Deciding what Boat to build

Hi, from what you asked, I think you better start with chartering a couple of yachts to see how you like them and to find out how a boat should be built. The captain and crew on the charter yachts will give you a lot of useful information that you can never read about. Not even here..

Hi,

If you want a 50m yacht with lots of glass and stainless steel you will find that 12 crew have a very hard time keeping it up to scratch and keep everyone happy.

For a well appointed 50m from a quality Nthn European yard you will be currently looking in the vicinity of 1m Euro a linear metre. Add a lot of exotic materials and systems and the price will rise.

Lurssen will offer you a green boat just like a green aircraft - you seem to be getting a deal till the quotes start to come in for the interior.

You should also be aware of how much your chosen yard wants to assign to Owners supply, this is another route some take to keep the initial numbers low at the outset.

The first question which springs to mind is:
What's your budget?
How much do you want to invest initially, and then how much are you willing to spend yearly on upkeep, crew wages, berths, etc.?

Next question is: what do you want to do with the boat? Where do you want to cruise and how much? Do you want to charter to recoup some costs (if you can miss the boat during the high season)?

It seems you have a pretty good idea of the styling, which is very good, but in terms of costs, use, building, etc. there is a huuuuuge difference between a 40 m Sunseeker and a 50 m Lurssen.

Feel free to PM if you don't want to divulge figures on the www.

Bruno

This size boat is above my pay grade, but let me point out a few things.
1) Custom boats bring custom numbers that will be hard to nail down until you sit down at the table with the architect, builder,etc. and that number could be very fluid depending on price at the time, shipping costs, and design changes during build.
2) Starting to build a custom yacht in 5 years could easily put delivery out to 7 years.
3) Crossing the ocean is a relative term since owners don't generally cross with their yachts and smaller (and several larger) yacht are now shipped across.
4) Speed is a factor on boats like Sunseeker, and that's a lot of $$$ at the pump.
5) Maintenance costs are one factor. Operating costs quite another.
6) Although people seem to go through yachts today like cars, there should be no problem with any large yacht lasting 20 years.
7) Brand spanking new is a beautiful thing, but there are a lot of yachts that have been built in the last few years, and in 5 more years will be ready for a complete refit which could give you your custom boat. It would also be easier to nail down the prices. Plus, it could help you jump into yachting with one foot instead of both in case a year later you decide you'd prefer something larger, smaller or suited for a different type of cruising.
8) So glad you don't want a helicopter. That's so much a "look at me" thing with some heavy costs and expenses, not to mention loss of space.
9) AMG's suggestion of chartering a few before jumping in is a very sound one.

Charter first. then get back to us.

Have you considered a Westport? It is a semi-custom boat and you have a choice of interiors. I would charter several designs first and see what you like and don't like about various designs. When you get to 50m there are so many different choices to make in regards to the interior such as country kitchen, on deck master, work-out facility or movie theathre etc etc.......As others have said, charter several first. I wouldn't even compare a Sunseeker with a Luursen or Heesen or etc. How about a Moonen, they're building a good boat as well. It also might work for you to buy a yacht that's slightly used instead of waiting on one to be built. Most 50m can be run with a crew of 12 without a problem......Capt, Eng., 1st officer, mate, 2-3 deckhands, chef, chief stew, 2-3 stews etc.....or mix in a divemaster or something else.

i would also like to add a few comments;

suggest you start thinking in terms of volume and not in meters when you are considering the size. this will give you a more accurate judgement when comparing different yachts. also, due to regulatory differences 500 grt (gross registered tonnage - which is the indication of volume and not weight) is a thresh hold in size. in a displacement yacht this may correspond to a length of approximately 45 meters and you may avoid most of the hassles in building and using the yacht in future with nearly similar space of a 50 meter yacht.

in my opinion you should very much consider following points as well when setting the size of your boat.

1- where you are going to cruise. a very big boat may be a liability, as you may be restricted in going to a lot of nice spots. like, instead of coming close to shore you may be obliged to stay at a far away anchorage. you may not come into marinas or town jetties where it may be more fun to mingle with the locals.
2- number of crew. if you want to have a retirement home you may want to have an intimate relation with the crew and if you have too many then it may become not a home but an institution to run and care.

You may want to consider also stewardesses (2?) and a chef, depending on the level of service you are used to. 1st officer and 2nd engineer depend on the amount of cruising you will do and the size of the boat.

If you intend to use the yacht only privately and not charter, and if you really plan to keep it for 20 years, the 500 GT-limit may be of less importance, as you don't necessarily need to build the yacht compliant with the MCA Large Yacht Code and under class.

Even so, it's still a good idea to do this, for following reasons:
- Undoubtedly you'll learn from your experiences and you may want to sell the boat at some point to buy or build another yacht. In that case, it will make a big difference in resale value if the yacht complies with the rules or not.

- it's a minimum safety standard. In my opinion not enough in all respects (especially below 500 GT), but it's a starting point. For example, you can apply the >500GT fire safety standards (sprinklers + non-combustible partitions) on a <500 GT boat.

If you have the time, a custom build will probably give you more satisfaction than a semi-custom. For example, you may want to build the boat wheelchair-accessible (for the 20-year perspective) and you may want to reserve a cabin for a nurse. As a liveaboard, you possibly also don't need 5 or 6 staterooms, but instead want bigger ones.
As AMG wrote, there is no better way to form your opinion than to charter a variety of different yachts. Then contract a designer whose designs you like (Oeino, Omega, etc.), and take your time to develop the concept.

Good luck, you have some very exciting years ahead of you!

Bruno

I know this is smaller than your specs call for, but I think it might be a good reference for what is possible in a much simpler size.

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/5665-post7.html

Of course its your dream... but I get the impression that when all is said and done, most folk remember the "best boats" they had as the simplest ones they owned that still checked 75% of the requirements. That said.. I don't have a budget for much over 70'... so my observations are from a different vantage. Plus I don't know if this yacht was ever built... although I'd hope so!

i was trying to indicate that the space utilization with a good design can give you what you want under 500 grt; you do not need to benchmark yourself for 50 meters. in fact some designs of 50 meters can be below 500 grt. it could be more prudent to grow bigger; say to 55-60 meters, if you really want to have the extra space.

Hi,

Over 500 you get no more divisions till 3000 tons.

You will no doubt get a smaller 50m under 500 and will no doubt be unable to get a large volume one over 3000.

Try having a read of this: http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/msn_1792_edition_2.pdf

design factor to stay under 500 grt

dear k1w1,
in general what you are saying is absolutely correct; but there are of course elements of design that can be tweaked to reach a higher volume and still stay under 500 grt, even if you move in the size of a 50 meter yacht. one of these is the big fish; which has incorporated a swimming platform aft and they have succeed to exclude this volume in the internal volume of the yacht.

i just wanted to shed some light to the discussion that there are possibilities, which can be exploited with a good design and avoid the hassle of building a unnecessary complicated boat.

years

In over 40 years in the business I think I have known or heard about no more than 10 owners who have had the same boat for over 15 to 20 years and the biggest out of all of that was a stretched 80+ something Chris Craft owned by very old folk.

I think you should get yourself a very good broker who is prepared to work with you, showing you various types and sized of boats and then explaining there manning levels and yearly costs. Remember lowering your crewing standards and numbers will lower the standard that your vessel is kept in and ultimately lower the value.

The overall length is one thing but 1 or 2 feet extra in the beam can make a huge difference.

Make a point of coming to a boat show, Fort Lauderdale is coming up, and you can do alot of the leg work yourself looking at the styles and prices.

jump

Chartering yachts of various sizes is a good idea. As for deciding YOUR yacht, decide 1st how you're going to use it: area cruised, marinas or anchorages/moorings, how often will you really have guests on board, and how many crew do you really want to have. How much time will YOU have to enjoy the boat. Perhaps you're better off chartering your dream yacht (a different one every time) than getting locked into your own? At least for now...

The lifetime of the client or the lifetime of the builder?