There’s resurgent interest in Australia from American superyacht owners and charterers. Home-grown activity in the country is growing, too, As a result, The Boat Works in Coomera is seeing significant refit and service demand. It’s therefore adding 50 percent more sheds and hard-standing space to its still-new superyacht yard.
The family-run shipyard, which christened the superyacht site in 2020, is spending about US$20.3 million (AUS$30 million) on the new facilities. Interestingly, the Longhurst family had always planned further expansion, but fast-tracked this move. Some of the work is already finished as well. Three new workshops are up and running at The Boat Works, for instance. Still to come is haul-out machinery, to complement existing TraveLifts capable of a maximum load of about 300 tons. Everything should be in place the end of this year.
One of the most-anticipated new features among the overall 55 acres of refit and maintenance space is the Commercial Centre. A two-story building (below), it will include offices and showrooms for service providers and brokers. Conveniently, it will be adjacent to the Kokomo Kitchen & Bar and a good supplement to the Captains’ Lounge.
Tony Longhurst, the CEO of The Boat Works, says the new infrastructure is urgently needed. “There is a huge demand to accommodate more boats under cover, and our 70 sheds have reached capacity,” he explains. Providing more opportunities for its marine-service partners, he continues, means The Boat Works becomes more efficient as well. (It presently lets captains, crew, and project managers tap the expertise of more than 60 yachting businesses on site.)
Additionally a consideration: the Olympic Games in less than a decade. “Since January 2020, the Australian charter fleet has grown from 59 charter vessels to now 120,” notes David Good, the CEO of the trade organization AIMEX Superyacht Australia. “In the lead-up to the Brisbane 2023 Olympics, there will be more demand than ever, especially for refit and maintenance facilities.”
Currently, The Boat Works can handle megayachts to about 160 feet (49 meters) in the water.
The Boat Works theboatworks.com.au
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