LOGBOOK
From ship to fleet.
Firmship began with a 42 in 2008. Today a 42, a 55 and an 80 share one silhouette.
I
The first Firmship.
2008
It starts with a 42.
Firmship begins with one man and one idea. Casper Vissers wants a working vessel in steel, the shape of the tugs and customs vessels in the harbours of Europe, with nothing on it that does not earn its place. Studio Job puts it on paper, with the wheelhouse standing upright.
An early sketch by Studio Job, 2008. Not the final ship.
July 2009
The prototype.
The first 42 is in the water, moored in a marina between sailing yachts. The hull is by naval architect Willem Nieland, and Studio Job makes it a Firmship.
This ship belongs in a museum.
October 2010
Finished.
Studio Job draws the interior, down to the wheel and the last detail. The finished 42 is photographed in a museum hall, and the brochure says why. She lies in Amsterdam today.
February 2011
The world looks.
The first articles about the 42 appear. Wallpaper* and Dezeen first, then NRC, Vogue, Elle Decor and Interni, from London to Tokyo. Job Smeets says what it is built for: people should still like it fifty years from now.
- Wallpaper*United Kingdom
- DezeenUnited Kingdom
- NRC WeekendNetherlands
- Elle DecorationNetherlands
- De StandaardBelgium
- VogueGreece
- Elle DecorJapan
- Modern DecorationChina
- Elle DecorationIndonesia
- InterniItaly
- Binyan VediurIsrael
“People should still like it fifty years from now.”
Job Smeets, Studio Job
- 12.50 mlength
- 5 mmsteel
- 10 tdisplacement
- 10 kntop speed
It starts with the bow, high and rounded, the shape of the old harbour tugs.
Then the long drop to a low aft deck, and the black rubbing strake that runs from stem to stern.
From the 42 to the 80 it is the same drawing, only larger. Long before you can read a name, you know it is a Firmship.
II
One silhouette.Multiple lengths.
The new 42. Drawn by Sea Level, November 2026.
The 55. In build. Seventeen metres of steel.
The 80. In progress.
FS42
In progress
12.5 m
FS55
In build
17 m
FS80
In progress
24 m
II
One silhouette. Multiple lengths.
A 42, a 55 and an 80, drawn by Sea Level. The same shape in every size.
FS42
In progress
12.5 m
FS55
In build
17 m
FS80
In progress
24 m
It starts with the bow, high and rounded, the shape of the old harbour tugs. Then the long drop to a low aft deck, and the black rubbing strake that runs from stem to stern. From the 42 to the 80 it is the same drawing, only larger. Long before you can read a name, you know it is a Firmship.
IN BUILD
The 55.
One ship, two drawings. Between February and April 2025 the wheelhouse grew by one window. Drag the line from before to after.
Before
February 2025
Large wheelhouse
Two side windows and the corner window.
After
April 2025
Extra large wheelhouse
Three side windows and the corner window.
May 2023
The first idea. Computer images of a larger Firmship, 55 feet long. The shape will change, the idea will not.
June 2025
The design. Naval architects Sea Level work out the FS55 in steel, inside and out.
22 January 2026
The technical drawing. Every measurement of the ship, to scale. Seventeen metres long.
12 February 2026
Approved. Firmship signs off the final design.
May 2023
The first idea. Computer images of a larger Firmship, 55 feet long. The shape will change, the idea will not.
June 2025
The design. Naval architects Sea Level work out the FS55 in steel, inside and out.
22 January 2026
The technical drawing. Every measurement of the ship, to scale. Seventeen metres long.
12 February 2026
Approved. Firmship signs off the final design.
Late 2028
In the water.
The first FS55 is launched.
