THE SEASON HAS COME TO A CLOSE. IF YOU ARE HEADING WEST FOR THE CARIBBEAN SEASON ASK YOURSELF IF A REFIT IN THE USA COULD BE ON THE CARDS.
FRANCES AND MICHAEL HOWORTH LOOK AT SHIPYARDS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ATLANTIC AND ASK WHAT MAKES FOR A GOOD REFIT
For many who serve in yachts whose cruising is confined to the Mediterranean, they have the perfect combination of work – life balance. The yacht works hard in the summer months and then during the winter any refitting work gets done inside the same area. During the refit period crew often get the opportunity to get home and this is especially feasible when crew live permanently in the area. But not every owner wants his boat to work one season a year and fortunately for those owner’s, there are always crew who enjoy the excitement of a winter season on the other side of the Atlantic.
Yachts that work two seasons need to have tighter controls over refit timings and expenditure than those working summer seasons only and while the double season yacht can refit in the Mediterranean, it is often beneficial to consider refitting re-fitting in the United States or in the islands of the Bahamas and the Eastern Caribbean. There is no shortage of yards to choose from but they each offer the visiting yacht the same advice suggesting that good planning beforehand lies at the very core of a successful job. In Florida, Captain Bernard Calot is the Marketing Manager of the Universal Marine Center conveniently located on Marina Mile the yard is just minutes from Ft. Lauderdale International Airport and I-95 and his advice echoes that of other shipyards. “Planning way in advance is imperative,” he says. He adds, “Make sure you ask for quotes and verify those with other Captains who have done similar projects in the yard. Ask them about the quality of workmanship, the service and flexibility the yard offers and check out the refit experience of the managers to prepare accurate timings and budgets.”
Flip over to west coast of the United States and you will find Neil Wilson, the manager of Fifth Ave Landing Megayacht Marina one of the facilities operated by the Marine Group Boat Works (MGBW) in San Diego. He has a five-point questionnaire style guide that he believes should be asked by Captains of yachts visiting for refits. He suggests they should ask; “Does the yard have the financial stability to complete the project and warrant the work?” Financial stability is the backbone to what takes a project from start to finish. It allows material to flow, workers to work, and ultimately, the boat to be launched back into the water.
When that question gets answered satisfactorily, the next question should be; “Does the yard have proper insurance to mitigate a potential claim?” No one wants to walk into a refit expecting to file a lawsuit. Although it is standard practice that a yard provides proof of insurance, it’s worth checking to make sure the amount of the coverage is worth the value of the repairs, if not more.
Captains should also ask: “Does the yard have the man power to complete the job in the allotted time, considering other projects they have?” It’s one thing for a yard to say “we have 200 employees,” but it is another story for the yard to be able to access them at the specific time they are needed. Always consider the question; “Does the yard have the proper overhead/ support staff to facilitate material flow, project management and accurate billing?” ‘Overheads’ is not always a bad word. Often it reflects what is needed to provide the necessary infrastructure to properly manage a refit.
DOES THE YARD HAVE THE MAN POWER TO COMPLETE THE JOB IN THE ALLOTTED TIME, CONSIDERING OTHER PROJECTS THEY HAVE?”
Finally Wilson believes Captains should ask; “Does the quote sound too good to be true?” Here he explains, “There’s no magic in yacht repair. If you have four bids that all say it’s going to cost $100,000 in repairs and a fifth bid that says they can do it for half the amount, do not be afraid to ask for a detailed explanation of how they can do it for much less. If the reason is low labour rates, keep in mind that someone’s wage can be a reflection of their quality, skills and their company’s position on cutting corners whether its regulatory requirements or qualitative ones.”
MGBW has two newly renovated facilities in San Diego both outfitted to cater to the superyacht market. One facility is solar powered and boasts brand new floating docks with ample amount of shore power and equipped with a 300-ton travelift andbrand new metal working machines including a CNC waterjet and plasma cutting table, label/placard maker, brake press and pipe bending machines. Wilson adds, “One mile away at our headquarters is about a million square feet of land and water with an enclosed production building and about 10 acres of outdoor space. The facility is also equipped with a 665-ton travelift, cranes, machine shop, prop shop with Prop Scan technology and a dynamic balancer, a several other workshops.”
Staci Love is the Marketing Manager and Business Development Director at the Lauderdale Marine Center. It is sub contractor based yard spread across 65 Acres that is able to accommodate more than 300 yachts up to 61 metres. Equipped with four lifts ranging from 75 to 500 tons the yard is home to more than 60 onsite certified contractors. Because the yard is Foreign Trade Zone certified it means Captains can import foreign goods with no duty or taxes levied. The LMC might have a different modus operandi but the advice remains the same. Staci suggests, “It
is always important for the Captain to ask a yard to reserve space both in and out of the water for the duration of the whole contract period.” She stresses that it is equally important that the Captain begins discussions with sub contractors long before he arrives with the yacht. She says, “Always check that they are both capable and have the time set aside to undertake the job.”
ASK ABOUT THE QUALITY OF WORKMANSHIP, THE SERVICE AND FLEXIBILITY THE YARD OFFERS AND CHECK OUT THE REFIT EXPERIENCE OF THE MANAGERS TO PREPARE ACCURATE TIMINGS AND BUDGETS
At the Derecktor Shipyard in Dania Beach Florida, Business Development Manager James Brewer advises Captains to, “Develop a list of qualified shipyards based upon reputation, solvency, location and skill set, then visit each to determine where there is a fit. Every shipyard has its specialties – it is important to select the one that best fits the intended scope of work.” He further suggests that Captains should, “Develop a comprehensive specification – the more detail, the less likely there will be a misunderstanding or an omission in the yard’s proposal.”
“Choosing shipyards that have the equipment to do the job is just as important,” agrees Dan Romence, the General Manager at Bradford’s 42 acre Freeport based shipyard in the Bahamas. “We saw how yachts were getting bigger and we knew there would be a time when we could not haul the big ones. That’s when we decided to expand our Florida operation by setting up an off shore facility with heavy lifting capabilities in the Bahamas.” It’s a decision that has paid off with their dry dock with its lift capacity of 1,200 tonnes is seldom idle.
Further down island with strategic bases across the Caribbean including Guadeloupe, Martinique and St Maarten, IMM is an international project management team dedicated to superyacht repair. Here again lift capacity is important with the company offering dry docking for yachts up to 130 metres in both Guadeloupe and Martinique. Yard owners Fabrice Maitre and Jean-Michel Beron have a great deal of experience having been in the luxury yacht industry for over 25 years. Alongside the project management skills of Norina Edelman, they are a formidable team and have initiated a new era of superyacht refit and repair in the Caribbean region. Norina Edelman says that because their Guadeloupe headquarters is located in the heart of the Caribbean cruising ground, just 40nm south of Antigua and 300nm north of St Vincent and the Grenadines the yard offers European standard refits in a winter cruising ground.
She adds, “Our secure facilities include a 200m ISPS-compliant alongside dock for larger vessels, deep-water berths and a locally based floating dock for hull work on superyachts up to 55m. This is complemented by our exclusive agreement with a 180m dry dock in neighbouring Martinique, the largest in the region available to superyachts, which is able to take vessels up to 130m in length.” Edelman believes that “Planning the logistics of any major refit is always a collaboration between the shipyard and the yacht. She says, “Set up a good clear line of communication before the yacht arrives and make sure everyone knows what to expect and is prepared for every eventuality.”
SET UP A GOOD CLEAR LINE OF COMMUNICATION BEFORE THE YACHT ARRIVES AND MAKE SURE EVERYONE KNOWS WHAT TO EXPECT AND IS PREPARED FOR EVERY EVENTUALITY
Having made their shortlist of yards with a good reputation, capable of completing a refit on time inside budget what should a Captain next expect from the yard? “We try to schedule a meeting with the Captain as early as possible in the process to make sure that expectations, lines of communication and schedule are clearly understood,” says James Brewer at Derecktor. He adds, “It is important to clarify anticipated sub-contractor relationships, the availability of material and equipment, and the availability of designs and approvals – once these are in place the bid process can begin.”
“We study their project and try to propose solutions and ideas to save them time and money without imposing them,” says Bernard Calot at Universal. “Remember we are slightly different to other yards in that we do not haul yachts out of the water and so whilst we can do almost everything else, we do not take on antifouling or underwater repair work.”
“We always reply to a request within 24 hours of being contacted,” affirms Neil Wilson at MGBW. “Addressing a quote request is always a collaborative approach where the Captain and MGBW’s refit director and estimator all work together in order to establish and price out an agreeable work list. The work list will then be translated into a statement of work, which will be incorporated into the terms and conditions of the contract. Some items can be quoted without inspecting the vessel, while others require our estimator to ship check the vessel to measure, document and take photos of the work to bring back to the production team for cost estimating. If the Owner/Owners Rep decides to proceed, the contract will be signed and then turned into a work order, which marks the start of the production period.”
So how do you know the difference between a good refit and a bad one. Sadly you do not until its over but following the advice of those who run the yards can lessen the chances of it going base over apex. “A good refit,” says Bernard Calot Marketing Manager at Universal Marine Center, “Is one when, at the end, the customer its completely happy with the job done versus the paid price and contractors are proud to use the yacht name as reference. A bad one is when a project is late and not on budget, then everybody gets frustrated.
