Sorrowful woman in white floaty dress gazes into sea from a boat as it motors past a rock

On the same day that Feadship announced it was getting into the second-hand market and brokering its previous models, Apreamare has announced the establishment of the Apreamare Refit division. Although not on the same scale as Feadship (which launched its own refit and repairs division in 2018), the news follows a slew of companies who appear to be taking responsibility for their craft and embracing the make-do and mend (and sell services, or the boat again, for a hefty profit) model.

Apreamare says the new business unit was created in response to numerous requests over the years from shipowners who expressed the need for a refit and ‘extraordinary’ maintenance service directly managed by the shipyard.

The refit division will be dedicated exclusively to Apreamare boats and will be housed in a 3,000 square metre warehouse, within the company’s main production site in Torre Annunziata. The facility will accommodate up to five boats at the same time for a complete range of restoration and modernisation operations. The division, operational since 1 September 2024, is equipped to meet the needs of the entire Apreamare fleet, which numbers approximately 2,000 boats worldwide.

The Apreamare workforce will offer a range of services, ranging from teak deck replacement and painting, to changing the upholstery and indoor/outdoor covers and upgrading the navigation systems and on-board systems. Each service will be rendered with the goal of maintaining and increasing the value of the boats while ensuring greater comfort, efficiency and safety during navigation.

“It is a source of pride for me to announce this new refit division, which was born from a market request, and which testifies to the prestige of our boats sailing the world’s seas,” says Cataldo Aprea, president of Apreamare. “A special thanks to all the Apreamare workers who work every day with commitment and care so that we can continue to offer a product of the highest quality.” The company also recently announced it was strengthening its global expansion via new distribution deals.

Upcycling yachts is for some, but not for others

Recently Discovery Yachts announced it was grasping its environmental responsibilities by the horns and launched what it billed as the world’s first upcycled yacht brand.

“The reDiscovery proposition breaks new ground in an industry that has never paid proper attention to optimising the life, value and environmental impact of yachts in the 50-70ft market,” says co-founder and CEO Dan Couchman. “Depending on final specification, the reDiscovery offers a serious saving on the cost of a new build yacht.” The company’s offering a proprietary comprehensive refit service to ‘as new’ standard with a minimum specification of installed upgrades and technology from propulsion, rig, electronics, safety equipment and more.

In July last year, Fairline’s chief executive Paul Grys told MIN he was not hearing a demand for sustainability from customers.

“We’re not seeing a change from our customers about what they are looking for. Fairline currently does not offer a sustainable option within its product range,” Grys said at the time. “We are, however, interacting with key strategic supplier partners and look forward to reviewing more sustainable technologies and opportunities.” Similarly, the company didn’t have an end-of-life policy for its product, and Grys reiterated: “our customers aren’t currently asking for sustainability.”

The post Apreamare adapts warehouse to open refit division appeared first on Marine Industry News.