TAKING OWNERSHIP

WILL BRUTON ON FUTUREPROOFING YOUR YACHT

- By WILL BRUTON

Time in a boatyard rarely goes exactly to plan. Investigate beyond where you usually look and you'll almost always uncover work that wasn't expected. The trick is to turn that disruption into long-term value tackling hidden jobs head-on and using time out of the water as an investment.

The old rule of thumb still applies: buy well but only buy once. With a clear game plan and good guidance futureproofing can be one of the smartest refit strategies there is.

OLD, BUT FAR FROM OUT

To futureproof thoroughly, you need a good sounding board of expertise, like David Gabriel, the refit manager for Rustler Yachts. The traditional brand is perhaps still most closely associated with its 36; a classic, long-keeled cruising yacht that counts Princess Anne as a former owner. HRH now sails a much more modern Rustler 44, but refits of the 36 remain regular work for Gabriel.

He explains what updating an older yacht for the long haul can look like.

"The 36 refit we've got underway at the moment is designed to give her maybe a couple of decades before she needs another major overhaul. It's very much an investment for the owner setting her up for a long sailing future.

She'll be a much more modern yacht in terms of technology than anyone could have imagined when she was launched. Forward-looking sonar, a hot water-based heating system instead of hot air, and completely new plumbing and electrics will make her feel new again," explains Gabriel.

Surprisingly the original rig of the 1990s yacht was judged so good that it's been given a clean bill of health not in need of replacement for up to a decade.