Swedish-born Lennart (Lelle) Davidsson started sailing when he was eight years old and his skills keep him in demand during race weeks all over the Caribbean. Eight years ago he came to Bonaire with a dream: to design and build great boats. Not the racing sloops he captains but specifically planned working craft. He came for the climate and the smooth local seas and because Bonaire has had a reputation for building strong, functional boats for generations.

the honeycomb material keeps the weight down

Jopie finishes up one of the pontoons

Boat building roots
With the help of Jopie and Tino, both descended from Bonairean boat-building roots, Lelle is living his dream. Now building his fourth boat, a new water taxi for local use, the old Bonaire craftsmanship has been combined with modern materials to create an environmentally-friendly boat.

The new craft will be extremely stable for comfort and unsinkable for safety. The two in-board diesels will only burn about two liters per hour with its passengers on board. The boat has been totally fabricated in Lelle's yard from the unsinkable pontoons, the honeycomb deck, carbon fiber foils, the aluminum roof all the way down to the canvas sunshade.

Together, the three master builders shape and smooth the hulls and apply the fiberglass coatings. Watching their hands pass over the surface, one can see the love that will make this 25-foot catamaran water taxi a lasting treasure for visitors to Bonaire.

Jopie, whose son Reagan is a member of Jong Bonaire, also builds micro-boats in is spare time. Click here to see an article and pictures that Regan wrote for our Jong Bonaire newspaper.