In 1829 Bernard Boel built the company's first ever keel, founding a shipbuilding wharf for small wooden river craft of 50 to 80 tons.
In 1872, he passed away, leaving his son, Jozef Boel, to take over the yard. Under his leadership, the yard became more commercial, with the expansion of the Wharf in 1890 to accommodate the first hangar. More orders came in, larger tonnages were built, different building techniques were mastered and the number of employees rose.
In 1904 Jozef Boel’s sons, César and Frans Boel, took over the company under the name Gebroeders Boel (Brothers Boel).
1911 represented a milestone for the company. The 112 metres-long “GRAAF DE SMET-DE NAYER” was built , with an exceptionally high deadweight for that period. It was the largest inland waterway vessel of Europe at that time. From 200 employees on its payroll in 1914, by 1930 the total grew to 680.
Frans Boel’s entrepreneurship brought the shipyard to an unprecedented success, with the yard securing over 950 orders between 1904 and 1943.