DEFINING
YOUR NEW BUILD REQUIREMENTS
Once you have chosen to buy a new-build yacht, there are
no doubt several questions that will soon follow. The range
of options on the market allows you to balance a number
of factors, not only encompassing price and length but also
speed of deliver y and degree of customisation.
they have learned are right for their needs. Additional time
is needed for fully custom engineering and design work,
both technical and aesthetic. But for many owners, the
longer wait time is wor th it.
In 2017, there were 187 new-build yachts of 30 metres
or more ordered and acquired (compared with 262 pre-
owned yachts sold), and in that same year, there were
147 yachts of 30 metres or more completed, having been
ordered by owners in previous years or built speculatively*. There is an excellent range of yards now offering semi-
custom new-build platforms. This option reduces the
overall waiting time and the number of technical decisions
to be made (see overleaf for our informative diagram
on this subject). It is an attractive option, as it delivers a
proven platform that has been refined over time.
What might this mean for you as an owner looking to buy
a new build yacht rather than one that has been previously
owned? As demand for new build super yachts has risen in
recent years, build slots have become harder to secure,
par ticularly for fully custom yachts at the most prestigious
yards in Nor thern Europe. However, there are plenty of
ver y attractive alternatives in other pedigree yards. Of course, the more aesthetic choices for interiors will
still be available to ensure the yacht feels truly special. The
waiting time for pre-engineering and technical design work
is simply reduced or completely eliminated. In some cases,
construction on a semi-custom yacht project might have
already been star ted by the yard before the contract is
signed, fur ther reducing waiting time for the owner.
For many long-term owners, the time comes to build their
dream yacht with all the facilities, capacity and details that Overall, a semi-custom choice can reduce the deliver y
time by a third or more, compared with a fully custom
super yacht. The production yacht option offers the least
flexibility in terms of design, l