For the past two years, the classic megayacht Marala has been in a Pendennis drydock undergoing comprehensive works. Earlier this month, the Marala refit reached a major milestone, seeing her float out perfectly on her lines.
The 1930s-era megayacht arrived at Pendennis in 2019 “to complete a restoration and preserve her spirit for many years to come,” her captain said at the time. Fascinatingly, the now-90-year-old yacht still has some original equipment, like her 750-MAN diesel engines. That largely results from her previous owners—only three of them, in fact—ensuring she remained true to her original character. Charles E. Nicholson penned those lines all those years ago, and Camper & Nicholsons in the UK constructed her. Equally noteworthy for her era is her length, 194 feet (59 meters).
“The extensive structural and paint works undertaken have been a major part of the project for the owners,” the captain says. The Marala refit at Pendennis has involved removing modifications from World War II, for example. (It was common for pleasure yachts around the world to press into wartime service.) Some additional structural changes took place in the decades afterwards, too, so those have come off.
The captain further says that every aspect of the Marala refit comes down to the owners’ emotions. “Their passion for the yacht and this restoration project has been driven by their desire to preserve and secure Marala’s pedigree for both themselves and future generations of classic-yacht enthusiasts,” he explains.
Pendennis anticipates completing the final phase of the restoration by springtime. The megayacht will remain in its wet-basin facility. Some of that work includes interior design details. Although images aren’t available, anticipate the decor being true to her original era, richly Art Deco in style. Marala arrived at the shipyard already with that look amid her seven staterooms.
Pendennis pendennis.com
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