Being born in a world of watersports, Nico was immediately cursed with the virus of waterskiing and powerboats. Therefore at the age of 11 he attempted to build his first boat using a Punch Engine and some parts of a drilling machine. Unfortunately this first model sank as soon as it hit the water. Typical for Nico’s perseverance he continued a new project by building a catamaran, which was his first success at the age of 14.

4 years later and after multiple projects he managed to secure 2 Evinrude engines from a sponsor. At that time, having a boat accommodating a twin rig set-up was proving way to expensive and very rare in the world of waterski racing. The germ of an idea hatched in a little café in Antwerp to build his one since he could not afford to buy one. This project proved to be a success that the first 2 models were already sold before and provided him with the platform to for his two engine projects. The care and craftsmanship that went into this project meant he won the first race he entered. This way the brand Bernico was established, it has always kept high its attention to detail and high standard of build quality combined with innovating techniques. These make that Bernico nowadays is a well respected international brand.

Due to the waterski racing bonds of its founder, Bernico has close relations and development ties with this sport. After obtaining numerous Belgian, European and even World titles over the years in the classes of Formula 3, Formula 2 and Formula 1, Bernico is proud to see its teams doing well all over the world.