Refitting a superyacht is indeed a big deal. Whether you are looking for to get an old yacht and have it refitted to your specification (rather than buying a brand new one) or you have a yacht you want some major upgrades done on, you will need the right shipyard.
Record shows that there are over 300 shipyards around the world specialized in superyacht refit.
It can therefore be confusing to decide on which of them will offer you the best service at the right price. We will look at a few things to consider as you search for the best shipyard for your superyacht refit.
Factors to Consider When Choosing a Shipyard for a Yacht Refit When you want to choose a shipyard for a major yacht refit, there are two ways you can go about it.
- The first option, which is the easier way, is to go through a broker. A broker will handle all the initial process of searching for shipyards. All you may need to do is decide on which you want from a shortlist. The broker will in most cases also handle the negotiations, maybe in conjunction with your legal counsel. Either way, this will be less involving and less stressful.
- The second way you can go about it is searching for the shipyard yourself. Depending on how much time you have and how much information at your disposal, you may actually save yourself some cost by handling this yourself. Of course, it will mean more involvement in the entire process. Let us look at a few things you will need to look at while choosing shipyard.
Reputation Imagine that you had a superyacht like Darwin Deason's $70 million-dollar luxury yacht - Apogee. Would you just hand it over to any shipyard to work on? Most certainly not! A shipyard’s reputation is critical when choosing one to work on your project. You can determine a shipyard’s reputation by the quality of people referring them. In fact, it is best to start by asking others who have had successful refitting jobs done for them to recommend a shipyard. With these recommendations, you can at least be sure you have a list of shipyards that are reputable. Facility The next thing you need to consider is the type and quality of facility the shipyard works from. Ideally, you should visit the shipyard to make sure that the facilities they have will be able to handle the type of project you are looking to start.
Expertise This is a non-negotiable factor. You need to see past jobs they have successfully completed to be able to determine the level of their expertise. This is closely related to the first factor we looked at which is reputation.
Financial Stability A shipyard’s financial stability is a major factor to also consider. You cannot confidently hand over a major project that would cost a huge amount of money to a shipyard that is struggling financially. A shipyard’s financial stability is also a sign of their capacity to deliver and their success in their field.
Conclusion Whatever your reason for needing a superyacht refit, and regardless of whether you are a prospective owner or an existing owner looking to refit a yacht, the importance of getting the right shipyard cannot be overemphasized. This will determine how successful the refit will be.
Though the four factors listed above may not be exhaustive, they provide a solid foundation upon which to base your search for a suitable shipyard. Any shipyard that meets these four criteria fully, will most likely offer you a good quality job.
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