After being the Chief Designer at Tartan Yachts for 48 years, Tim Jackett has found a new home with Niche Watercraft. The company has announced it is “relaunching two premiere North American heritage brands: Blue Jacket Yachts and Bruckmann Yachts,” and has brought Jackett on to be the Chief Designer and Director of Design and Production.
Jackett, who was the mind behind the Tartan, C&C and Legacy lines, created 35 models with over 4,000 boats built. Jackett also designed the Blue Jacket 40 in collaboration with Island Packet Yachts.
“Tim’s career reflects not only extraordinary design talent but a deep understanding of boatbuilding, engineering and the sailing community,” said Mike Mullenberg, Founder and CEO of Niche Watercraft. “His leadership strengthens our foundation as we prepare for launch—and his commitment to this portfolio is exactly the kind of long-term design vision that Niche Watercraft is built to support.”
The company represents Blue Jacket, Bruckmann-Ellis, and Whitacre Catamarans, focusing on high quality boats designed for boaters with, as the name suggests, niche interests. Jackett will guide design direction across the portfolio. The aim is to keep innovation, craftsmanship, and offshore capability at the forefront for every model.
“His appointment as Chief Designer reflects not just a credential, but a design vision inseparable from the direction of Niche Watercraft itself,” Niche Watercraft said in a statement. “[Jackett’s] breadth of experience maps directly onto Niche Watercraft’s brand strategy: Blue Jacket Yachts and Bruckmann+Ellis draw on his offshore monohull mastery, while the Whitacre Catamaran line benefits from a designer who understands how people actually live aboard, on any platform, in any conditions.”
“Niche Watercraft represents exactly the kind of opportunity I’ve been looking for,” Jackett says. “It’s a chance to take everything I’ve built over nearly five decades and apply it to brands with real heritage and a future worth building toward. What excites me most is the range of this portfolio. Designing across Blue Jacket, Bruckmann+Ellis and Whitacre means I get to bring my full experience to bear—offshore performance, interior livability, multihull design—all of it. This is the work I want to be known for in this chapter of my career.”
For more on Niche Watercraft, visit nichewatercraft.com.
