TORNADO BOATS INTERNATIONAL

The Beginning Tornado Boats International was started in 1975 in England, and was one of the early pioneers in the development of the RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat). The first task was a boat for a marine survey company and the result, a 5.5m boat, was a great success; it was powered by a 50 HP motor (big at the time!) and attracted much interest. Even though the demand for more Tornados grew, there was at first reluctance to build more. Fortunately, the passion for design and a love of the sea won through and the decision was made to develop a production boat. A name was required, and with a copy deadline for the first advert but an hour away, the name Tornado came to mind – and the Tornado was born.

The First! The first Tornado featured the simple logo of a round circle with a ‘T’ inside (amazingly, some of these boats still exist more than 40 years on!). Production began slowly with one boat being built every three to four weeks. Manufacturing was done from home with the hulls laminated in the garage, and the tubes assembled on plywood sheets laid across the bed – those were the days. Slowly, the Tornado’s reputation for strength and performance grew and an invitation to trial a boat for the British Navy was received – a trial which The Tornado won. The result was a production run of over 140 boats and a move to a new factory in Hull!

In 2008 Kathrine and Lars Hjorth, the former Danish dealers, took over the company and the head-office were moved to Risskov, Denmark. Before becoming a Tornado dealer, Lars Hjorth was, and still is, an active member in the Danish Sailing Community. He has participated in numerous yacht races, and in 2003 he started the Danish Yacht Race Team Sailing4Denmark with Jesper Bank (Olympic Champion in the Men’s Soiling Class at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona and at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney).

Today, Lars is the sole CEO of the company, and his mission, together with a few dedicated employees, is to ensure that the successes of the past are partnered with new innovative ideas for the future.

New Headquarters In the summer of 2019, Tornado Boats International moved into brand new headquarters in Lystrup, 5 kilometers north of Aarhus. The new building is 1400 m2 and has a large space for stock boats, an open office, a conference room, a canteen, a large workshop for fitting of engines, a dedicated workshop area for the dirty work (laminating, gluing, etc.), as well as multiple parking spaces for truck loading, so all in all this is a huge step up for Tornado Boats International.

Environmental Responsibilities The new headquarters is a big improvement in terms of production capacity, but it is also an upgrade in terms of reducing the environmental impact. Tornado Boats International work for a sustainable development where environmental considerations are integrated into all business decisions. Offices and warehouses are now under one roof and geographically located with the aim to minimize travel and logistics for both personnel and goods. The new building is thus placed only 500 meters from the Djursland highway, minimizing Co2 emission as much as possible.

Proven Quality Production and Customer Satisfaction When our dealers and customers have been asked what defines and differentiates Tornado Boats International from competitors, they most commonly use words like “Partner,” “Loyal,” “Reliable,” “Respectful,” “Strong” and “Proven.” We are proud of these attributes and have been committed to the highest level of customer service and quality since our founding in 1975.

Finally, Tornado Boats International is proud to say that our customer base keeps growing, all the while most of our old customers keep returning. This is a reflection of our quality engineering and manufacturing processes combined with our exceptional attention to detail found in everything from our orderly electrical wiring to the strategic placement of drain holes. We stand behind our work, and rest assured that you’ll experience many decades of reliable performance and low-cost maintenance with your Tornado RIB!