In the span of three years in the early 1940s, two dozen U.S. Navy minesweepers launched from Savannah Machine & Foundry along the Savannah River in Georgia. The massive graving dock where those—and further—military vessels saw construction now handles some of the world’s largest superyachts. Specifically, as part of Savannah Yacht Center, it allows American owners of yachts to 400 feet (about 122 meters) to seek refit and maintenance on home soil.
Of course, the shipyard welcomes clients from other countries. But, until major investments at the property about a decade ago, megayacht owners had limited options along the East Coast. The site had passed through several hands through the early 2000s for yacht construction, closing in 2007. The major transformation for yacht service and refit relaunched it as Savannah Yacht Center in 2016 and began attracting attention. Further investments when Safe Harbor Marinas acquired it in 2023 have raised its profile even more.
Some of the largest yachts in the world seek it out for a few reasons. Firstly, the Savannah River is a deep waterway and well maintained due to commercial vessel activity. Secondly, the graving dock is 459 feet (140 meters) long with a 24-foot (7.32-meter) depth. Within the past year, for instance, a 351-footer (107-meter) took advantage of it. Add in a 3,240-ton shiplift, space for nine yachts on the hard, and dockage for up to eight 262-footers (80-meters) simultaneously, and you begin to understand the bigger picture.
Savannah Yacht Center’s on-the-hard space is particularly noteworthy. “We can pull boats out of the water without anybody being blocked by anybody, and we can launch them and haul another without any interruption,” explains Francois van Well with Safe Harbor Marinas. This, he says, is due to the long, narrow configuration of the land, accommodating three lanes for three yachts apiece. This contrasts with short, wide configurations elsewhere. “Logistically, this is a really advantageous layout for us and for the customer,” van Well continues.
The moderate climate is yet another advantage. It means Savannah Yacht Center can welcome projects across multiple seasons. European yards, meanwhile, are accustomed to one cruising season and laying up yachts for the winter. “All our customers have a definitive arrival and definitive departure,” van Well says. “We can do certain service jobs faster than any yard in Europe, only because we have to figure it out. We all work together at that—the vendors, the yard, everybody is really aware.”
A wide variety of vendors are on site during any given yard period because of the business model. Although Savannah Yacht Center has its own cabinetry shop, independent contractors handle metal fabrication, electrical, engines, and all other duties. Pinmar, for example, has a dedicated paint shop for small parts at the shipyard gates. Overall, captains and owners’ teams are welcome to bring in their preferred vendors.
Being part of the Safe Harbor Marinas network, Savannah Yacht Center has the same back-office procedures as its sister yards. One of those sister yards is Rybovich in Florida. “Eighty percent of the boats go between the two locations, depending on the service they need,” van Well points out. This is especially interesting because captains tend to be creatures of habit, returning to a single place again and again. Being part of the same network lets the properties leverage each other’s openings. When captains want to head to Rybovich but van Well knows the drydock is booked for months, “I say, ‘why don’t you go (to Savannah)?’” Conveniently, it’s just a 24-hour run. Therefore, “you leave at high tide, you arrive at high tide. It’s not complicated.”
Also not complicated: investing more in the facilities. Since several vendors regularly are on site, van Well says, they’ve expressed interest in setting up offices and workshops. Additionally, shipyards are examining having on-site presences, due to establishing relationships. Feadship already has an office there. “Again, it’s all focused on how we can get more efficient,” he explains. “How do we serve our customer as fast and as efficiently as possible?”
Safe Harbor Savannah Yacht Center shmarinas.com
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