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CONTINUED 
Assemble Your Team An experienced perspective remains important at every stage of this ambitious undertaking, and it often starts with the broker you choose. Building
a yacht to charter is a unique undertaking which is very different from building a personal dream yacht. Companies like Liveras Yachts specialize in "purpose-built"
charter yachts. There are several popular brokerage houses with yacht brokers who have been successful charter captains (several of which participated in the
content of this article). This kind of expertise is an asset beyond measure when building the penultimate charter yacht. The ideal broker will not only know the
yacht market, but all the nuances of running and maintaining a busy charter yacht. During the design process, there are numerous decisions to be made and many will
have a trickle-down effect into other facets of the yacht. If a broker is able to guide you intelligently and honestly through these complex decisions with first-hand
experience, then he should be regarded as a premium asset among his peers. The broker is essentially the coach of your team, and you want him not only to facilitate
the acquisition but to be an interested and qualified resource as well. Using the parameters of the goals and your budget, your broker will help you select
the best yard, designer and naval architect for the build as well as appropriating the right team to make your dreams a reality. Navigating the nuances of geography,
shipyards, classifications and certifications is just the beginning of this epic venture. Even with the best broker, a team of professionals is integral for the
exceptional build. Building a yacht is complicated, and building a yacht to charter presents additional complexities that are seldom consistent. Even the most experienced
yachtsman needs to use the advice of experts. Though the yard will assign a project manager, savvy yacht owners will hire their own independent project manager whose loyalty is undivided. |
Of course in an ideal scenario, the eventual captain would be involved at this point. Who better to oversee the
design and build than a captain who will ultimately be responsible for the boat? However, for the captain to function effectively as the project manager there
are certain caveats. First, he cannot be responsible for running another yacht during the build process, as he must be available to oversee all aspects of the
build. Second, his technical, mechanical and structural knowledge must be exceptional. Sometimes project management is better left to those captains who specialize in
overseeing such comprehensive projects. Once the build team is in place, there is an immediate need for the design team. Though a yacht owner may have an interior
designer with whom they have worked in the past, a yacht is a unique environment, and consulting a designer who specializes in yacht interiors is imperative. This
is especially true when building to MCA or SOLAS safety codes. Your interior designer should have experience working with difficult design elements with watertight
doors and fire suppression systems. Yachting is a business of aesthetics and the best yachts use the best yacht designers. Anyone who may have eventual input on
the yacht's interior (your spouse, your family) should be active in the initial consultations with the designer, because change orders occurring later in the
build can be extremely costly in terms of money and time. Terry Hines advises that when it comes to yachting, "all mistakes cost money." As the interior layout
is being designed, it is very important to get the crew's perspective. Owners who do not already have a crew should make arrangements through their broker to
"borrow" one. A consultation with professionals who know the logistics of running a successful charter yacht is an essential part of the yacht's design process.
At the minimum, seek the advice of a chef. To be thorough, in addition to the project captain, speak with a deck officer and engineer. Pay close attention to
the crew's remarks regarding personal space, work space, storage, equipment and appliances, as
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