Tiara Yachts - History of Company

History of Company

Tiara Yachts is known for building quality mid-sized luxury yachts. They have been committed to creating some of the world’s most highly rated yachts for the last four decades. This company is private and family owned and operated. According to their satisfied customers, they have passed down the same values of excellence from generation to generation. The company’s founder, Leon Skitters, owned and operated another yacht building company before he founded his second company, S2 yachts(parent company to Tiara). Even before that, Skitters worked at Chris Craft. Skitters next move in his career was owning and operating Slickcraft, which focused on building sailing yachts, not motor. In the late 1960’s many large public yacht companies were looking to buy smaller companies in the interest of drawing new stock holders and diversifying their stock. A company based in New York, called AMF, gained interest in Slickcraft. In September 1969, Skitters sold the company, while still holding his position as President. After a few years with this new company, Skitters left claiming that they were not committed to the same level of excellence as he was. Skitters then proceeded to leave AMF and Slickcraft behind to create a new company with his sons, which his family stills owns and operates today, S2 Yachts and all of its ‘child’ companies such as Tiara Yachts. On February 18th, 1974, S2 Yachts was founded. Shortly after S2 Yachts was founded, Skitters’ two older sons finished college and joined their father at the company, offering both new perspectives and a commitment to excellence that their father has exhibited for all their lives. S2 began rolling sailboats off the lot almost right away, however, a few more years down the line Leon began to feel the same pressures as before. Fortunate for him, he had a larger company this time, more capital than before, and both his sons on his side. All these factors allowed S2 to gain momentum in this ever competitive industry, still able to remain a private company. In 1976, Leon decided that it was time for another change of pace within the company. These changes lead S2 Yachts to building motor yachts. As a result of the high sales of this new line of yachts, it was decided to create a totally new division in the company that would focus on motor yachts only. Tiara Yachts was incorporated.