Discover the finest shipyards around the world for your next refit with our handy captain’s guide.
When it comes to choosing a location for your next refit, nobody knows the various shipyards better than the captain. He knows all the ins and outs of finding the perfect facility for your yacht and crew, and will ensure that the work is carried out by expert contractors within a specific time frame.
Whether you’re planning a major renovation or just want to update the interior decor onboard, finding a reliable and efficient yard is key to a successful refit. So, why not check out our Captain’s guide to the very best shipyards around the world and discover just where your yacht should spend its downtime this season.
The French Riviera
One of the best-known ship yards in the world is located right here on the French Riviera. Founded in 1996, Nautech is based in Marseille, Villefranche sur Mer and La Ciotat and has over 25 years of experience in the refit and repair of superyachts. Nautech has some serious facilities including a floating dock for 60m yachts at its Villefranche site and both a 300-tonne travel lift and 60m dry dock at the La Ciotat site. Offering convenient and flexible shipyard services, Nautech combines skilled project management with expert craftsmanship to provide tailor-made refit services to its clientele in the South of France.
Dover, UK
Conveniently located in Dover at less than 2 hours’ drive from London, Burgess Marine is the UK’s largest independent boat repairer. Their impressive Portchester yard operates a 1000-tonne Syncrolift facility and can handle yachts of up to 60m in size for structural repairs and renewals. Burgess has experience with aluminum, steel and wooden hulls and has a worldwide reputation as an expert in servicing, repairs and installations, both in and out of the water. The company aims to provide a total service solution for any marine engineering challenge, and their skilled personnel offer full shipyard support to superyacht owners from all over the world.
Mallorca, Spain
Astilleros De Mallorca is one of the best known Spanish shipyards. With decades of experience in maintenance and repair, they refit over 120 yachts at their Palma facility every year. Their main yard currently has an integrated refit and repair center, while their new STP facility has five travel lifts ranging from 30 tonnes to 700 tonnes lifting capacity, 53 berths, a 55 000m² dry dock area, 6 Keel pits plus a fuel dock. Specialised in classic yacht restoration, the Astilleros De Mallorca facilities also use the very latest technology and machinery to provide a full range of in-house services for luxury superyachts.
Carrara, Italy
With the biggest dry dock in the Mediterranean, NCA Refit who are based in the Marina di Carrara, Italy are definitely one of the key players when it comes to refitting superyachts. Their incredible 100 000m² facility is capable of welcoming yachts of up to 200m and is considered to be one of the most prestigious shipyards in Europe. With a team of 45 professionals on call at all times, NCA Refit offers efficient solutions carried out to the highest possible standard whilst providing bespoke solutions to meet the customer’s specific requirements. In addition to their main infrastructure, the NCA Refit facility also includes a purpose-built village with a wide range of activities and services on offer for your crew to enjoy during their stay in the yard.
Urk, Netherlands
Owned and operated by the Balk family since 1798, the Balk shipyard in the Netherlands has been building and refitting yachts for over 200 years. Specialising in refits and rebuilds, the Balk yard prides itself on providing remarkable customer service thanks to its highly-skilled employees and state of the art facilities in the Urk harbour for yachts of up to 65m. Their in-house team offers services including painting, piping, welding and electrical engineering and they also work closely with architects and designers to offer customers a fully-customised refit experience.
Antigua, Caribbean
If you’re planning in spending time in the Caribbean this season, Antigua Slipway is one of the best shipyards in the islands. With dockage for luxury superyachts plus a yacht haul out facility for boats of up to 220 tons, their purpose-built shipyard in English Harbour has been welcoming superyachts since 1966. With marina docking plus additional boat storage facilities for the hurricane season, Antigua Slipway is the yacht refit yard of choice in the Caribbean.
Florida, USA
Based in sunny West Palm Beach, Rybovich have been refitting yachts in Florida since the 1900s. They recently expanded their superyacht marina and can currently welcome yachts of up to 91m thanks to the unobstructed inlet access and 115m superyacht slips. Offering a whole range of services from hauling to refinishing, this classic American shipyard offers innovative solutions to the challenges faced by their customers. Featuring a wide range of guest amenities onsite including a 24-hour gym and swimming pool plus a hip restaurant/bar with live music, your crew will love spending their downtime in the Sunshine State.
Brisbane, Australia
Specialising in refit solutions, Rivergate Marina & Shipyard is one of Australia’s premier shipyards. Their world class facilities offer deep water access for yachts of up to 80m and their project management team specialise in creating custom solutions to meet specific client requirements. The Rivergate shipyard includes a 12 000m² hardstand, both 75 and 300 tonne marine travelifts and offers a large selection of services working with 320 approved contractors in over 20 trades. Voted superyacht service provider of the year in 2016, Rivergate’s personalised service commitment ensures they’re always top of the list when it comes to looking after superyachts Down Under.
Phuket, Thailand
Located in the largest marina in Thailand, Eclipse Marine manages superyacht refits and repairs for the entire Asia-Pacific region. With over 25 years of experience in the superyacht industry, Eclipse offers the very highest standard of service and repairs to all its customers. From project management to marine engineering, their engineers and contractors offer a completely bespoke service for superyacht refits and repairs. If you’re looking for a smooth refit experience whilst you’re in South East Asia, Eclipse Marine should definitely be your first port of call.
