Hello, This is my first post and I am hoping to find out as much information as possible on a particular ship. We are interested in the 1955 B&V Xanadu/Wappen Von Hamburg etc.. We have heard the ship is up for sale again and would like to know if anyone has any information on who has her listed. I personally had heard that she was sold a year or two ago to a Saudi who was going to use her for a conversion, but he has apparently stopped the project. Does anyone know why. For those who are familiar with conversions, what do you think about this ship (recommendations etc.) If anyone could provide us with any leads it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!
Hi and welcome to the YachtForums. I found this link. You must scroll a little bit down. I hope this helps. http://www.merrittyachts.com/newused.htm
Here is a link to Maritime Matters, which has documented quite a lot of history on "Xanadu II": http://www.maritimematters.com/xanadu1.html She has spent much of her later years wallowing around in ports from Washington, to California. Good luck in your endeavors, Old One
it would be highly recommended to get the services of a qualified surveyor for the pre-purchase survey. Furthermore you really need to take that further and investigate the actual costs for re-activation and maintenance. As the article says she has been through three failed owners which suggests bad maintenance and long lay ups without maintenance and therefore more re-activation costs.. Also she is a rather old vessel. Unfortunately there are rarely bargains to be had in the old passenger ships, if there were they would be snapped up quickly and the regulations are getting more strict year on year. Good luck in not being the fourth failed owner. The Saudi probably stopped the project when he realised it was going to be too expensive to be worthwhile......Just looking at the first photo i can imagine the expenses....
Thanks for the input so far. I know that the ship has had inspections around 03-04? and the hull is apparently in excellent condition, but obviously needs paint! And the engines are not in working order and someone had mentioned that they could be replaced or reworked anywhere from $500K on up. The interior is another story. We are expecting around $2M to install a decent interior. Navigation equipment etc..., plumbing, heating, wiring we really have no clue as of yet. I personally like the classic lines of the ship, but we are also considering possibly reworking the boat to have an additional deck and possibly more modern appearance. Any suggestions? Thanks
If you compare this venture with the refit of Christina O, your figures seems to be a little optimistic. Christina O was already converted to a luxury yacht and she still needed 1.200.000 man hours for the refit. Cost is estimated to $ 50.000.000 and it took 16 months to complete. This was almost ten years ago. On small yachts it is said that refits always cost twice what you think and take twice the time. On such a large yacht, you should probably double this again... But if the funds are there, it is still cheaper than a new construction and she would be a fantastic yacht!
where will you do the refit? will it be in the US? The costs will be very much higher there than in croatia where the CHRISTINA O was refit.
As far as the refit of the ship we have heard of a few yards in Mexico that may be able to undertake the project. But until we get the ship we are not making any plans for the restorations. Does anyone have any suggestions as to which shops may be capable. I am based on the West coast and would like to find a shop close enough for inspection throught the restoration process. Thanks
There are lot of shipyards in Croatia for yacht refit, very quality work and low prices. Last year Talitha G was on minor repair at the same shipyard where Christina O was. In the vicinity there is also one shipyard also where the patrol ships are building, they have also built one 36 m yacht, there you can pass even better. On the other hand there is a specialised yacht repair yard in Istria with good rep. but with prices little bigger then these.
update has anyone figured out what is going on with this ship? we saw it in la and had seen both the potential and the problems.
Anon59, Which yacht are you refering to? The Christina O? or the B+V yacht refered to earlier in the post? And welcome to the YachtForums, don't feel shy to post!
I don't know if "uhoh1234" is still interested, but just in case.... I found a link to a broker that has the 1965 edition of Wappen Von Hamburg listed for sale. This is a classic design that would make a beautiful yacht, she is 109.63 meters (360ft). http://www.braship.no/display_vessel.php?id=59 Standard disclaimer, I am not associated with any broker. Another link I found with many more photos of this beauty, she must be still in service in the Baltic? http://www.vesseltracker.com/en/Ships/Wappen-Von-Hamburg-906510887.html Regards, Old One
As far as I know she was renamed MERCATOR II and is now in Bremerhaven where she will be converted in into a yacht during a period of one year. I saw her about three weeks ago. There is plenty of work to do. Martin
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