Houseboats are currently quite popular, and in recent summers, floating vacation homes have been among the most prominent vacation trends. The boat building and rental industry has been experiencing strong growth for years, and parallel to the caravanning boom, the pandemic has further accelerated this trend. The Andernach-based company Delphin-Tec Schiffstechnik is responding to this change in vacation and leisure behavior and is consistently expanding its range of houseboats. Since last summer, boats from the "Joylife Boats" series have been cruising along the Saar and Moselle rivers. Also on board: Natureline in graphite gray from NaturinForm. Together with the specialist boat builder SBS Andernach, they opted not to use wood as is usual in shipbuilding, but instead equipped the upper deck with solid planks from the northern Bavarian specialist for wood composite materials.

Trend: Retreat into private life – at home and on vacation

For several years now, Germans have been increasingly investing in the area around their homes: in cozy balconies, spacious terraces, and sophisticated garden designs with pools or swimming ponds. Even in pre-coronavirus times, "being alone" during leisure and vacations was at the top of many people's wish lists, as evidenced by the enormous demand for caravans and motorhomes. The houseboat industry is also benefiting from this shift in vacation and leisure behavior. Those who want to avoid cooling off in overcrowded outdoor pools or lidos and instead prefer a relaxing vacation away from the torturous crowds of tourists can rent a houseboat—a floating vacation home with exclusive access to the water.

SBS Andernach: the address for sophisticated special boat building

SBS Andernach GmbH specializes in sophisticated specialty boat construction and holds a leading market position in this segment. Founded in 1924, the company's main focus is on floating structures and boats for rescue services. "We operate primarily in Germany and also serve demand in Austria and Switzerland," explains Managing Director Alex Friesen. "Our customers are primarily government agencies, municipalities, and shipping companies." The company currently employs 35 people. The leisure boats sold and chartered by its sister company, Delphin-Tec Schiffstechnik, are also expertly manufactured at the SBS shipyard. The company thus combines the development and manufacture of the "Joylife Boats" houseboats, as well as their rental, service, and maintenance, all under one roof.

Holiday home on the water

The relatively new business segment – the production of houseboats under the "JoyLife Boats" label – is playing an increasingly large role in the overall portfolio. "As demand for houseboats has increased significantly in recent years," explains Alex Friesen, "we have further expanded this division and become more and more specialized in it."
Houseboats can be rented from and in the marinas in Mettlach and Merzig on the Saar River. From there, according to the operators, "silent water travel" along the Saar and Moselle is possible without a license. Whether exploring untouched nature or visiting the numerous sights in the border triangle of Germany, France, and Luxembourg, the electrically powered, 54-square-meter houseboats ensure the utmost relaxation. Solar panels on the roof recover battery energy, while the 18-square-meter upper deck, with loungers, a parasol, and a grill, provides vital energy.

From the terrace to the upper deck: positive experience as a selection criterion

Boatbuilding has traditionally been done with wood, but sustainable wood composite materials from NaturinForm have managed to conquer new territory. "Years ago, I had a deck built with NaturinForm decking – and I'm still very happy with it today. I'm not only impressed by the material's beautiful appearance, I'm also absolutely convinced by its durability and low maintenance. So why shouldn't we try NaturinForm decking in boatbuilding?" says the SBS Managing Director. Therefore, the decking was installed on the upper deck at the shipyard in Andernach. According to Alex Friesen, the installation of the "new material" was "very straightforward and pleasant" for the employees, who had always worked with wood in the past. The manufacturer's specifications and processing instructions are very precise, and the overall package, including the fastening technology and substructure, fits perfectly. Everything went smoothly, and we are extremely satisfied with the result." Natureline in graphite gray was used in a special length of 7 meters, along with the base profile in 40 x 60 millimeters and a length of 4 meters in anthracite, which clicks onto a swivel base as the substructure. Rubber pads measuring 60 x 60 x 3 millimeters served as height adjustment.

Robust and durable, non-slip and barefoot-friendly

The optimal flooring for the upper deck of houseboats is robust and durable in aquatic environments, as well as slip-resistant and barefoot-friendly. In addition to being maintenance-free and easy to care for, these are all criteria that speak for planks from the NaturinForm portfolio. SBS chose Natureline due to its natural look and feel. An innovative manufacturing process gives this plank, made of sustainable wood composite material, a distinctive, natural, multicolored wood grain and a pleasant surface texture. The cool graphite gray chosen perfectly matches the clean, puristic design of the houseboats.
The planks maintain a consistently high quality standard, making them ideal for heavily used outdoor spaces. Resistant to moisture, humidity, and other weather and environmental influences, they offer a long service life (durability class 1) without compromising on their beauty and functionality. The surface offers excellent slip resistance (R12 + R11) and is splinter-free, making it safe and comfortable to walk on barefoot. To achieve the barefoot-friendly and slip-resistant properties of the decking planks, the surface is also brushed and finished at the factory.

The high-quality wood material used in all NaturinForm products consists of 70 percent residual fibers from the wood industry, using only domestic wood from PEFC-certified forestry. In addition, 30 percent of the material is made from single-origin polymers, which bind the fibers together and make the products robust, durable, and recyclable. NaturinForm floorboards can be recycled up to 25 times, corresponding to a product cycle of over 600 years. Many responsible and forward-thinking builders and investors value the security of knowing that the used floorboards can be used to make new ones. NaturinForm takes back all products, including leftover pieces from processing. For returns from construction sites, the Re-Form recycling box has been established, which is available through specialist retailers. This ensures that the valuable, recyclable raw materials remain in the material cycle for many generations to come. At the Redwitz production site, the leftover pieces are processed and 100 percent recycled back into the manufacturing process.

NaturinForm offers products for DGNB-certified construction. Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) prepared according to international standards are available for all floorboards and façade profiles. All products are subject to continuous quality controls and stress tests to ensure consistently flawless and first-class wood-based material quality. The company offers a five-year warranty on its products.