hidden below the waterline. Contact us to learn more about what a custom wooden boat commission looks like, or start with our no-obligation Concept Phase.