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What started as a joke between friends about buying a boat with crypto currency has led to them not only building their dream boat but starting a company that sells those boats to others.
Barry Keijzer and Gertjan Resoort hail from The Netherlands, Oud-Beijerland to be precise. Until recently, they had very different daily lives, one painting industrial cranes, the other adapting sea containers into small homes. But their dreams were big and their combined skills enough for them to build the boat they always wanted for fishing.
That was two years ago. Since then Barry and Gertjan have turned that first boat into a small brand fittingly called Cryptocraft Fishing Boats that supplies two models to the regional predator market. The 530 TL Tiller and a 530 CS Double Console are both made from 4mm seaworthy aluminium. A third model can be optioned with a single console.
The boats can handle up to 150 horse power, and are simply made for anglers who want to fish in the toughest conditions, say the friends. The promise they make to customers is the same one they made to themselves two years ago: you will have a boat that helps you enjoy your angling day to the fullest every single time.
All the boats are self draining and come fitted with marine mat, custom wrap and seats. Both models are certified under CE in category C and, says Cryptocraft, are made to last, cast after cast.
This year the company took two further steps forward. First, Cryptocraft Fishing Boats took its place in the YPC Boat fishing challenge alongsize FishXPlorer and Stucki Fishing. And, inspired by that experience of connecting with likeminded anglers, Barry and Gertjan opened a fishing shop to supply predator tackle to local anglers.
The key to the shop’s appeal lies in the personal touch the friends bring to their interactions with customer, something they feel has been lost in the digital age. Cryptocraft is about sharing a passion. Explains Barry: “I get motivated everyday to push harder in building the brand. Getting positive reactions from customers, and putting a smile on the face of others, that’s just what this industry is all about.
Gertjan agrees: “I share the same passion as Barry in crafting our brand. All the hours of work we’ve put in are slowly taking shape. The reactions we get from custumers and people we meet on and off the water that share the same passion? That’s just something else.”
The goal in the coming years, say the friends, is to build a community of likeminded passionate anglers and to supply them with great products, both from the boating and from the fishing sides of the sport.
One of those products is Musky Innovations, which Cryptocraft has recently exclusively brought back to The Netherlands. The demand for the brand has been high for many years, says the company, but ordering overseas has always been a struggle. Now Cryptocraft is able to serve local anglers with the Quad Dawgs, Magnum Bulldawgs, Swimmin’ Dawgs, Pounders that they love. Other brands in the store include Pikecraft Fishing, FishingGhost, Stucki Fishing, FishXPlorer and Watercraft Lures.
There are also plans to organise annual trips to Sweden, the first of which will be taking place in May. The idea, say the friends, is for anglers from any background to come and enjoy a fantastic week on beautiful northern waters.
Says Barry: “Fishing is all about connecting with people, meeting likeminded enthusiasts, and making memories together through great products and enjoying every second of that. And this is exactly what Cryptocraft Fishing Boats is all about.
“It has always been a dream to have my own fishing brand, and this has now became a reality. We both cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us.”
www.cryptocraftfishingboats.com
Instagram: @cryptocraftfishingboats
