classic yacht restoration

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Five classic superyachts brought back to life from the brink

Related articles, superyacht directory.

Not every owner relishes the prospect of a shiny new-build when they have the option to restore a beloved classic. Read on to discover some of the world’s most fascinating and valuable classic superyachts, which were brought back from the brink by their patient owners...

There is something intensely magical about the act of restoration: the feat of rescuing something that has fallen into a state of disrepair and returning it to its original condition. For owners, there is a process of falling completely for the yacht – something which compels them. British sailor Tracey Edwards recalls how restoring the yacht that became Maiden ceased to be purely about practicalities. “I fell in love with her,” she remembers simply. It is something to which many owners could relate.

 The recovery of something that was once great is a venture infused with nostalgia and romance. Particularly, perhaps, when its heyday is recorded in writing or in photographs that survive. And while this could apply to lots of things, the very word “wreck” is strongly redolent of boats. 

A wreck that has been restored, of course, is no longer a wreck. But henceforth she will always have once been one – and this fact will remain an element in the boat’s story, a source of pride and interest for those who continue to sail her.

Built in 1930, Atlantide (as she is now known) is now in her 90s – a venerable old lady, sprightlier than most nonagenarians after judicious refits. She is a beautiful boat with an illustrious past.

Designed by Alfred Mylne , Atlantide served as a tender for a J Class America’s Cup challenger. Then, in 1940, she was one of the “Little Ships” that evacuated more than 330,000 Allied troops from the Dunkirk beaches, entitling her, unusually, to fly the St George’s Cross.

After a post-war refit, she spent 50 years in the Mediterranean and was given her current name in the 1980s. Then, shortly before 2000, she was bought by yachtsman and technologist Tom Perkins, who devoted time and money to the further refit that Atlantide desperately needed.

Yacht designer Ken Freivokh remembers the project with great fondness, travelling to Malta with Perkins to view the boat. When he did so he was horrified. Her condition, he recalls, was “very, very poor, half-abandoned”. She was being used as a dive-boat, and an out-of-keeping superstructure had been put on top, destroying the boat’s elegant sheer line and making her look “very strange”.

What he could see immediately, however, was her underlying beauty and potential. But she needed a major restoration, and about 90 per cent of the plating along her spine had to be either restored or replaced. Freivokh contacted an aluminium worker who built an entirely new and more appropriate superstructure.

Freivokh and his team were given exceptional input, the licence (and the money) to do whatever they felt necessary. In addition to the standard requirements of yacht renovation, they had extraordinary paintings and antiques at their disposal. They were able to commission further art deco artworks too – of a style that complemented the yacht and her era. The boat and her contents might have ended up, he reckons now, as “inch-for-inch the most extraordinary yacht afloat”: a big claim, but one that’s hard to deny.

After Perkins’ passing in June 2016, Atlantide was sent to Royal Huisman in the Netherlands by another owner and American technologist – Jim Clark, who also built J Class boat Hanuman as well as Hyperion . It is fair to say that, for all the ups and downs of her past, Atlantide ’s future looks rosy, well beyond her centenary in 2030.

Western Flyer

We might think 2021 a bad year, but in 1940, as Nazi Germany invaded Norway, the world truly “went to hell”, wrote the future Nobel-laureate John Steinbeck. Far from these hostilities, having published The Grapes of Wrath to both acclaim and notoriety the previous year, Steinbeck motored along the coast of Mexico and California, into the Gulf of California. There, as he had hoped, “the great world dropped away”.

In an out-of-season sardine-fishing “purse-seiner”, then named Western Flyer , he and a small crew examined and collected marine animals, negotiating “wrecks and wayward currents”. Though they marvelled at “the incredible beauty of the tide pools” and “the swarming species”, it was no idyll. Things seemed “to sting and pinch and bite” worse than in other places. The region was “fierce and hostile and sullen”. Written up as The Log from The Sea of Cortez , largely as a result of Steinbeck’s enduring fame, the venture has entered literary folklore – and attached added renown to the boat.

During the decades since, the Western Flyer has – like all fishing boats – pursued catches (different species, caught often in quite different areas) as marine populations have shifted and declined: perch; king crab; salmon – far to the north or further south. The story of Western Flyer is the story of the Pacific west-coast fishery, and the story of humanity more broadly.

Rechristened Gemini , at times her ownership was hazy. Located by her unchanging call sign WB4044, she had come to resemble a ghost ship: paint peeling, mud-spattered, strangled by weed and timbers rotting. She has sunk at least twice, become completely unseaworthy, and all the time the price of restoration has grown.

She is owned now by a marine geologist called John Gregg who is restoring her with the help of Tim Lee, a shipwright from the west coast. Whereas the wheelhouse, Lee remarks, could remain remarkably intact and original – around 90 per cent of it – the hull was in a shocking condition. The starboard side, in particular, he remembers, was “completely rotten”. “If the boat had rolled over” she would probably, he remarks, “not have been salvageable.”

While some backbone timbers are original, it has been necessary to basically build a new hull. Time cannot be denied. But she – and the wider world – are lucky indeed that she has found people enthusiastic and committed enough to restore her, and to ensure that this piece of literary history can continue to “fly” along the western coast.

Shenandoah of Sark

More than once the famous yacht Shenandoah of Sark has been pulled back from the brink. As others have observed, she has really lived. She has seen all sides of life and come, in the process, perilously close to extinction.

First built for an American financier in 1902, she was in Germany before the First World War and then confiscated by the British Navy. She was given the name Shenandoah after the war, then rechristened again, this time by an Italian prince – another boat to be called Atlantide . She spent the Second World War concealed in a Danish shipyard, her masts and one of her engines removed to make her unseaworthy (and less appealing to thieves). Her post-war history included an almost year-long zoological and oceanographic expedition along the African west coast, as well as time spent smuggling in Central America – her precise location is unknown. Seized by French customs in 1962, she was tied up and left to rot before being bought and restored by a French industrialist.

Working as a charter yacht, she was sold in 1986 to a Swiss businessman who ordered a complete restoration at New Zealand shipyard  McMullen & Wing . The majority of the riveted hull was replaced, and the result was impressive: in 1996 she won the ShowBoats International award for Best Classic Yacht Restoration.

Together the owner and the yard have lavished attention upon every detail: from polished teak or redwood planking, to art deco lights and a unique, detachable deck cockpit. Further attention since to her rig and her mechanics has ensured that this is one yacht in a very fine position to advance far into – and perhaps complete – her second century.

Well past her centenary (having been built in 1913, on the eve of the First World War) Vagrant is one of the oldest yachts still afloat. There are a small number of older human beings living – but not many. And the comprehensively refitted Vagrant will almost certainly outlast them all. In 2017 she had a major refit – for almost two years – in Dutch restoration yard Royal Huisman. Her owner’s instructions were that “ Vagrant should be ready to last for another one hundred years.” Well, who can say? It certainly isn’t impossible.

Back in the distant past, Vagrant ’s designer, Nathanael Greene Herreshoff , dominated the America’s Cup between the late 19th century and the early 1930s. A boatbuilder, he was also a proficient sailor, placed in the National Sailing Hall of Fame, and helming in the America’s Cup at least once.

Vagrant was built for Harold Vanderbilt, of the famous dynasty. Herreshoff built boats for the financial big guns – William Randolph Hearst, John Pierpont (JP) Morgan, Jay Gould. Yachts, like houses, were (and are) a symbol of wealth and success, and Herreshoff’s were the finest.

Now, under relatively new ownership, Vagrant – one of the most revered classic yachts afloat – is being restored to her former greatness. Her steel hull needed substantial work (sandblasting areas of corrosion left some plates too thin and in need of replacement). But her teak interior has justified the wood’s reputation as the best natural material for a marine environment: beautiful, hard, rich in protective oil, resistant to rot and little prone to warping.

Sure enough, when removed and examined, much of the wood in the cabins could be treated and reused, even after so long (with the redesign to accommodate things such as electric lighting, plugs, heating and air conditioning, which were absent from the original boat). This clear link with the past serves to emphasise that this is very much the same boat.

Other departures from the original – aluminium masts, for instance, with internal furling for the mainsail and fisherman’s sail – seem an update rather than any kind of insult to the original maker. She might still sail under her old name of Vagrant but she has, very clearly, a loving home.

Having been built in the late 1920s, the sailing yacht Cambria was assumed, like so many, to have been destroyed during the Second World War. In fact, she had fallen into complete oblivion: vanishing not only from the present, but also from the historical record. One authoritative book on the yachts of William Fife , the renowned Scottish boatbuilder responsible for Cambria , omitted her completely. Only subsequently has she been rediscovered in every sense – restored to history and restored in the present.

Cambria was built originally for a newspaper magnate – Sir William Berry – who rose from complete obscurity (having left school in South Wales at 13) to become owner of the largest media empire of the day: publisher of titles still active and well-known, like The Sunday Times , Financial Times and The Daily Telegraph . Berry’s publications happened to include Yachting World , giving him a route to its editor. 

Soon after its construction, Cambria won an early race, then for a few years raced some 50 times a year. Her beauty was much admired, and fame seemed assured. (Berry asked his wife whether she might like a matching yacht, an offer she sadly declined.) Rules of the time hindered Cambria , however, and not long afterwards she changed hands. Her name was changed and she retreated, during the 1930s, into obscurity – and then into oblivion.

Her sketchy post-war history includes an ill-fated circumnavigation during the 1970s, before being bought, and mothballed, in Australia, until finally she was rediscovered near the Great Barrier Reef. Her basic structure, mahogany planking on a steel frame, remained intact and was remediable with careful repair work. Only in the 21st century did she return to British waters, after more than half a century. With a new mast, of spruce pine, and a thorough refit in Southampton in 2006 which saw Cambria stripped back and the boat’s stem reworked. There is no doubt now that Cambria does once again fulfil Fife’s basic requirement of a yacht – that she be both “fast and bonnie”.

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Home » News » SWD News & Stories » Boat Renovations and Restorations 101

Boat Renovations and Restorations 101

Posted on March 8, 2022 and filed under SWD News & Stories

There’s an intangible, but visceral feeling we get when we hear the rumble of the engine and smell the exhaust of a Porsche 911 2.7 Carrera RS or view the way the bow of 1962 Riva Aquarama cuts through the water. It’s almost hard to put into words other than to say it’s magical.  And despite the best efforts of the modern design world, there’s just something about the classics that can’t be replicated or replaced. Some things simply can’t be improved upon.

This mighty 1937 Purdy commuter yacht, Aphrodite , was completely restored at Brooklin Boat Yard with design support from Stephens Waring. Her rehabilitation shows how traditional design and technological innovation each have their place on the water. With redesigned propulsion and steering systems, new tanks and plumbing systems, and completely revamped interior, she offers a thrilling glimpse at what yachting was like in the 1930s—with all the comforts of today. Photo credit: Benjamin Mendlowitz

And in the fast-fashion world we live in, where it seems like half of what we buy has been replaced with a newer version before we leave the store, it gives us a good feeling to keep something old going, or better yet, to bring something from the past back to life.

Stephens Waring worked with the owner of this classic 45’ Huckins, called Northern Spy ,  to rebuild the hull structure to accept the most modern of power plants: twin Volvo IPS drives. In the classic Huckins QuadroConic hull form, the IPS performs marvelously, boosting speed, cutting fuel consumption, and increasing maneuverability. Photo credit: Alison Langley

But for every unicorn rebuild project, there are plenty of renovation and restoration disasters along the way. Conversely, there is a mountain of smaller, less illustrious restorations and renovations, implemented successfully, which didn’t require the net worth of a Saudi Sheik to accomplish, but still extended the life and enjoyment of an old and beloved boat.

Big or small, iconic or sentimental, the key to any successful restoration project is figuring out how to identify the right fixer-upper and arming oneself with the knowledge to enter into a rebuild project with a clear understanding of the challenges, costs, and risks along the way.

Renovations vs. Restorations

The terms renovation and restoration are often used interchangeably. And while they may be close cousins, the goal and outcomes of a renovation or restoration project can be quite different in terms of objective, scope, and cost.

What is Restoration?

The bridge of Aphrodite was restored to match the original materials and controls of the vessel. Materials including varnished mahogany were carefully matched and rebuilt based on the original design specifications. Right image photo credit: Benjamin Mendlowitz

The primary objective of a restoration project is to bring a boat back to its original design and construction as closely as possible.  Good restoration experts put significant time into researching the origins and background of the original build including understanding the history of the designer, construction techniques of the time, design philosophy, parts suppliers, and material sources.

In 2014, French & Webb and Kurt Hasselbalch, curator of the MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Hart Nautical Collections, began restoration of Marilee originally built in 1926. In early winter 2014 they began with a 3D scan of the existing hull. This, combined with a CAD drawing created from the original Herreshoff plans, enabled the team to accurately examine Marilee’s current shape and compare it with the design from 1926. Photo credit: Alison Langley

Restoration experts often embark on a difficult treasure hunt as they scour the world for rare and comparable historical parts. This process can almost be as time consuming as the construction work itself.

During the restoration process, original materials are matched, and methods of construction are reused.  Modifications from the original design are generally limited to changes necessary to bring a project up to modern codes and standards including electrical and life-safety. Stepping aboard a fully restored vessel should be like taking a step back in time.

What is Renovation?

Renovation is a much broader term.  Generally speaking, it’s the process of renewing a boat or structure by fixing what’s present and adding something new or modern. This includes the integration of new materials, technologies, and even major structural design changes. We often think of a renovation as being built on the “spirit” of the original design while leaving the door open to new opportunities for creativity and innovation.

The owner of Marilee (built in 1926) had the bold vision to create an interior that reflected the yacht’s century-long provenance while creating an open space below. However, he wanted to get away from the dark “cigar room” interiors typical of so many classic yachts. The team worked with Paul Waring of Stephens Waring Yacht Design, to create a traditional and properly constructed interior with an updated layout for relaxed, modern day use. Photo credit: Alison Langley

Renovation can include adding new engines, propeller systems, updated electronics, efficient keels and hulls, and electrical systems.  It can also include a refresh of the interior design elements and decor.

In some cases, renovation can be cheaper than restoration, especially for very old or historic boats where access to original parts and materials are rare or don’t exist at all.

Often renovations are completed in conjunction with restoration.   In architecture we often see this with an old home or building where great lengths are taken to restore the exterior facade back to the original design, while inside, cutting-edge kitchens and bathrooms are installed. The effect is a blend of classic elegance with creature comfort and modern living.

What to Know Before Embarking on a Restoration or Renovation Project

There are no two ways about it, a major restoration or renovation can be costly and time consuming. They can also be extremely rewarding. The most successful projects are born from a sentimental and emotional objective rather than a purely economic consideration (although there are times when the economics pan out as well).  Key to success is starting a restoration or renovation project with the right foundation. This may includes several of the following principles:

  Starting with the Right Boat

Not all boats make good restoration projects.  In fact, most don’t. The ones that do have that special something that may be referred to as being a “classic”.  A good restoration candidate should have a historical or emotional value, or simply, a unique “wow” factor that makes it worthy of a second life.

Building on Good Bones

Zingara was originally designed by Bill Peterson, conceived to participate in the 1990 BOC-British Oxygen Company Challenge, a solo event ‘round-the-world yacht race. By the time we met her, the yacht was a long way from finished. Our renovation made the best use of her potential as a solid sailing yacht: the thoughtful design of the sailing platform, deck arrangement, and cockpit were to be functional in blue water; and down below her interior was to be spacious and comfortable, safe and relatively simple.

When possible, find a boat in which the problems are more cosmetic in nature than major costly systems repairs or replacements. At some point deterioration of major structures such as stringers and bulkheads may make restoration impractical. You should consider consulting with a professional designer like Stephens Waring to get an accurate assessment of major structural components and systems to fully understand the scope and resources necessary for a restoration or renovation.

Set a Realistic Budget and Timeline to Complete the Job

It is said that God created the world in seven days. That’s probably because he didn’t have to clean up anyone’s mess first. Realize that restoration and renovations are often as time and resource consuming as the original build itself. It takes time to undo the bad and rebuild with the good.  Sweat equity can only carry your project so far and there are many hard costs and professional skillsets you’ll need to complete a big job. Working with a professional can help to set a realistic budget and define clear expectations and goals.

Size Does Matter

It’s easy to want to bite off more than you can chew.  However, as a boat gets bigger the complexities of the systems become exponentially larger.  The difference between a 30’ and 40’ boat can be immense.  Experts generally recommend that no one attempt to restore a boat bigger than 35’ without professional support.

Where to Make Your Money Go the Distance

When done correctly, there are a number of benefits to upgrading and renovating rather than buying new. The key is to identify where to get the most bang for the buck.  Finding a project where cosmetic repairs are the main problem is the best place to get a strong ROI.  Renovations such as replacing upholstery, fixtures, refinishing surfaces, and painting can do wonders to make an old vessel feel new and increase the economic value.

Where to Start

Whether looking to renovate a boat you currently own or looking to purchase a used fixer-upper, we strongly suggest starting with a professional evaluation.   Engaging an expert to inspect the hard to reach structures and systems can save a lot of money in the long run.  A renovation expert like Stephens Waring can also help determine a solid triage strategy for what to discard, repair, and replace.  For bigger projects, having a design expert create a detailed design and engineering plan, complete with 3D renderings, can provide a way for owners to better conceptualize the scope, cost, and outcome of the renovation and finished product.

Further Reading:

The Renovation of Marilee

The Renovation of Zingara

site by: slickfish studios

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