Yacht refit
From a cosmetic refresh to a full rebuild, with yards that answer for their work and a budget that holds.
A refit goes wrong in the same three ways every time: a scope that was never written down, a yard chosen on price, and nobody on site while the work is done.
What is covered
The project written, quoted, supervised and delivered
Scope written before anything is quoted
What is being done, what is not, and what could be added later. A quotation against a vague scope is a quotation that will grow.
Yard selection
Yards that have done this kind of work on this kind of boat, with references you can call. The cheapest quotation is almost never the cheapest refit.
Comparable quotations
The same written scope sent to several yards, and a comparison that puts the same lines side by side instead of three different documents.
Contract and payment schedule
Milestones, penalties, warranty, and payments tied to work actually completed rather than to dates in a calendar.
Site supervision
Visits during the works, at the milestones that matter. What sits behind a panel is visible once, and it gets photographed while it is.
Delivery and warranty
Snag list, sea trial, final acceptance, and warranty claims followed until they are closed.
How it works
From the first survey to final acceptance
Survey and intentions
The boat looked at against what you actually want to do with it. Some refits are worth it, others are a new boat in disguise, and you should be told which.
Scope and budget envelope
A written scope and a realistic range, contingency included. A refit budget without a contingency line is a budget that will be exceeded.
Quotations
Three yards where possible, on an identical scope, compared line by line and not on the total.
Contract
Schedule, milestones, payment terms and warranty, signed before the boat moves.
Works
Site visits, progress reports with photographs, and every change priced and approved before it is carried out.
Delivery
Snag list, sea trial, acceptance, and the warranty followed up afterwards.
What it costs
Paid by you, and by nobody else
- Supervision
- A fixed fee for the project, set by the scope and the length of the works. For a full rebuild, a percentage of the works budget, agreed in advance.
- Yard and suppliers
- Invoiced to you directly. I take no commission from a yard: if I did, the recommendation would be worth nothing.
- Travel
- At cost, and only where a site visit is justified by the stage of the works.
Supervision is meant to cost less than the mistakes it prevents. If it stops doing that, it should be stopped.
What is not included
What is done by others
- The works themselves. I am not a yard and I employ no workers.
- Naval architecture and engineering studies, commissioned from an architect or a designer when the project needs them.
- The warranty on the work, which is given by the yard and which I enforce on your behalf.
- Class and flag approvals, granted by the classification society and the flag administration.
- Interior design, unless a designer is brought in — in which case coordinating with them is part of the scope.
Why go through Rayan
Two reasons a refit goes better with an audience watching
Hundreds of boats seen before and after
Filming yachts means seeing refits that paid for themselves and refits that should never have started. It is a fairly reliable way to know what is worth spending money on.
A yard knows the work may be shown
Work carried out on a boat that could appear in front of two million people tends to be finished properly. It is not a threat; it is an incentive that exists here and nowhere else.
- 2 millionFollowers
- 1 billion+Views
- Hundreds of yachts visited and presented on camera.
- An international clientele, in French and in English.
- Tens of millions of euros in closed deals.
Frequent questions
Questions asked before a refit
Sometimes. On a well-built hull with a good layout, a refit costs less than the equivalent boat ten years newer. On a neglected boat it does not, and you should hear that before the quotations, not after.
A cosmetic refresh, a few weeks. Interior, systems and paint, three to six months. A full rebuild, a year or more — and one winter is never long enough.
Ten to fifteen per cent as a contingency, and more if the boat is old or if structural work is involved. What is found once the panels are off appears in no quotation.
Yes. If you already trust a yard, the written scope and the supervision are worth just as much, and sometimes more.
No. Never. It is the only condition under which a recommendation means anything.
If you want it to be. It documents the work, it helps at resale, and it gives the yard a good reason to be meticulous. Some owners prefer discretion, which is equally fine.
A refit in mind?
Tell me the boat and what you want to change. You get an opinion on whether it is worth doing, before a single yard is contacted.