Refit Refurbish

Revamping the interior of your vessel can be a cost-effective path to a new boating lifestyle. It pays to get some expert advice before you start.

People refit and refurbish boats for a variety of reasons.

Someone may have bought a boat and wants to add some personal touches: perhaps colours, interior fabrics and modern conveniences to match what they enjoy in their own homes. Occasionally owners opt for completely new interiors, hull extensions and rebuilt superstructures.

An older boat may need a complete overhaul, but often a refresh will suffice, and it may be as simple as a re-paint.

Re-vamping an older boat can transform it, says Braden Weber. His company, Weber Marine, specialises in wooden and composite motor launch refit, re-paint and refurbishment work.

“Old boats can be good structurally, so an interior revamp and a repaint can make them as good as new. And while some customers want a re-power, it’s often unnecessary and costly, especially if the vessel’s engines are built-in, requiring major deconstruction to replace them.”

Established in 2008, Weber Marine has grown from a one-man operation working from the back of a van to business employing seven full-time staff at a permanent 300m2 refit facility at Gulf Harbour. The shed can accommodate boats up to 60-feet long and the company leases hardstand space outside. Gulf Harbour has one of the biggest travel lifts in Auckland.

Weber Marine undertakes projects on vessels ranging from 30- to 110-feet and also works on boats in situ at marina berths and elsewhere. No job is too big, but small jobs such as re-sealing hatches are also important.

“We’re a one-stop shop. We manage the project from the

planning stages through to completion, organise the right people and source the best materials and equipment,” explains Weber.

The process usually starts with the owners discussing their plans with Weber.

“We listen and ask owners how they use their boats, how often, and what they want in the future. If they want to reconfigure the interior we work with them, providing options to better utilise the space and supplying CAD drawings and 3D renderings.

“We can also do full size mock-ups, to configure a cabin, for instance, a galley layout or a new hardtop,” says Weber. “We

Doing it properly saves the owner money in the long run,” asserts Weber.

Weber doesn’t cut costs anywhere, and that includes hardware. He sources and uses only the best quality skin fittings, deck hardware and fastenings.

Weber did his boat building apprenticeship with Brown and Miller Boatbuilders, followed by five years as leading hand at Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders, building mostly Elite mid-pilothouse launches. This experience instilled an appreciation for doing things the right way.

He then spent a year working aboard the last Elite he’d help build, Coastal Cowboy, travelling all over New Zealand, including the Chatham Islands, before settling down and starting Weber Marine.

His first project was a partial re-fit of the 75-foot Warwick powercat North Star, built for the 2000 America’s Cup. Since then Weber Marine has completed several projects aboard North Star, including a full repaint and interior makeover. The team also aligned her drivelines, a service they commonly provide, usually in conjunction with Marine

23 Westhaven Drive, St Marys Bay, Auckland. Phone: +64 9 302 2511 • Email: service@flagshipmarine.nz • parts@flagshipmarine.nz