New Build Yacht Guide

Custom, semi-custom and series

Full-custom yards design and engineer each yacht around one owner's brief, which gives the widest freedom and the longest programme. Semi-custom yards build on an established platform and naval architecture, with the interior, layout and finish personalised. Series builders produce defined models, with options rather than redesign.

The decision is usually driven by how specific the brief is and how much time the owner has. It is the single choice that shapes cost, timetable and risk more than any other.

The contract

A new build is a construction contract, not a purchase. It sets the specification, general arrangement, staged payments, delivery date, guarantees, liquidated damages and the arbitration route if things go wrong.

Owners are normally represented by a maritime lawyer and a build supervision team from the outset, appointed before the contract is signed rather than after the first stage payment.

• Technical specification and general arrangement as contract documents.
• Stage payments tied to verified construction milestones.
• Refund guarantees and payment security.
• Change-order procedure and how variations are priced.
• Delivery date, penalties and warranty period.

Build slots and delivery positions

Yard capacity is finite, so a build slot itself has value. Positions occasionally become available where an existing contract is assigned, and part-built hulls are sometimes offered with a shortened delivery timetable.

Availability of any slot, hull or delivery position is confirmed directly with the yard or the contracting party in each case. We do not publish assumed availability.

Supervision through construction

Through construction the owner's team attends the yard, reviews engineering, monitors quality and manages change orders. Interior design, audiovisual integration, tender packages and crew recruitment run in parallel on their own timetables.

Sea trials, class certification and flag inspection precede delivery, followed by the protocol of delivery and acceptance and a warranty period during which the yard remains responsible for defined items.

When an existing yacht is the better answer

A recent brokerage yacht with documented refit history is normally the faster and more predictable route to being on the water, and the market frequently prices it below replacement cost. A new build suits owners whose brief genuinely cannot be met by an existing yacht.