{"id":160682,"date":"2025-11-11T06:46:57","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T06:46:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/?p=160682"},"modified":"2025-11-11T06:47:09","modified_gmt":"2025-11-11T06:47:09","slug":"how-to-futureproof-your-yacht-essential-refit-jobs-for-your-time-in-the-boatyard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/practical-cruising\/how-to-futureproof-your-yacht-essential-refit-jobs-for-your-time-in-the-boatyard-160682","title":{"rendered":"How to futureproof your yacht: Essential refit jobs for your time in the boatyard"},"content":"Whisper it quietly, but yachts, and perhaps their owners too, quite often have an archetype.\r\n\r\nA well-worn Amel Super Maramu 2000 anchored in the French Caribbean may have something of an insouciant air about it, and the brand is known to have a cultish following.\r\n\r\nAn Ovni and a Land Rover Defender occupy overlapping spaces on a Venn diagram, and inspire similar loyalties.\r\n\r\nSwan owners, rich or not-quite-so-rich, have invariably been seduced by their yacht, rather than sold to. But what are the keys to buying a perennially popular design?\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_158698\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Enduring favourite designs such as the Rustler 42 have active owners\u2019 associations. Photo: Latitudes Picture Library[\/caption]\r\n

Part of the club<\/h2>\r\nBuying into a respected name in boatbuilding comes with benefits from day one. A well-established owners\u2019 association can help fill gaps in a yacht\u2019s history before you even commit to purchase. It\u2019s also likely that owners share a similar mindset, forming an international network that can be invaluable when you need an obscure part number or advice on a brand-specific quirk.\r\n\r\nJoel Tatham bought his 1994 Hallberg-Rassy 42F in Scotland after owning a Dufour and a Colvic. \u201cAs soon as we bought the 42, we were in touch with Hallberg-Rassy, who could provide all sorts of information \u2013 even down to where to get new sliders for the curtains.\r\n\r\nArticle continues below...<\/em>\r\n\r\n[collection]\r\n\r\n\u201cWhen you buy into the brand, you also get access to all this knowledge. They retain the original plans and specifications and know what tends to go wrong, as well as the best way to fix it,\u201d he explains.\r\n\r\nTatham\u2019s boat is a popular model and arguably the quintessential Hallberg-Rassy, with over 400 HR42s built. His future sailing plans include a transatlantic.\r\n\r\n\u201cShe\u2019s now in Grenada. We sailed there via the Canaries and the Caribbean. She\u2019s performed so well and is a very different boat from the Dufour I had before.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_158692\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" The Hallberg-Rassy 42 also has a keen owners club. Photo: Joel Tatham[\/caption]\r\n\r\n\u201cThe build quality is exceptional \u2013 both what you can see and what\u2019s hidden. This also means that she is easy to work on because this was considered when the yacht was drawn.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe Hallberg-Rassy Owners Association (HROA) is a UK-based group with over 600 members. It organises rallies, technical seminars, and maintains an online forum with discussions on maintenance and cruising.\r\n\r\n\u201cThe group has been invaluable,\u201d explains Tatham. \u201cI joined before even taking ownership. There is something in the idea that a certain type of person owns a Rassy \u2013 we all appreciate the fact that it\u2019s a boat where the fundamentals have been done right. The network is great for information, and if you want it to be it\u2019s also a source of social sailing and events if that\u2019s something you want to do as well.\u201d\r\n

Find a specialist<\/h2>\r\nBuyers in the market for a particular yacht model, particularly from brands with a cult following, are often dealing with one, perhaps two maximum, brokers that specialise in that market.\r\n\r\nBeing well positioned to make a quick purchase is key, explains Alex Grabau: \u201cYachts do come to the market that never end up being listed. The buyer has already contacted the broker, gone into some depth, and perhaps viewed yachts already, funnelling down to what they are really looking for.\r\n\r\n\u201cA good broker will listen to the client and not try and sell them something they don\u2019t want, instead ensuring they are ready when the right boat does come along. Often a broker will know the right buyer and so is able to make the connection before the yacht is listed. However, what this depends on \u2013 and it\u2019s crucial \u2013 is a broker that\u2019s been well informed by the client to what they are really looking for in the first place.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_158699\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Amel 55 was launched 15 years ago, following the enduring Super Maramu. Photo: Graham Snook\/Yachting Monthly[\/caption]\r\n

Classics on screen<\/h2>\r\nOlder Oyster designs are legendary for their seakeeping ability. In 1979, the Royal Ocean Racing Club\u2019s radio boat \u2013 an Oyster 39 ketch \u2013 remained hove-to relaying messages in the 1979 Fastnet<\/a> without incident, despite appalling conditions.\r\n\r\nAmy Cartwright and Matt Humphreys have sailed their 1985 Oyster 37 Heritage Florence<\/em> around the world over seven years, documenting their travels on their YouTube channel Sailing Florence<\/a>.\r\n\r\nOther popular channels featuring older designs taking on serious bluewater adventures<\/a> and showing liveaboard life on a vintage design include YW contributor Max Campbell with his 1970 S&S Swan 37 Elixir<\/em> (Untide Sailing), and one of the biggest and original YouTube vlogging channels, SV Delos<\/a>, who spent 13 years sailing their Amel Super Maramu around the world, before building an explorer cat.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_158697\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" Photo: Neil and Jenny Brown[\/caption]\r\n

We bought an Ovni<\/h2>\r\nNeil and Jenny Brown bought their Ovni 43 Fidelio on the day she was listed. \u201cWe were on our way to look at another yacht, when a listing popped up online. I changed our plans, and by the end of the day, we\u2019d agreed to buy her.\u201d\r\n\r\nAlubat Shipyard has built aluminium Ovni yachts since the first hard-chined lifting keel Ovni 28 in 1978. Today they retain a distinct appearance \u2013 once described by our sister title Yachting Monthly as \u2018agricultural\u2019 \u2013 but are renowned for their internal comfort and seakindliness.\r\n\r\nStephen Johnson is director of North Sea Maritime, which sells Ovnis in the UK. He has noticed a pattern among Ovni owners. \u201cThey are practical, experienced sailors who have typically researched a lot before purchase to understand exactly what they are buying and how it will suit their plans. It\u2019s not a casual purchase but an informed buy. To buy an Ovni is to become part of a club of like-minded people.\u201d\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_158696\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"630\"]\"\" A quirky Ovni proved ideal for the Brown\u2019s cruising and charter plans around Oban. Photo: Neil and Jenny Brown[\/caption]\r\n\r\nFidelio is one of only a handful of Ovnis available for charter (gowestsailing.com). \u201cThe appeal is a niche thing. The interior fit-out and layout is quirky \u2013 not for everyone \u2013 but we like it. We\u2019re upfront with guests that you\u2019ll find better joinery on other yachts, even ones that cost quite a lot less, but it is highly practical for the number of berths.\u201d\r\n\r\nOne of their main reasons for choosing an Ovni was safety. \u201cWe had turned away from the idea of plastic boats, worried that we might hit something eventually. The Ovni felt reassuringly solid from the moment we stepped aboard. It\u2019s built to go places \u2013 including anchorages that most yachts can\u2019t reach. Up here on the West Coast in high season, you\u2019ll find spots that are essentially full \u2013 unless you can go shallower.\u201d\r\n\r\nThe charter has proved enormously popular. \u201cWe get our fair share of Ovni enthusiasts \u2013 some are trying before they buy. It\u2019s a great place to see what she can do and she comes into her own in the more remote islands.\u201d\r\n\r\nNext year they plan an ARC+ rally and Atlantic circuit. \u201cWe\u2019re looking forward to a bluewater adventure to stretch her legs. Like most Ovni owners, we have great confidence in her ability to take on what we ask of her. She\u2019s a utilitarian machine, and that\u2019s a huge part of the appeal.\u201d\r\n\r\n
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Time in a boatyard rarely goes exactly to plan. Investigate beyond where you usually look and you\u2019ll almost always uncover work that wasn\u2019t expected. The trick is to turn that disruption into long-term value \u2014 tackling hidden jobs head-on and using time out of the water as an investment. The old rule of thumb still applies: buy well but only buy once. With a clear game plan and good guidance futureproofing can be one of the smartest refit strategies there is. Old, but far from out To futureproof thoroughly, you need a good sounding board of expertise, like David Gabriel, the refit manager for Rustler Yachts. The traditional brand is perhaps still most closely associated with its 36; a classic, long-keeled cruising yacht that counts Princess Anne as a former owner. HRH now sails a much more modern Rustler 44, but refits of the 36 remain regular work for Gabriel. He explains what updating an older yacht for the long haul can look like. \u201cThe 36 refit we\u2019ve got underway at the moment is designed to give her maybe a couple of decades before she needs another major overhaul. It\u2019s very much an investment for the owner setting her up for a long sailing future. She\u2019ll be a much more modern yacht in terms of technology than anyone could have imagined when she was launched. Forward-looking sonar, a hot water-based heating system instead of hot air, and completely new plumbing and electrics will make her feel new again,\u201d explains Gabriel. Surprisingly the original rig of the 1990s yacht was judged so good that it\u2019s been given a clean bill of health \u2014 not in need of replacement for up to a decade. So what makes an older design worth this level of commitment over a cheaper new production build? \u201cIt\u2019s a pattern we\u2019re seeing, including with other quality brands we refit,\u201d says Gabriel. \u201cIt lowers the price threshold to own a really solid yacht at a time when raw material costs are pushing new prices up for everyone. While it\u2019s not the same as commissioning a new Rustler, it\u2019s a great way to enjoy a genuinely high-quality yacht.\u201d Jobs easily missed Nathan Bone Yachts has been refitting yachts in Plymouth for over 50 years, seeing trends come and go, but also how getting the fundamentals right can set a yacht up for a long life with only routine maintenance needed. \u201cGood futureproofing is about dealing with the jobs that are hard to reach, always with safety first in mind,\u201d Bone says. But which jobs to tackle, and in what order? \u201cIdeally, we shape the work by talking a lot to the owner, building a solid relationship before we even start, and making a plan that will serve them well for years. Like a classic car, even if the yacht isn\u2019t that old, you always find more once you open her up. We\u2019ll usually take a proper look at the keel, for example. It might be tempting to focus on the …Continue reading »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4393,"featured_media":160687,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[977,980],"tags":[934,1633],"review_manufacturer":[],"acf":[],"introduction":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160682"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4393"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=160682"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160682\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":160697,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/160682\/revisions\/160697"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/160687"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=160682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=160682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=160682"},{"taxonomy":"review_manufacturer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/review_manufacturer?post=160682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}