Definition
A refit is a major scheduled overhaul of an existing boat that goes beyond routine maintenance, typically covering engines, systems, interior, structural repairs, and recertification.
Background and use
A tender refit is usually triggered by one of three events: a propulsion package reaching its rated hour life (often 1,500 to 3,000 hours on a sterndrive, longer on a diesel jet), the mothership going into a major yard period, or a sale where the surveyor's deficiency list is large enough to make a deal price-conditional. Smaller jobs (helm electronics, upholstery, antifouling) are recommissioning rather than refit; once you are pulling engines, opening fuel tanks, or replacing the headlining, the work crosses into refit territory.
The work happens at specialist yards. In Europe, Pinmar, MB92, Lusben, Astilleros de Mallorca, Compositeworks, and a handful of smaller shops handle most superyacht tender refits. A typical 10 m limousine refit might run 12 to 20 weeks and cost 25 to 40 percent of the new replacement value, depending on whether the work is cosmetic or structural. Engine repower alone, in a twin-diesel jet boat, sits in the 80,000 to 200,000 euro range for the hardware.
A well-documented refit lifts the asset value at resale; an undocumented one is treated by surveyors as suspect.
Related considerations
- Class survey deadlines drive the refit schedule on commercial-flag tenders.
- Composite hull repairs require a structural engineer's sign-off for resale value.
- Engine repower changes the registered specification; flag must be notified.
- Yard slot availability in the off-season is the binding constraint, not budget.
- Photographic and invoice records add 5 to 10 percent at resale.