A refit schedule starts not with the yard's calendar but with the boat's. For a boat that must be afloat at the start of the season, the refit is planned months ahead, not on the day the season ends.
The schedule is built backwards
- Launch date. Season start or first charter; the fixed point.
- Sea trial and snag close-out. The last weeks before launch.
- The work. Duration and order of each item; paint and lamination depend on weather and cure time.
- Parts supply. Lead time for parts from abroad; orders go in before work starts.
- Haul-out. Yard and crane queue; busy at the end of the season.
- Condition survey and quotes. The start of the schedule.
Fitting the season
- Autumn
- Condition survey, specification and quotes; the boat is hauled.
- Winter
- Stripping, opening up and main work; paint and lamination under cover.
- Spring
- Installation, commissioning, sea trial and snag close-out.
What pushes the schedule
- Hidden damage found once opened.
- Parts ordered late.
- Extra work waiting for written approval.
- Cure and paint in cold, damp weather.
Building the schedule backwards
A good refit schedule is built backwards from the launch date. For an owner who wants to be afloat at the start of the season, that date is fixed; before it come sea trial and acceptance, before them the work itself, before that gathering quotes and writing the specification, and first of all the condition survey. The order does not reverse: a quote cannot be sound without a specification, nor a specification without a survey.
Busy periods
Yards and marinas are busiest in autumn with haul-outs and in spring with launches. In mid-winter, tradesmen and travel lift slots are easier to find. Agreeing major work with the yard at the end of summer is an advantage for both space and crew. Ordering spares and equipment at that time keeps lead times from disrupting the schedule.
Lead times
Engines, generators, rigging and some electronics can take weeks or even months to arrive. The schedule shows an order date for these items, and the order is confirmed as placed. A job whose parts have not arrived holds up every job after it.
Float time
Refits usually run longer than planned because of work found on opening and weather. A few weeks of float before the launch date keeps the season from being lost. If the float is not used, the boat launches early; if it is, the season is still saved.
Weekly review
The schedule is reviewed weekly during the work: jobs completed, jobs delayed and their effect on the launch date. A delay caught early can be recovered by changing the order of work or asking for extra crew.
The owner's decisions
Many delays come from decisions not yet taken: a colour, a layout, a piece of equipment. Listing the owner's decisions with a date for each keeps the schedule moving.
The decision list is shared with the yard and is the first document looked at in the weekly review, because an overdue decision is usually the earliest sign that the launch date is at risk.
The schedule is a shared document; owner and yard holding the same current version prevents misunderstandings and speeds decisions.
Each weekly version carries a date and number, so nobody works from an old copy.
A clear schedule is the cheapest tool in any refit, and the one most often skipped.