Telling Stories in ship shapes
The enduring appeal of classic yachts is the stories that make up their legacy. Classics have personality. But these days, such yachts are hard to find and restoring them is a labour of love that needs expertise, experience and enormous patience.
Edmiston is the leading agent for sourcing and projectmanaging the restoration of classic yachts. Most were built in the heyday of the 1930s and whereas there are a number of replicas and contemporary classics, the real deal is a very different prospect.
Each yacht is unique and restoration is made harder by the fact that you are not only rebuilding a yacht with all the inherent challenges of that task
but replacing old with new and trying to achieve authenticity. On top of that is the demand for the latest technology to be seamlessly integrated.
An example of this can be found aboard a recent award-winning Edmiston project, 50 metre Malahne, where 1950s rotary dial bakelite telephones were ‘rewired’ with digital technology.
Our latest project has been the restoration of 71 metre Haida. Built in 1929 by Krupp in Germany, she was relaunched last December after an eighteenmonth refit at Pendennis.
All of this magnificent clipper bow yacht’s heritage features have been restored to better-than-original condition. Designer Adam Lay, Edmiston and Pendennis worked with the Owner to find a way to build in contemporary lifestyle features such as 80 inch cinema screens in the library and master suite lounge, working period piece fireplaces, a swimming pool, zero speed stabilizers, a spa and hammam and even a barber’s shop.
According to Mike Carr, managing director of Pendennis, “The refit challenge on a classic is a totally different proposition to a contemporary yacht. Edmiston and the shipyard have built up a rapport that makes communications so much easier. There is a mutual understanding of what we are trying to achieve for the Owner. Judgement and interpretation is such a big part of the task.
On Haida, it was the parts that you couldn’t see that were the hardest to fix but the most essential for a long-term solution. The entire hull below the waterline had to be removed and re-plated. That is over 118 tons of steel.
The engines are almost museum pieces but they are magnificently efficient. Unfortunately, there are no spare par ts for yachts built in the 1930s so we had to make a new piston and 12 new fuel injectors.”
Edmiston broker Alex Busher has now sold the yacht twice and was involved in the project from first idea to launch. “No other brokerage house has the depth of experience to be able to embrace projects of this sensitivity and complexity. You are dealing with a very precious piece of maritime heritage. That is the precise appeal for owners of these yachts. It is not merely about classic style, it is about authenticity and legacy.”
Edmiston has a carefully researched portfolio of classic yachts between 30 and 70 metres suitable for restoration. Each has a fascinating history with a story waiting to be told. To discuss a heritage project contact an Edmiston broker.
19th April 2018 |
