Malibu Boats takes over Saxdor Yachts

Helsinki (Finland) — Saxdor Yachts (foun­ded in 2019), a refe­rence brand in the entry-level small yacht segment, has been acqui­red by Malibu Boats, Inc (MBI). Foun­ded in 1982 in Loudon, Tennes­see, the Ameri­can manu­fac­tu­rer specia­li­zes in the design, produc­tion and marke­ting of small “fun-orien­­ted” motor­boats (fishing boats, center conso­les, wake­board boats). Follo­wing the take­over worth around 150 million euros (175 million US dollars), Saxdor will operate as a subsi­diary of MBI, but will retain its brand iden­tity and full opera­tio­nal autonomy. 

Saxdor, which has recor­ded annual sales growth of 65% in recent years, rising from 109 million euros in 2024 to 180 million euros in 2025, has become one of the fastest growing boat manu­fac­tu­r­ers in the world. The fleet includes ten models from 20 to 46 feet and the company employs almost 1,000 people. 

The Finnish shipy­ard will now have access to signi­fi­cant resour­ces, a well-estab­­lished infra­struc­ture and a shared vision of inno­va­tion — all key elements to support its inter­na­tio­nal growth. Saxdor will conti­nue to operate as an inde­pen­dent global brand with its own manage­ment team and foun­der Sakari Mattila in the role of Chief Desi­gner to ensure conti­nuity of crea­tive vision and product strategy. 

MBI has an annual turno­ver of more than 800 million dollars, employs over 2,000 people in eight produc­tion faci­li­ties and sells more than 5,000 boats every year. In this segment, this tran­sac­tion repres­ents a signi­fi­cant acqui­si­tion that promi­ses to open up new commer­cial and tech­no­lo­gi­cal oppor­tu­ni­ties in the small boat segment. 

By joining the Malibu Group, Saxdor aims to streng­then its inter­na­tio­nal presence and expand into the most dyna­mic markets, with a focus on North America. The leisure boating segment, which is expec­ted to grow at a CAGR of 15% accor­ding to SSI data (2023–2025), offers fertile ground for Saxdor’s expan­sion, also thanks to its adven­ture yachts and its ability to attract a young clientele year­ning for new expe­ri­en­ces at sea. 

Mali­bu’s port­fo­lio, which is known for boats for water sports, luxury runa­bouts and deep-sea fishing and alre­ady includes the Malibu, Axis, Cobalt, Pursuit, Cobia, Path­fin­der, Maverick and Hewes brands, is now further enri­ched by the Finnish shipy­ar­d’s inno­va­tive and effi­ci­ent production.

M&A Advi­sor Saxdor: Clairfield

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