Dutch superyacht yard Moonen Yachts has paid tribute to its founder Rien Moonen, who died on Monday, March 29 in Spain.
Born in 1936, Rien was the second son of 11 children and began working at his father’s painting company at just 15 years old. After taking over the company and turning it into a profitable business, Rien was able to buy his first boat – an 11 metre steel cruiser from De Ruiter Shipyards.
Rien moved into real estate and later joined forces with the same yard, taking over the company and renaming it Moonen Yachts.
In a statement, Moonen Yachts paid tribute to Rien’s “entrepreneurship” and “remarkable personality”.
“Rien was the driving force behind the switch to start building stylish elegant and timeless superyachts with great seaworthiness,” it said. “This is what Moonen Yachts, after all these years is still famous for.”