Before asking a yard for a quotation there is one question to answer: what exactly do you want? If that answer is not in writing, none of the quotations you receive will be comparable, because each yard prices what it understood.
The technical specification is that answer, written down. It is the cheapest and most valuable intervention in any build or refit: every line written before signature costs less than the argument it prevents afterwards.
What a Specification Solves
| Without one | With one |
|---|---|
| Three quotations describe three different jobs | Three quotations price the same job, comparably |
| "Quality generator", which one? | Make, model, output, quantity and location in writing |
| "That wasn't included" surfaces mid-job | Inclusions and exclusions known from the start |
| Expectations differ at handover | Acceptance criteria written and verified by measurement |
| Payment tied to the calendar | Payment tied to stages and verification |
What Goes In
Equipment schedule
At make-and-model level: main engine and gearbox, generator, air-conditioning, watermaker, stabilisers, windlass and winches, navigation electronics, battery bank and charging sources, safety equipment. Output, capacity and quantity for each.
Structure and materials
In composite, the laminate schedule, core material and thickness, resin system; in metal, plate thicknesses, profile list and welding procedure. For paint: manufacturer, coat count and dry film thickness.
System standards
Which standard the electrical installation follows, cable sizing calculation and protective arrangement; fuel line material; raw water circuit and seacock type; bonding schematic.
Performance and weight
Light displacement commitment and tolerance; maximum and cruising speed at a stated load; fuel consumption. Without these three in writing there is nothing to measure, and nothing unmeasured can be claimed.
Acceptance criteria
What will have been achieved when the job is done: moisture value, thickness reading, continuity test, the figures to be reached on sea trial. A specification without acceptance criteria only defers the argument.
Commercial clauses
Stage-linked payment plan, independent verification condition, delay terms, warranty scope and period, variation procedure, title and insurance.
Who It Is For
- Anyone commissioning a new build, before contract
- Anyone planning a substantial refit, before asking for quotations
- Owners with several quotations they cannot compare
- Anyone who has been through a scope dispute before
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
Tell us what you need and how you will use the boat. The document is yours, for any yard.
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