Aren’t you changing the boat? Then make it new with a good refit!

Dealing with a topic as complex as the refit (refurbishment) of a boat runs the risk of never being comprehensive. For this reason, we decided to be guided by one of the top experts in the field-Grazio Basile, director of the refit department at Vismara Marine shipyard. Together with him, we outlined a kind of guide for the shipowner who considers the refit as an affordable alternative to selling your boat: The goal is to modernize and optimize a hull that has already shown us its underlying qualities, finding a point of balance between functionality and aesthetics, without distorting the identity of the boat. The first piece of advice from our “guru” is aimed at setting up the work the owner is about to start: “it is important, before starting the refit, to be able to be forward-looking. One should not think solely of refurbishing the boat, but rather of reconceptualizing it while remaining true to its intended use. For example, if you are not going to spend sixty days a year in the roadstead, there is no point in spending 5,000 euros on installing solar panels. Better to invest that money on equipment that will be used. And beware of the phenomenon of ‘radio-banking/my friend told me that,’ better to rely on an experienced eye capable of conceptualizing in practice the ideas of the owners.” Therefore, by refit we do not mean simple maintenance work, but a kind of regeneration of the vessel, which, insofar as it is established on the basis of a precise technical-economic assessment, resembles construction more than the maintenance of the vessel itself. A series of works that give a “new life” to the boat and allow the owner to maintain its value for several years, as well as, in many cases, also go to simplify the maneuvers on board. In these pages we are therefore going to analyze the main areas of intervention on which it is worth investing in order to optimize and modernize a boat: from the rigging to the ergonomics of the deck, from the engine to the electrical system through repainting and antifouling works. Disassembling the boat piece by piece will also save weight by getting rid of unnecessary equipment and replacing it with more efficient and modern instrumentation. Find the full article in the November issue of the Sailing Journal.