Yacht building in China??

Well, they have been building boats since forever, but fibreglass boats and luxury yachts since only a decade or two. Wait another decade and they will probably belong to the world leaders.

What is sloppy is your writing...

Hi,

You get what you pay for out there.

Building anywhere like this you need to have much more supervision than you would in a top flight Northern European Yard.

They have recently knocked out a few Steel/Alu boats with mixed results and there is a group there who say they have a number of big yacht projects on the go but my industry sources are unable to confirm this 100% so I remain skeptical as to the exact success of that operation at present.

Nero was built in China by Corsair Yachts at the Yantai Raffles Yard and then went to Turkey for interior finishing.

Hi,

That is not all that had to be finished there or along the way.

better in Turkey

I recommend to built in Turkey instead of China. Safe, better quality, good workmanship...

Taiwan have a very good reputation in yacht building. Taiwan is the world’s sixth largest producer of yachts, in terms of footage built.

nero

Hello. Would you mind to ellaborate on that
Cheers

china builds

Having gone round a number of boat yards in Southern China an seen how they build the boats, I would not order from them. Standards are still low, workmanship is poor and unless you stand over them 24/7 you will not see the mess behind the panelling. Taiwan different story, given time and investment into China, they will make some great boats...but not yet,

China vs. Turkey

I don't know enough of either country to have an opinion, but for reference George Beuehler has nearly identical steel trawler's being built in both countries. Not sure what the price vs quality tradeoffs are, but here are a couple links on could dig into...

SEAHORSE MARINE, China

ASBOAT, Turkey

Hi,

I know a few of the guys who were involved in Nero at build and delivery, I am also party to problems that be set another boat built in China at a similar time.

These problems were generally related to poor workmanship, or in the case of NERO installing the port and stbd main engines on the wrong side, electrical work shoddy and other things you wouldn't expect to find on what was supposed to be an equal to Nthn European Quality.

While looking for a Shadow Vessel project for a client I was pushed towards a Chinese or Korean operation owing to the tight time schedule.

A good look at what was proposed and the time scales promised made me very cautious at the outset. I was also advised by an ex ABS Surveyor who used to be the main man in SEA that a supervision team needed to be there on-site 24/7 as it was quite likely that the yard would correct a mistake while you watched but change it back as soon as you turned your back.

I know others who have spent considerable time there and have things other than yachts manufactured in part or whole who say that it is possible to get anything in China , the cheapest nasty thing or the best quality sometimes better than original - all you have to do is pay the correct amount.

I have been hearing nightmare stories from a family member who has been manufacturing products in China for the last 10+ years.
Then there is this:

Asbestos: Chery blames logistics, Great Wall blames itself

If they are using asbestos in cars, what are they using in boat building?
I know of other products used in the building industry that have lethal material used in their manufacture. Why bother? When you do the maths of 24/7 supervision, re-doing work, then loosing re-sale value with a "Made in China" label.

I dealt with a motoryacht built in China 2 years ago, they mounted the microwave sideways in the woodwork so that the door was inside the wall. If they cannot even figure out how to install a microwave, it leads me to believe there would be many other issues......(and are).

How about hull frames that were cut with (by the look of them) a Sawzall to increase headroom above the keel, saloon lighting installed by some guy with a hole saw who merrily bored through the frames in the overhead ... the overhead that supports the tender and crane above, and rudder bearings that were so loose that they beat themselves oval in less than 100 hours of running? Oh, almost forgot, electrical equipment that was out of warranty 6 or 7 years before the boat was even built!

Be very afraid ... the only boat the Chinese have ever built that lasted is firmly aground in the lake at the Summer Palace.

Hi,

The Chinese aren't alone with that type of operation -I see you have been to Iquique too then.

I have visited the yards in Taiwan and China a couple of times. There are a few who care about quality and reputation. Some of these yards are owned or run by foreigners. These are the people who understand that the less expensive option is not always what is best for the boat or owner after a couple of years. Some yards look at the cost of building a vessel and not the cost of warranty when choosing what goes into a boat. This would make the difference as to which yard to choose in my opinion.

Wow! Really??? Come on Marmot... what about Cheoy Lee? Nordhavn? And a slew of trawler types that have reasonable reputations (with the exception of a 97-foot lap-strake hull built on too many martinis)

The Chinese like Martinis??

You'll have to read between the lines on that statement Jorge, but Marmot knows what I'm talking about.