A refit is not about making a boat new. It is about putting money where it returns. The same budget creates value on one boat and simply disappears on another. The difference lies in what is established before work starts, and in the order the work is done.
This page sets out what an independent supervisor does during a refit, which decisions must be made in which order, and where budgets leak. We take no side in the choice of yard, the scope or the payment plan: we take no commission from yards and we sell no materials.
1. The Refit Decision: Three Questions First
2. Is the structure sound? If the shell, the keel attachment, the hull-to-deck joint and the main bulkheads are sound, it is worth investing on top of them. If any of those four is compromised, they come first. Galley and upholstery come later.
3. How much will you actually use her? A full refit rarely makes sense on a boat used two weeks a year. Intensity of use decides which systems are worth renewing.
2. The Right Order
The most expensive mistake in a refit is doing things out of sequence. Discovering a deck leak after the new upholstery is fitted means paying for the same work twice. The order is:
| # | Stage | Why here |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Structure and watertightness | Hull, deck, keel attachment, chainplates, windows and hatches. Until water ingress is solved, nothing done inside will last. |
| 2 | System infrastructure | Wiring, fuel lines, raw water circuit, bilge and bonding. These disappear behind linings; reaching them later means dismantling. |
| 3 | Main engine and drive | Engine, shaft line, propeller, controls. If the engine must come out, it comes out before interior work. |
| 4 | Rig and deck gear | If the mast is coming down, it is timed to coincide with paint and deck work. |
| 5 | Paint and surfaces | Antifouling, topsides, deck covering, after the structural work is finished. |
| 6 | Interior and comfort | Upholstery, joinery, galley, electronics. Last, because all of it is visible surface and the earlier stages would damage it. |
3. What an Independent Supervisor Does
Refit consultancy is not about getting work done at a yard. It is about putting the work that was done on record. The role covers:
- Baseline survey: the condition of the boat recorded by measurement before work begins, moisture map, plate thickness on a metal hull, system inventory, photographic condition report. This is the only antidote to the argument "was that damage there before?".
- Scope definition: putting in writing what will actually be done. "Rewire the boat" is not a scope; "this cable section, to this standard, this many circuits, with these protective devices" is.
- Stage inspections: attendance at the moments that matter, before laminate is closed, before wiring disappears behind a lining, before the engine drops onto its beds. Looking afterwards is pointless.
- Payment verification: confirming that payment is proportionate to work completed. Payment is tied to progress, not to the calendar.
- Handover survey: confirming completion by measurement and issuing a snag list, before the final payment.
4. Where Budgets Leak
| Leak | Why it happens | How it is prevented |
|---|---|---|
| Out-of-scope work | "While we're in there, let's also…", extras can reach a third of the budget | Written approval and price for every addition; no verbal decisions |
| Hidden damage found late | Rot, corrosion or delamination revealed once panels come off | Measurement at the baseline stage; a 15-20% contingency in the budget |
| Incompatible materials | Different resin, different metal, different coating, adhesion and galvanic problems | Material decisions in writing, verified against technical data sheets |
| Workmanship | Corners cut where nobody will look | Stage inspection before anything is closed up |
| Schedule slip | Hardstanding, crane and marina costs run on with the work | A delay clause in the contract; a critical-path plan |
| Missing documentation | No record of the work, it creates no value at resale | Photographs and invoices filed per stage; a complete file at handover |
5. Material by Material
GRP / fibreglass
The most common refit subjects are osmosis and delamination. In osmosis repair the decisive factor is drying time: once the gelcoat is peeled, the laminate takes weeks to dry, and no new coating goes on until moisture readings confirm it. An osmosis repair closed too early returns within two seasons. In structural reinforcement, resin compatibility matters: epoxy bonds over polyester, the reverse is not reliable.
Steel
Plate thickness sits at the centre of any steel refit. Ultrasonic readings are taken on a grid and compared with original scantlings. Where local wastage passes the threshold, the answer is plate renewal rather than a patch. Corrosion resistance changes in the heat-affected zone after welding; surface preparation and the coating system matter as much as the weld itself. Spaces that cannot be reached from inside, deep tanks, under the bilge, are the riskiest part of a steel refit.
Aluminium
Welding aluminium is a different discipline from steel and demands control of heat input. The real risk is galvanic: wherever dissimilar metals, stainless fastenings, bronze valves, meet an aluminium hull, isolation is mandatory. Every new metal component added during a refit changes the cathodic balance, so the anode plan is recalculated at the end of the job.
Wood
The material where most is done wrong. The common errors: patching with a different species, sealing damp timber under epoxy, the wrong compound in a caulking seam, and cosmetic repair without renewing fastenings. On a wooden boat, work starts at the fastenings, not at the visible surface. Sealing wet timber with epoxy accelerates decay, because the moisture stays inside.
6. New-Build Consultancy
Commissioning a new boat carries a different risk from buying an existing one: you pay before you see the product. By the time the boat exists, the money is spent. That is why supervision matters more in a new build than in a refit.
Contract stage
- Technical specification: equipment listed at make and model level. "Quality generator" is not a specification; make, model, output and quantity is.
- Payment plan: tied to stages, not dates, hull out of mould, deck joined, engine installed, launch, handover. A condition of independent verification at each stage goes into the contract.
- Declared standards: what the boat is built to (ISO 12217 design category, ABYC for electrical, the conformity route if RCD/CE is the target).
- Delay and defects: the consequence of late delivery, the warranty period and what the warranty covers.
- Title and insurance: who owns the boat under construction and how she is insured at the yard, who carries the fire and damage risk.
Stage inspections
| Stage | What is checked |
|---|---|
| Materials in | Certificates for resin, fabric, plate or timber; specification checked against technical data sheets |
| Mould and lamination | Ply sequence, thickness readings, cure conditions; on metal hulls, plate thickness and weld runs |
| Structure | Bulkhead bonding, keel seating, engine beds, hull-to-deck joint, before anything is closed |
| Systems | Cable sizing and protection, fuel line material, raw water circuit, bonding, before linings go on |
| Machinery | Alignment, flexible mounts, exhaust run, cooling circuit |
| Before launch | All seacocks, shaft seal, anode layout, watertightness test |
| Sea trial | Staged load, temperatures, vibration, steering behaviour, system readings under electrical load |
| Handover | Snag list, document file, warranty start, familiarisation |
7. Realistic Timescales
- Limited refit (paint, system servicing, cosmetics): 3-6 weeks
- Medium scope (rewire + engine overhaul + paint): 2-4 months
- Full refit (including structural work): 6-12 months
- New build (composite, one-off): 12-30 months; wooden gulet: 14-24 months
None of these figures mean anything unless they are in the contract. A build contract without a timetable is a commitment of unspecified duration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
Tell us about the boat and the plan; we will see together whether it is an investment or an expense.
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