When should you upgrade your yacht and when should you sell it
If you have an ageing yacht, should you ‘love it or list it’? Could you refit and upgrade instead of selling? An increasing number of owners are choosing to do just that, transforming decades-old designs into modern cruising boats
A well-found GRP hull can, as environmentalists are right to highlight, have a long life. But taking the decision to refit a yacht that’s decades old can involve complex work. Despite this, plenty of owners are choosing to take this route, especially bluewater cruising sailors who value safety and strength over pure performance.
A perfect fit
The first GRP yachts were built in the 1960s, when the vagaries of building in the material were still not fully understood. Fortunately, most manufacturers erred on the side of caution and simply used lots of it, making for some incredibly strong hulls. As time went on, more of a balance was struck, but builds remained sturdy. Many of these designs are still around today due to their fundamental build quality.
Yacht designer Chuck Paine drew designs in the 1980s and ‘90s that retain a dedicated following today. The Victoria 34, Bowman 40/42 and Morris 40 all stand out as exemplary bluewater designs built to a high standard. Many of those on the market are either kept to a high standard or have been seriously invested in over the years. He explains that many of the yachts he designed remain solid for good reason.
“Basically, they were really well built. The layup was heavy, single skin, polyester resin – quite low tech but also very strong. When I designed these heavy-set cruising yachts, I don’t think there was ever a conversation about longevity, or anything about how long the hull would ultimately last – that wasn’t the aim, but it’s an outcome.
The team at Fox’s on the East Coast working on the bottom finish of a Farr that had a major refit. Photo: Fox’s Marina & Boatyard
“There were other fundamentals to the construction that made for something bound to last longer as well. We used bronze keel bolts for example, which I have seen on older hulls, even today, in very good condition.”
When it comes to buying an older design for refit, even one of his own, Paine is careful to stress the importance of a realistic approach.
“It’s wrong to think that you’re likely to get a bargain, but you might get something that suits your needs, with qualities not so easily found in a modern design. You do need to be prepared to do work that requires quite a high level of skill to do properly.
“Chainplates are a classic example. I urged everyone I dealt with to see the plywood component as support for the glassing-in; the strength came from the glass not the plywood.
“To re-do the chainplates you need to grind it all away. Which begs the question, who is going to do that kind of work? It’s skilled and pretty involved.”
New teak decks on a Bowman 42. Photo: Fox’s Marina & Boatyard
Better the boat you know
Behan and Jamie Gifford (authors and sailing YouTube channel Sailing Totem) had owned their Stevens 47 for an entire circumnavigation before deciding to embark on a two-and-a-half-year refit. “Totem had been the place our children had grown up and our mechanism to visit 47 countries. Naturally, we were very attached to her,” Behan explains.
The reality of a refit on a yacht built in 1982 was something the couple understood better than most. Jamie had been working on yachts since he was a child, and they’d learned a lot about the yacht from living aboard for so long. Only welding and painting were outsourced.
“We refitted in Mexico, about an hour from the US border. A circumnavigation had worn out a lot of the yacht and that made some items ‘musts’. Then there were other changes we were going to make that were a product of so much time spent on board; things that we’d thought about a lot, such as a much better swim ladder set up that was entirely custom,” explains Jamie.
SY Totem’s refit was deep and based on learnings gained from a full circumnavigation. The refit was a two and a half year exercise in Mexico. Photo: SY Totem
The major jobs that needed doing proved themselves to be undertakings directly associated with the yacht’s age. “At 40 years old some of the jobs went beyond what has been designed to be accessed and maintained. We had to replace the chainplates, which are well hidden behind the interior wood, and had some structure to reinforce below the shower which involved ripping out the shower tray itself – both things that are built into the yacht.”
The result, Behan explains, felt like a new yacht. “Like any renovation or refit project, we finished with still 4% to do, but it was transformational. The interior we made much lighter, we added a desk workstation so we can work remotely, and we are still thrilled with what we managed to achieve.”
As their YouTube channel has grown, Jamie and Behan have advised others embarking on bluewater cruising and trying to decide what yacht to buy. “Because they have come to us in the first place, unsurprisingly, many are keen to buy an older, well found, bluewater yacht that needs work.
“I think while we have no regrets, we are clearer than ever about just how involved, and likely costly, that route into bluewater cruising is. A prop shaft does wear out, chainplates on older yachts do need changing eventually; these are the kind of jobs you encounter on a yacht built 40 years ago, however well it is built in the first place. It’s important to be transparent about that.”
The finished result – a fresh, modernised interior and upgraded bluewater sailing yacht for the Giffords on Totem.
Execution is everything
Deciding how to manage the project is the next stage. Do you have the time and knowledge to manage multiple contractors or do you need a full-service yard? Delivering a great refit is a multi-dimensional exercise, usually involving a broad range of trades including riggers, marine electricians and plumbers, as well as joiners, welders, and upholsterers. Treating colour-faded gelcoat, for example, is a specialist skill that requires an experienced eye.
While yards able to take on this kind of work were once numerous, the number has fallen. Establishing what a yard will tackle themselves and what will be outsourced can be an important question to bring up early on.
Will Taylor-Jones has run the refit operation at Fox’s Marina & Boatyard on the East Coast for over 12 years. “The reality is that the ‘all under one roof’ model is a dying one. A yard which can deliver a comprehensive refit in house has to have several big projects in process all the time to make things work as a business.
“We’re very fortunate at Fox’s to have almost everything here and a reputation for delivering for clients even on complex projects on older yachts,” he explains.
When it comes to what to include in a refit on an older yacht, Taylor-Jones says that each is such a personal project it’s important to talk at length before going straight into things.
“We’ll certainly make a point of highlighting the important ‘musts’ in the initial conversation. It can be very tempting for an owner to focus almost straight away on cosmetics on an older yacht as it’s what is noticed first. A lot of budget can go that way if you let it!
“Some very important things, such as rigging, are often not that costly to replace and you are then good for 10 or 12 years, with the reassurance that brings.”
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