how to build a motoryacht?

Hi, if you want to build a custom design, it means you have not found a production yacht that you like. To start with, remember that many yards have semicustom options on their existing range.

But if you want a really personal yacht, it is probably better to select a designer than a builder to begin with. The designer will then help you to find the best builder for the project.

Who will be the best designer or shipyard has a lot to do with what you are looking for.

Hi,

Welcome to YF.

It is an interesting question you have posted as your first effort.

There is of course no reason why you couldn't build a completely custom designed and styled 25m Motor Yacht if you have the money to pay for all that one off work to be done.

What material would you like your yacht to be made out of?

As far as a Top Ten List of Designers/Stylists/Builders- I seriously doubt you could interest any of the mainstream players in such a project

As snobbish as it is, many will tell you that they have bigger fish to fry.

Maybe you should take a look at some existing plans, and see if there is something you like. Do a search for Yacht blueprints theres quite a lot of plans already out there.

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

as mentioned by the others they are wright on , after having several boats i wanted a particular style boat went to that builder to have a new one built the size i wanted had not been built in in the last 15 years , hence they were not intrested in a smaller build even if i was prepared to pay TOP DOLLAR for that boat , i waited for another 2 years for a good used one to come on the market and bought it

just a thought travler

Light, firstly welcome!
I think your question goes both ways. You can get a builder who would be more than happy to design and build your 25m, and would probably be easier for you. I use to work for a builder who did that. Though, I did find the designs to be good and modest, but they just lacked that 'out of the box'/'unique' style that one could be after. This is where a respectable designer could come in, creating something practical, yet unique. Cheers

As for the 'top 10 designers/builders', i would have to second K1W1.

Far

Well, I had a similar experience and was fortunate enough to convince the yard to start building my dream boat as the 1st boat of a new series. You may have a look at the result in the following thread;

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/yacht-reviews-feature-stories/7718-review-moonen-94-nilo.html

May be I was carried away a bit too far with the process and I am a part of the yard now, enjoying developing new series of boats ))

http://www.yachtforums.com/forums/g...8-building-new-yacht-seeking-suggestions.html

My humble advice would be is that you should take the route which makes you feel most comfortable. One off yachts under 30 meters for top yards and designers are not very attractive return wise, because the design and developing costs are a considerable amount for a single yacht. Unless you are very decided to go for a very specific design, it may not worth the effort from a cost efficiency perspective. It would be more viable if the yard and designer can have at least 6-8 boats build around the same design. The designers can then receive a royalty for these additional builds and the yard can spread the development cost over the several boats.

However, most of the good builders may consider adding custom changes to existing designs to meet your requirements. Also, it is a fact that repeat boats in most cases may contain improvements incorporated both in the design and also in the technical specs.

But, I would like to stress that you should take the route which suits you the best, as there is no single correct answer; most depends on your choice of the designer and the yard to build the boat. Still, you should have enough experience to smoothly influence the whole process to your liking to end up with a boat that not jut suits your wishes, but also makes you proud of being involved in the whole process.

While there may be no "top ten" best known or largest yacht builders who would sign on to a small project like this, there are at least a handful of custom American builders who could/would be not just qualified to do such a build, but would easily compete with the quality from the "top ten." It really does depend on what you're looking for.

As an example, Sparkman & Stephens and Lyman Morse have teamed up on many completely custom builds in this size range. Huckins, not necessarily everyone's taste, has built fully custom yachts in this range, and the company's motto is "one at a time, one of a kind." Burger Yacht has built yachts in the 80-100' range in the last ten years; I doubt anyone here would consider their work as outside top ten build quality.

You may not get 100% customization from either yard, but two of YF's sponsors right in the advertising on either side of the webpage are reputable high quality yards which build in your range - Moonen, and Sea Spirit (another Sparkman & Stephens design). Also, there is the Pacific Mariner line from Westport, another YF sponsor, if you find that you want a semi-customizable production boat.

The question to ask is not so much whether a "top ten" firm would take on your project, but which are the top ten firms for yachts in your range, and which of those have done designs in the style you're seeking. When you suss out the details of that, you will find that most yards have relationships with designers and naval architects with a wealth of background in projects similar to yours in scale.

If you tell us what you're looking for in a motoryacht, we might be able to advise you better as to what builders would be the most accomodating. Like someone else said, the cost of the molds is where the expense is going to end up, and it can be very pricey for you. Whereas if it's a design they could continue making then the mold cost is spread over multiple customers. (Unless you're going with aluminum instead of fiberglass).

You'll find a lot to choose from in the 25m size, and most can be substantially customized. Building custom from the keel up would probably be considered foolish unless, like Nilo, you can interest a yard in making it part of their line. One big consideration needs to be financing. With no 'name' behind you it will mean mostly a cash deal (laid out way before you see a boat) and the cost will be much higher than buying a semi-custom. Even after completion, financing and insurance could prove elusive. You'll also most likely get nailed at resale. Best to find a boat you like and have it fitted how you'd like.