Tender Refit Guide

Tender Refit Guide for superyacht programmes. Independent reference for owners, captains, and build managers.

When refit is the right answer

A well-built superyacht tender has a useful life of 15-20 years with planned refit cycles. The decision to refit rather than replace usually comes down to four questions: is the hull sound, is the layout still fit for the brief, are the lifting points still load-rated, and does the garage still accommodate the boat. If the answers are yes, refit at year 7-10 typically returns 5-10 years of additional service for 30-50% of new build cost.

This page covers the scope, the sequencing, and the realistic costs.

The four refit triggers

In our brokerage practice, refits are commissioned for one or more of:

  1. Engine end-of-life: petrol drivetrains at 1,500-2,500 hours, diesel at 3,000-5,000 hours, surface-drive bearing intervals reached
  2. Cosmetic refresh required for charter: tired upholstery, faded paint, dated electronics presenting badly to charter clients
  3. Use case shift: principal's brief has changed (more guests, different operating area, water-sports added) and the existing boat needs reconfiguration
  4. Mothership refit forcing tender changes: new garage geometry, new davit or crane equipment, new flag-state requirements

Refits driven by triggers 1 and 2 are the standard schedule. Triggers 3 and 4 are the harder calls, because the right answer is sometimes a new boat rather than a refit.

Refit scopes by depth

Three useful scopes:

Light refit (annual to bi-annual)

  • Engine major service, possibly including injector overhaul, valve clearances, full diagnostic
  • Hull antifoul renewal and gelcoat polish
  • Upholstery cleaning or selective re-cover
  • Electronics software updates and one or two replacements
  • Safety gear refresh
  • Lifting point inspection and bridle replacement

Cost: EUR 15,000-40,000 for a 10-12m sport tender. Down-time: 2-4 weeks.

Mid refit (year 5-7)

  • Repaint topsides (Awlgrip or Alexseal quality)
  • Full upholstery and trim refresh
  • Engine major service or top-end overhaul
  • Driveline service (sterndrive lower unit, waterjet bearings)
  • Electronics generation refresh: chartplotter, AIS, autopilot
  • Hull moisture survey and remedial work
  • Teak deck refurbishment if fitted
  • Safety equipment recertification

Cost: EUR 60,000-200,000 depending on size and finish level. Down-time: 8-16 weeks.

Major refit (year 8-12)

  • Engine repower with current OEM units
  • Driveline overhaul or replacement
  • Full topside and underside repaint
  • Complete interior strip and rebuild
  • Full electronics suite replacement
  • Steering, hydraulics, and bonding overhaul
  • Lifting point re-engineering and load-test
  • Hull structural inspection and repair
  • Sometimes: layout reconfiguration (helm position, seating layout, garage door geometry)

Cost: 30-50% of new build cost. For a 10m sport tender at EUR 1m new, that is EUR 300,000-500,000. Down-time: 4-8 months.

What is and isn't worth refitting

Refit makes economic sense when:

  • The hull and structure are sound (verified by full survey)
  • The lifting points can be re-certified or upgraded
  • The garage geometry still accommodates the boat
  • The build is from a tier-one yard with an established secondary market
  • Replacement parts and service support remain available

Refit doesn't make sense when:

  • The hull has unrepairable structural damage or chronic osmosis
  • The build is from a yard that has closed or no longer supports the model
  • The garage has been reconfigured and the boat no longer fits
  • The use case has shifted to a category the boat fundamentally cannot serve
  • The driveline is obsolete with no parts supply (older Arneson generations, discontinued sterndrive variants)

The replace decision is usually right for production-built tenders past 12 years and for any boat with structural compromise.

Repower options

Repower is the most common major refit decision. Three live options:

  1. Like-for-like with current OEM model: simplest installation, dealer support intact, predictable performance. Yanmar 8LV to current Yanmar; Volvo D6 to current Volvo D6
  2. Step up within OEM range: more power, often with similar footprint. Common when the original spec was conservative
  3. Switch driveline architecture: sterndrive to waterjet, or petrol to diesel. Substantial refit; often requires hull reinforcement and new through-hull engineering

The like-for-like route is the standard. Architecture switches are 2-3x the cost and only justified by a fundamental use-case change.

Current OEM diesel drivetrains in the 250-450hp range (Yanmar 6LY, Volvo D6, FPT N67) deliver 5-15% better fuel economy than 2015-era equivalents and meet current EPA/Stage V emissions. The repower is a useful efficiency upgrade, not just a like-for-like.

Hull and structure

The structural assessment is the first and most important refit task. Standard scope:

  • Full moisture survey, ideally by an independent surveyor (not the yard executing the refit)
  • Ultrasound on suspect areas
  • Lifting point load-test to original certification
  • Through-hull inspection: sea cocks, transducers, bonding
  • Stringer and bulkhead bonding inspection
  • Transom inspection (sterndrive boats: well-known failure point)

Discovered defects can change the refit scope substantially. A boat that goes in for a EUR 80,000 cosmetic refresh and comes out as a EUR 200,000 structural repair has happened more than once. Survey first, contract second.

Cosmetic and interior

The visible refit:

  • Topside paint: full strip, fair, and repaint. Awlgrip or Alexseal in current colour or new. Typical lifespan 7-12 years. Cost typically EUR 25,000-60,000 for 10-12m
  • Bottom paint: standard antifoul or copper-coat depending on use. Specialist coatings for waterjet inlets
  • Upholstery: full strip and re-cover in marine vinyl or leather. Cushion foam replacement. Typical EUR 15,000-40,000 for a sport tender
  • Soft tops, isinglass, and bimini: replace at every mid refit. Typical EUR 5,000-15,000
  • Teak: if original deck is sound, refresh with new caulking and re-sanding. If not, full new deck typically EUR 30,000-80,000
  • Stainless and exterior fittings: polish, re-bed, replace as needed. Continuous low-cost spend

Electronics generation refresh

Marine electronics move generation about every 3-5 years. By year 7, the original suite is one or two generations behind. Standard refresh:

  • Chartplotter: current Garmin, Raymarine, Furuno generation. Typical EUR 8,000-25,000 for a multi-screen install
  • AIS: current Class A or B unit
  • VHF: current generation with DSC
  • Autopilot: current generation
  • Engine displays: current OEM displays integrated with chartplotter
  • Cameras and joystick docking: increasingly added at refit

Cost typically EUR 25,000-60,000 for a comprehensive electronics refresh on a 10-12m tender.

Safety, lifting, and certification

Non-negotiable at every refit:

  • Lifting points: visual, load-test, certify
  • Bridle: replace
  • Liferaft service: factory schedule
  • Flares: in-date inspection
  • Fire extinguishers: replace at expiry
  • AIS, EPIRB, VHF: confirm current frequency assignments and registrations
  • CE plate: confirm legible; re-issue if needed for re-categorisation

For tenders changing from one classification regime to another (private to charter, EU to UK, flag change), the refit is the right point to formalise re-certification.

Yard selection

Where to refit:

  • Original builder: best access to original drawings and parts, premium pricing. Worth it for major structural or repower work
  • Tier-one independent refit yards: large facilities in Mediterranean (Lürssen, MB92 Barcelona for support, Italian and French yards), Caribbean, Florida. Capable of full scope
  • Specialist tender refit shops: smaller, lower overhead, dealer-network access. Right for cosmetic and standard service refit

For a major refit, the original builder is usually right unless they are out of business or the yard relationship has soured. For mid and light refits, an independent yard with the right driveline accreditations works.

Refit budget reality

A working budget for a year-7 mid refit on a 10-12m sport tender from a tier-one yard:

  • Engine major service or top-end overhaul: EUR 15,000-40,000
  • Topside repaint: EUR 30,000-60,000
  • Upholstery: EUR 20,000-40,000
  • Electronics refresh: EUR 30,000-50,000
  • Hull and underwater: EUR 10,000-25,000
  • Safety and certification: EUR 5,000-12,000
  • Soft tops and isinglass: EUR 8,000-15,000
  • Surveyor and project management: EUR 8,000-20,000
  • Total range: EUR 125,000-260,000

Plus 10-15% contingency for discovered defects.

Resale impact

A well-documented refit at year 7 generally adds value at resale exceeding the refit cost, particularly on tier-one builds. A boat with paperwork showing fresh engines, current electronics, repaint, and full survey clearance trades within 5-10% of comparable younger boats. A boat without that paperwork trades 20-30% lower regardless of actual condition.

Document everything. Keep yard invoices, sea-trial reports, survey certificates, and photographs in the boat's file. The next buyer will read it.

Refit vs. replace decision matrix

The clean test:

  • Hull structurally sound, lifting points re-certifiable, garage geometry unchanged: refit
  • Hull sound but use case has fundamentally shifted: replace, look at used tenders or new builds
  • Hull compromise discovered at survey: scope the repair, then re-evaluate
  • Boat is from a closed yard with no parts: replace
  • Mothership refit changing garage envelope: almost always replace

For a specific boat and a specific decision point, send the details and we will work through the refit-vs-replace economics for the programme.