It’s not often these days that we see a boat demo video that leaves us wondering if it was too slick to be real, but this is exactly what we encountered at the 2019 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show when we were introduced to Jasper Vermeulen and his new boat model; the Freedom 28.
We were introduced to Jasper, owner of Jasper Marine Boats Ltd., through our long-time friend and accomplished designer Ricky Smith at this year’s Boat Show in Florida. Ricky had been exploring designs for a modern-looking wavepiercing mono-hull, which led him to Jasper’s Freedom 28: a fully operational prototype completed earlier this year that integrated the wavepiercing design and boasted excellent performance to boot.
Jasper launched Jasper Marine Boats Ltd (Gibsons, British Columbia) in 2017 with the goal of showcasing the design potential in the field of aluminum boat craft: he wanted to disprove the prevailing belief that aluminum boats were universally unsophisticated and clunky looking and felt strongly that there was a niche in the market for elegant yet robust aluminum vessels. The vision for the Freedom 28 prototype was born from that same dream and was intended to be a tangible example of what the company was capable of producing. Drawing upon his background in industrial and finite welding and his experience working on marine craft in Canada and New Zealand Jasper designed the Freedom to marry the sturdiness and durability of traditional aluminum craft with a streamlined and futuristic aesthetic that would turn heads and appeal to clients with discerning taste.
After completing concept art for the Freedom Jasper teamed up with New Zealand-based Bakewell White Yacht Design who finalized the craft’s design and made it production-ready. Physical production of the Freedom 28 kicked off in June 2018, which took place entirely after-hours by Jasper himself when the company’s hired projects had been finished for the day.
Following countless late nights and plenty of blood, sweat, and tears the Freedom was completed in February 2019: the result is a sleek silver 28’ craft that looks as if it sailed directly from the set of the latest James Bond film, with performance that lives up to the impressive design. The Freedom combines military-grade aluminum construction with a striking modern appearance, boasts 600 horsepower and manages to achieve 55 knots despite all that sturdiness. Whether one’s plans are for a leisurely outing or a more vigorous day of aquatic exploration, the Freedom holds up in rugged conditions and is undaunted by driftwood, ice, and other hazards that might damage the hull of a more typical craft.
Since completion of the Freedom 28 Jasper’s business has continued to grow. Even so, Jasper isn’t content to rest on his laurels just yet: he is already ideating on what the next big concept might be, and is developing designs for a 35’ version of the Freedom with triple engines as well as a Speedster 28’ that features the wavepiercing mono-hull but with a reimagined interior. Personally, we can’t wait to see what comes next.
You can find Jasper and his work at www.jaspermarine.ca or on Instagram and Facebook.