Jackett Joins Niche Watercraft as Chief Designer and Director of Design & Production
MARCH 18, 2026 - ANACORTES, WA — Niche Watercraft announces that renowned yacht designer Tim Jackett has joined the company as Chief Designer and Director of Design & Production as the company prepares to relaunch two premier North American heritage brands: Blue Jacket Yachts and Bruckmann Yachts, and to introduce Whitacre Catamarans, a new American multihull brand built around the debut Whitacre 47.
With nearly five decades in yacht design, Jackett is one of the most accomplished figures in American sailing. As Chief Designer at Tartan Yachts for 48 years, his designs encompassed the Tartan, C&C and Legacy lines, creating 35 models resulting in over 4,000 boats built. His designs have earned 14 Cruising World Boat of the Year awards, 6 Sailing World Boat of the Year awards and 4 Sail Magazine Top Ten Awards.
During his Tartan tenure, Jackett also designed the Blue Jacket 40 in collaboration with Island Packet Yachts, which earned Cruising World’s Domestic Boat of the Year and Best Mid-Sized Cruiser awards - demonstrating the versatility and industry-wide respect that made him one of sailing’s most sought-after designers.
That versatility extends well beyond the sailboat world. Jackett's career spans sail, power, and multihull — from Tartan and C&C performance cruisers to the Blue Jacket line, and Legacy Yachts, where he brought his understanding of performance, comfort and real-world livability to premium power design. That breadth maps directly onto Niche Watercraft's brand strategy: Blue Jacket Yachts and Bruckmann+Ellis draw on his offshore monohull mastery, while the Whitacre Catamaran line benefits from a designer who understands how people actually live aboard, on any platform, in any conditions. His appointment as Chief Designer reflects not just a credential, but a design vision inseparable from the direction of Niche Watercraft itself.
Beyond design excellence, Jackett pioneered advanced composite manufacturing techniques including carbon fiber pre-preg molding and resin infusion processes. He designed the industry-leading “Beavertail” shallow-draft keel and led all Tartan and C&C models to achieve the EU’s prestigious Category A Unlimited Offshore designation.
“Niche Watercraft represents exactly the kind of opportunity I’ve been looking for — a chance to take everything I’ve built over nearly five decades and apply it to brands with real heritage and a future worth building toward. What excites me most is the range of this portfolio. Designing across Blue Jacket, Bruckmann+Ellis and Whitacre means I get to bring my full experience to bear — offshore performance, interior livability, multihull design — all of it. This is the work I want to be known for in this chapter of my career,” said Jackett.
“Tim’s career reflects not only extraordinary design talent but a deep understanding of boatbuilding, engineering and the sailing community,” said Mike Mullenberg, Founder and CEO of Niche Watercraft. “His leadership strengthens our foundation as we prepare for launch — and his commitment to this portfolio is exactly the kind of long-term design vision that Niche Watercraft is built to support.”
Jackett will guide design direction across the Niche portfolio, ensuring that innovation, craftsmanship and offshore capability remain central to every model. His role spans the full arc of each brand - from initial concept through production - as the company prepares for its 2026 market launch.