Project Manager as a job in yachting?

Tough job - project manager

Being a project manager is a very demanding job. One needs to understand from the construction process and coordinate the whole construction within the yard, so that the building process moves smoothly. This of course includes coordination of the yard crew, as well as the work to be done by subcontractors. The manager should also look after the timely delivery of parts, machinery and what ever goes onboard the boat. These are standard duties and not the demanding part.

The demanding part is interacting with the owner or parties representing the owner and bring them in as a team member into the process and not foes that the yard has to fight against. The other perspective is that one should not also be taken away with various requests of the owner and while trying to please to cause delays in building or incur costs to the yard that will make the project loss giving. The key point here is to be able to understand the requests of the owner and incorporate them properly into the project. This needs good understanding of the lifestyle and how the various elements will function onboard the boat and how owner envision these. It is quite common that owner desires a certain function, but his solutions may not lead to the result he would be seeking.

So, it is not only managing your own turf, but also the most important element in the process, the owner or even worth XXX should have been worse XXX his captain, who may be trying to ensure he is worth the position he is filling.

However, it is not all negative. With good foresight and positive approach this can be achieved; still needs a lot of experience in order to understand the human aspect and relate these to the rather inflexible build process.

Hi John,

What Nilo describes is basically what you asked about, being a project manager with a shipyard. This could also be called a production manager.

There is another kind of project managers in yachtbuilding too and they are engaged directly by the owner. There are a few highly skilled individuals, mostly ex captains, who are having this as their profession, but it can also be the future captain of the yacht or somebody from the designers or naval architects office.

Their work is to get the yacht as good as possible based on their experience from previous yachts to put it short.

This seems to be more along the role of what some people call a production manager. You can go to school to learn how to manage a project, but it isn't until you hit the real world that you will learn what is real and what is fantasy.

A yacht owner once said, "My dream is your nightmare". Pretty apropos in some cases, but if there is good communication and understanding it doesn't have to be this way.

This is an undeserved cheap shot at captains, in my opinion. Granted, if the captain is as new to the owner as the yard is, you are both at a disadvantage when it comes to figuring out what exactly it is the owner wants from his dream yacht. And, I am sure there are captains out there who probably should not be involved in a new build process.
However. If a captain has been with an owner for any length of time, and is now representing him in the build process, there is noone who knows better how the boss likes things and what he expects.
And, the project manager is unlikely to be the one who is skinning his knuckles servicing a poorly installed component in a couple of years down the road.

In the long run, what needs to be remembered here above all else is that building yachts, and running them after they are completed, is not a money making proposition. A guy spends 20 million to build a freighter, and that freighter gives him a return on his investment, all is good. The same guy spends 20 million to build a yacht, and has a lousy build experience, and never enjoys the yacht, is going to get out of yachting. Which is bad for the business, and ultimately bad for us.

project manager - captain relations

I had no intention to offend "captains", as I had a very positive experience with my captain fulfilling this duty gracefully without any fuss on my recent project. I was just generalizing and trying to point out that the most important element in a good project management is handling people around the project. In my opinion this could only be achieved if the project manager is capable of understanding the motives and the characters of the people he is working with/for.

Once again I am sorry if have offended any captains out there.

Nilo, you are very gracious. Thank you for that

You made a very good point, in that the most difficult part of the process is managing the human factor. Any project has a lot of bright, intelligent, and creative people involved, each with their own perception of the finished product. There are ego's involved, and sometimes people have very strong opinions with regards to the "right way" of doing things.
It takes a manager with the wisdom of Solomon at times to get all these factors together for a great finished product.

planning is what makes a great build

I want to share something with all reading this post.

In the end experience, realistic expectations and honesty make a great build for the owner and the Project Manager. I have built 3 very large yachts (150 and up) and what saved the relationship with the owner every time was a proper specification before going into any yard.

Further; any owner or project manager that fully agrees to the yards specification is starting off on the wrong foot. I have seen it so many times. An owner rocks up to a yard and signs for his 30mm yacht and then finds a project manager. The broker and shipyard have little interest in protecting the owner, they just want the deal to be done. In the end this will cost him millions more because the shipyard gave him the bare minimuim to keep the price down.

So if any owner is going to hire a project manager they had better pay well and relize the right project manager will save them millions if you go to a yard prepared. I have written several detailed specifications myself and trust me it is not easy to do. But in the end it is the bible and removes all the frustrations and change orders are limited.

There are many tricks to building a yacht and even more when negotiating with the yard before and during the build. But no matter what anybody says about owners or project managers. If either are set up to fail they will. So preliminary work is the most important step in building any yacht. On several projects the planning process was in excess of 1 year before going to a yard. Making sure the owner is 100% sure as to what he is expecting and finding a yard that can deliver will save everyone some greif and make the process so enjoyable the owner will surely want to build another.

Hi,

Welcome to Yacht Forums.

Apart from a proper spec which I agree with 100% one also has to ensure that it is a proper yard where the contract is going to be agreed.

By proper I mean has the yard got the backing and strength to be able to deliver what they have contracted to build based upon the cast iron, 100% waterproof specification?

There is no use at all in going around with a great spec to every yard on the planet and going with the cheapest price given without researching the chosen yard and it's principals to ensure they can deliver what the Owner is paying for and expects to receive.

There is no satisfaction in having driven such a bargain that the yard cannot deliver the boat and closes or lays off a large part of their workforce.

This can and does often lead to heartache and hatred between all parties.

It is not just the spec that makes a build a success or failure, it is a case of thorough due diligence,an amalgamation of top quality individuals I Owners team, Owners Rep, Boat Crew etc)and organizations (Shipyards, Naval Architects, Stylists,etc)and above all an Owner who is willing to listen to the advice of those he is paying to give him advice.

Alongside the potential shipyards Owners should also thoroughly research the history, credentials and integrity of the individual ( The Owners Project Manager/Owners Rep)they are about to entrust their dreams and control of large sums of money to.

Yes i agree

I think this is without saying and is part of my last paragraph "On several projects the planning process was in excess of 1 year before going to a yard."

Planning is everything. No plan no success.

Ciao

I would agree with almost every thing stated above.
First let’s address your main question.
As you can see there are two types of "project managers" one which is more "production" manager as stated above and one who is an owner's project manager. You do not state how much or what type of experience you have on boats, I am going to assume your a amateur (which is fine) this gives you at least some boating back ground and opens a path to becoming a project manager. In my personal opinion I think you have two ways of getting into it.
Get a job at a shipyard as an assistant to a production manager and then work your way up to the full position. If it turns out that you love it, then there you are. If the boats are of at least moderate size you will end up working with some owner's project managers will be interacting with your counterpart. You may decide that you are interested in working for the yacht owners. You can then talk to people in that part of the business, brokers or others who are in a position to help you. Having had the experience of working for the yard you have a lot to offer an owner who is looking to build there.

The other option, as mentioned above is to apply at some of the companies that do "project management" for owners and see if you can work as an assistant and move up from there.

One thing I am going to suggest that others have not and may not agree with is that you take at least a year and go work on yachts professionally.

Try to get into the engine room, do deck, if you can help in the galley and interior even better. You want to get a feel for as much as possible. Your studies in school with help you a lot but first hand experience on how boats operate in a professional environment will greatly help you to excelling at either position.

No matter which position you end up in do not let yourself be sucked into the idea that you are on one “side” or the other. Project management is not about sides, it is about the “project” getting it done, on time on budget and with all parties having a feeling of “satisfaction” and being proud of what they created. Satisfaction on the yards part maybe the fact that they made the expected profit or at least an amount they are happy with, on the owners’ part that he got the vessel he envisioned on time and for an amount that he is happy with. Note that I did not say the “vessel he contacted for” or the “amount he contracted for”. In most cases the owner’s vision changes a bit as the project progresses and change orders occur to meet the new perception. This is where one of the reasons for the solid spec and contact mentioned above comes into play. The owner may feel that his original vision is the same as the vision he has a year into the build when the yard sees his vision to be a bit different. The job of the both the production manager and the project manager is to try and move the project forward smoothly while working with these parallel but different views. Sometimes they can find a path that is more cost effective for the yard and meets or exceeds that owners’ view. Other times they have to work out who and how much the adjustment will cost and on occasion they have the very difficult job of trying to convince the owner that the new vision is not really a very good view and they all need to look else where in order to keep looking forward. (we all know how much some people hate to be told that their idea is not a good one but when it is the right advice it must be given).

One last comment regarding the above mention of the broker’s role, a lot of times a client will simply not wait a year to plan a boat and 2 or 3 years to build it. One thing to keep in mind is most of the time the broker has already been working with the client for a year to assist him in deciding if he wants an existing boat or to build. At the point where the owner decides to build he may not want to or be able to commit to a year of planning. Royal Hostmann will not work with a client that will not dedicate a year to design and I think it is one of the reasons they are one of the best builders in the world. However if a client want to build and will not commit to the time to plan, a brokers job is to help him get the best spec and boat possible, which should involve bringing the right people to assist. Do all brokers do this, no are there some who are very prominent in the industry that brag about what a great deal they get their clients on a build when what may have happened is that the yard gave a “lighter” spec to match the price, I think so. Are there brokers who understand the build process and help the client save millions by working with a team to get him the vessel he needs to do the job he wants done and meet his vision, yes.

My hope is in the future that you have the opportunity to work with the right one.

I will end by saying I think that the position of project management for both groups is a key element in creating a great product. It is a challenging career that calls on not only technical knowledge but a very broad knowledge of people and a profound respect for their perceptions in any given situation.

Great post, John.

Nice to see you on this board !