After a summer of boat shows, testing and deliveries, we travelled to our own factory in Hungary. This is where Anti and Tomi build every Peson Namsen by hand – keel, frames and planks, without a single screw. Here is a look at two good days in the workshop.
Mathias Vraalsen
Rower and Managing Director
After a good summer of interest, testing and deliveries, it was time to visit the factory. The Peson factory is located in Hungary and is owned by us, and it is where every single Peson Namsen is built. We spent two good days in the workshop – with plenty of conversation, good discussions and a hull taking shape on the bench while we stood there. Here is a look behind the scenes.
Day to day, it is Anti and Tomi who build the boats. They are our two local plastic welders and boatbuilders, and they put in a tremendous effort every single day. The team is led by Ferenc, who has done an enormous amount of work to get us to where we are today. Ferenc is part of a larger family-owned company in Hungary working in plastics and coatings, and that expertise has been invaluable to us in setting up a brand-new production line from scratch.
The Peson factory got up and running at the end of March 2026, and production of the first boat started in April. Since then the team has built 17 boats, and hull number 18 was sitting on the bench ready to have the entire outside of the hull welded when we visited. A lot has happened in a short time, and we are proud of that.
Anti and Tomi enjoy the challenge of building the Peson boats – it is as new to them as it is to us. They appreciate the flexibility and freedom the material offers, and we are grateful for their input in making the production process itself better – for the people building, and for the boat that comes out of it. Their enthusiasm for the material is perhaps best expressed in their little production mascot: a fish in 100% HDPE, standing guard on top of the electrical cabinet.
The build process follows the same recipe Kjell started with in the barn in Overhalla – which in turn is based on centuries-old Norwegian wooden boatbuilding traditions. First the keel is laid. Then each frame is fitted and welded into place, and the boat takes its shape plank by plank, just like a traditional wooden boat.
What makes our way of building unique is that not a single screw is used to hold the finished product together. Everything you find in a Peson Namsen is HDPE – both the sheets and the welding rod that binds the boat together. Wherever two edges meet, a weld is laid. That is how we make sure the long service life that lies in the material is actually reflected in the boat that gets built. A boat built for generations.
We are proud of the product we have. Still, at the top of the agenda for our meetings at the factory was one topic: how we can improve the quality even further. Through a long and good summer of testing and practical use of the boat, we have got to know our own product and what it can take, and that knowledge goes straight back into production.
At the same time, we are scaling up production so we can deliver even more boats through the autumn, the winter and next year. We enjoy what we do, and we believe that shows – both in our team and in the family around us.
We are always looking for ways to make the product better. The more people who get to try the boat, the better we understand what our customers actually need. All the feedback – the good, and the parts that might not be quite so good – comes back with us to the drawing board so we can keep developing the Peson Namsen.
That was also a main theme of the trip. We are now working on a new variant of the Peson Namsen that can be approved for even more passengers on board, and that offers more stability in waves and wind – and when moving around in the boat. We have arrived at some good solutions, and the first boat of this variant is already being built. More on that once we have it on the water.
Even though we work in the plastics industry, we are conscious of looking after the environment. All surplus material from production – offcuts, shavings and scraps – is collected, ground down and recycled into new plastic sheets for future boats. That is one of the things we find remarkable about the material we work with: very little goes to waste, and what is left over comes back as part of the next boat.
It was two good days at the factory. The team carries on under Ferenc's lead, while the rest of us head home to keep building Peson – getting out to new customers and establishing ourselves more and more in Norway.
Do you have questions about the Peson Namsen, or are you curious about how the boat is built? Feel free to get in touch.
More notes from the workshop — about the boat, the river, and life on the water.
