Zeilschool De Kikkert

What Zeilschool De Kikkert does

Zeilschool De Kikkert B.V. is a privately held Dutch youth sailing school headquartered in Lemmer, Friesland, operating residential sailing camps for children and teenagers aged 6–18. The company organizes its programs into five named age cohorts — Blitskikker (6–9), Brulkikker (10–12), Drilkikker (12–14), Opkikker (14–16), and Gifkikker (16–18) — and runs a fleet of more than 10 boat types spanning Optimist dinghies, Laerling keelboats, Laser Bugs/Picos, Hobie and RS catamarans, Randmeer, and Dart 16. The business sells directly to consumers via a proprietary booking platform powered by BuchungApp (boeken.dekikkert.nl), with week-long residential camps priced at €715–€745 per participant inclusive of instruction, meals, and accommodation. The school runs across summer, May, autumn, and holiday weekend periods, with all instructors holding Nationaal Watersportdiploma (NWD) certification and the operation protected by Stichting Garantiefonds Reisgelden (SGR) membership.

Revenue derives principally from per-camper, per-week residential camp fees, supplemented by school trips (B2B institutional), group accommodation rentals, and instructor training programs (NWD B Catamaran). Distribution is fully direct-to-consumer through the company's own website and supported by phone, WhatsApp, and email channels; demand is generated primarily through organic social media (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube) and word-of-mouth referrals from returning campers. The company is registered as a Dutch B.V. (KVK 70269572), operates as a standalone entity with no parent company or institutional investors, and relies on mandatory Dutch travel-law accreditations (SGR, Watersportverbond, NWD) as core trust signals rather than proprietary technology as a differentiator.

Name

Zeilschool De Kikkert

Legal name

Zeilschool de Kikkert B.V.

Website

https://dekikkert.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zeilschool De Kikkert is a Dutch youth sailing school in Lemmer, Friesland, offering week-long residential sailing camps for children aged 6–18 across five age-cohort programs, with NWD-certified instruction and a diversified fleet of 10+ boat types.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Sailing School / Watersports Education

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162), RV (Recreational Vehicle) Parks and Recreational Camps (7212)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJAJAG

Sailing Experiences (Lessons, Regattas, Day Sails)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Marine & Water Experiences (Boat Tours, Diving, Snorkeling, Fishing)

Keywords

• Youth sailing camps
• Sailing instruction services
• Residential sailing school
• Watersports education
• Youth sailing programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Lemmer

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Youth Sailing Camp (Inscheping): Week-long residential youth sailing camps (zeilkampen) bundling sailing instruction, meals, accommodation, activities, and supervision. Offered across summer vacation, May vacation, autumn vacation, and holiday weekends (Pentecost, Ascension). Priced at €715 per 7-day camp for Optimist/Laser Bug/Laerling boats and €745 for Hobie Catsy, inclusive of overnight stays. Children aged 6–18 are grouped into five age cohorts: Blitskikker (6–9), Brulkikker (10–12), Drilkikker (12–14), Opkikker (14–16), and Gifkikker (16–18).
2. Instructor Training Programs: Advanced instructor training programs (e.g., NWD B Catamaran / formerly CWO IV) for experienced campers who progress to become certified instructors. These programs prepare candidates for official NWD certification exams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Zeilschool De Kikkert is a youth sailing school in Lemmer, Friesland, Netherlands, that runs week-long residential sailing camps (zeilkampen) for children and teenagers aged 6–18. Camps bundle professional sailing instruction by NWD-certified staff, full-board accommodation and meals, on-land activities, and 24/7 supervision. The school also offers school trips, group accommodation, and instructor training programs leading to NWD B catamaran certification, operating a fleet of 10+ boat types across the Frisian lake district.

Product overview

Zeilschool De Kikkert is a sailing school offering a comprehensive portfolio of youth sailing camps and programs located in Lemmer, Friesland, Netherlands. The core offering consists of multi-day sailing camps for children and teenagers aged 6-18, organized into five age groups (Blitskikker 6-9, Brulkikker 10-12, Drilkikker 12-14, Opkikker 14-16, and Gifkikker 16-18). Camps include accommodation, meals, professional NWD-certified instruction, and supervised activities. The organization operates a diverse fleet of 10+ boat types including dinghies (Optimist, Laser Bug), keelboats (Laerling, Randmeer, Laser Bahia), catamarans (Hobie Catsy, Hobie T1, Dart 16), and youth sailing dinghies (Laser Pico, RS Feva). Supplementary offerings include school trip programs, group accommodation services, and professional instructor training courses leading to NWD B catamaran certification. The company also offers instructor training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Zeilkampen (Youth Sailing Camps)

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.6 Google rating from 95 reviews

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• BuchungAppcoreTechnology or IntegrationBuchungApp powers the school's booking and reservation system (boeken.dekikkert.nl). This white-label booking platform handles all customer registrations, participant data collection, activity scheduling, and payment processing. The copyright notice on booking pages attributes 'Powered by BuchungApp', indicating a technology licensing/integration relationship.
• Nationaal Watersportdiploma (NWD)coreOthersThe NWD is the national watersport diploma framework in the Netherlands. All instructors at De Kikkert are NWD-certified, and the school uses the NWD diploma system to track and certify camper progress. The NWD logo is displayed prominently on the website and booking platform as a quality assurance badge.
• WatersportverbondcoreOthersThe Watersportverbond (Dutch Watersports Association) is the governing body for watersports in the Netherlands. De Kikkert displays the Watersportverbond logo as an accreditation badge on its website and booking platform.
• Stichting Garantiefonds Reisgelden (SGR)coreOthersSGR is the Dutch Travel Guarantee Fund. De Kikkert is a member (SGR number: 3795) providing financial protection for customers. If the school becomes insolvent, SGR guarantees reimbursement of payments or completion of the trip, as required under Dutch travel law. This membership is a key trust signal for parents booking camps.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights10 records

Direct peers

• SailCamp: International operator of youth sailing camps across multiple European locations with week-long residential sailing programs for children and teens. Comparable product offering and age-group structure to De Kikkert.
• UKSA (United Kingdom Sailing Academy): UK youth sailing academy running residential multi-day sailing courses with RYA certification progression. Closest international structural analog in terms of full-board residential youth sailing programs and diploma-style certification pathway.
• J/World Sailing Schools: Multi-location sailing school specializing in performance sailing instruction including youth and family programs. Comparable in core sailing-instruction business model and emphasis on certified curriculum.
• Zeilschool Pean: Dutch youth sailing school in Friesland offering multi-day sailing camps with similar residential and instructional formats. Direct competitor for the same Friesland watersports camper base and Dutch parent market.
• Watersportcentrum Tacozijl: Friesland watersport operator offering youth sailing instruction and camps in the same regional lake system. Direct Dutch peer with overlapping boat fleet (Optimist, Laser, catamaran) and similar age-segmented programs.
• Zeilschool de Morra: Friesland-based sailing school running youth sailing camps and courses. Competes for the same school-holiday camper demand on the Frisian lakes and shares the Dutch NWD/Watersportverbond accreditation ecosystem.

Others

• Watersportverbond: Dutch national watersports federation and accreditation body. Not a competitor but the governing body under which De Kikkert operates; relevant as an ecosystem participant for certification standards and sector visibility.
• BuchungApp: Booking platform provider powering De Kikkert's reservation system (boeken.dekikkert.nl). Not a competitor — a technology vendor / ecosystem enabler serving the camp and activity-booking market.

Broad incumbents

• Offshore Sailing School: Large established US sailing school offering a broad portfolio of sailing courses including youth and family programs. Comparable as a multi-format sailing instruction operator but serves a different geography and demographic mix.

Regional players

• Zeil- en Surfschool Veerse Meer: Dutch sailing and surf school focused on Veerse Meer (Zeeland) rather than Friesland. Same youth sailing instruction model and NWD certification pathway but different geographic catchment, so limited direct camper overlap.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRKY15xGCTmqGSQQZpTBY2Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/deKikkert
• Instagraminstagram.com/de_kikkert
• TikToktiktok.com/@zeilschooldekikkert
• Xx.com/deKikkert
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/de-kikkert

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Zeilschool De Kikkert