A proven commercial hull — offshore supply, research, ice-class, search-and-rescue, government tonnage — is acquired, stripped, and re-engineered to yacht specification. The conversion delivers ocean-going pedigree no production yacht can match, typically at a fraction of the cost of a comparable new build.
A 63- to 80-metre purpose-built expedition yacht with comparable capability runs $60M to $150M, two to four years on a yard schedule, and ties up a build slot at one of a handful of capable shipyards. The conversion of a working vessel of the same size delivers the same capability — often greater capability — in 12 to 24 months at a fraction of the all-in cost.
The hull is already proven. The propulsion has run thousands of sea hours. The classification record is documented. The crew accommodations, deck machinery, and tank arrangements are sized for real ocean work, not show. What you are buying is engineering pedigree that no production yacht can match.
Gulf-of-Mexico and North Sea OSVs offer the most flexible converted platform: deep tank capacity, large open after deck for tender and helideck installation, twin-engine redundancy, and ice-strengthened variants available. The Ulstein UT family is arguably the most successful working hull form ever drawn.
SAR vessels are engineered for all-weather operation: high freeboard, ice-class hulls in northern variants, redundant propulsion, and exceptional sea-keeping. Conversion preserves the SAR-grade sea behaviour while replacing the working interior with yacht accommodation. The 63-metre Norwegian SAR conversion we are managing in Argentina is an example.
Ocean-science platforms come with extraordinary range, low-vibration propulsion (originally specified for acoustic work), and laboratory and scientific spaces that adapt naturally to expedition-yacht use — medical bays, dive support, ROV launch, helicopter ops.
Where a sovereign owner retires capable tonnage, conversion candidates appear on a buyer’s-market basis. Patrol vessels, coast guard cutters, hydrographic ships. Documentation is rigorous; due diligence is thorough.
Working from your mission brief, we identify candidate hulls on the open market and through direct owner relationships. Each candidate gets a one-page feasibility memo: hull suitability, classification trajectory, conversion-budget range, realistic delivered cost, and project timeline. The principal sees three to five candidates before any travel is committed.
We design with the studios best suited to the project: Grant Maughan Design for OSV and ice-class conversions; VPLP Design for wind-assisted variants through our WindVoyage joint venture; Espen Øino, Greg Marshall, Tim Heywood, and Steve Gresham on yacht-side interior and exterior development. Each engaged on the projects where their particular discipline best serves the owner.
Conversion yards we have personally worked with bid on a complete specification with bonded performance milestones. We negotiate the contract, the variation-order regime, the milestone payment schedule, and the warranty position. Owner protections — not yard protections — drive the contract.
Build supervision is weekly, in person, with documentation. We attend critical class inspections, sea trials, and delivery. Variation orders are tracked against a contracted ceiling; schedule slippage is reported in writing within 48 hours of identification.
Delivery is not the end of the engagement. We resolve warranty positions, follow first-season operational issues, and document the boat for the principal’s future reference.
Every conversion is specific to platform and mission — these ranges exist only to anchor expectations:
The most carbon-efficient hull is the one that already exists. Conversion of a commercial vessel is essentially a recycling and re-purposing endeavour — with the option to specify hybrid propulsion, waste-heat recovery, and optimised coatings to shrink the operating footprint of the finished yacht.
The first conversation costs nothing. For sustained sourcing, design coordination, or shipyard travel on your behalf we engage with a $15,000 USD / €15,000 EUR retainer that credits in full against the commission earned at conversion-contract signature.
Commission structure is disclosed in writing on every engagement. We do not accept undisclosed payments from shipyards, designers, or sub-contractors. The principal sees what we see.
See current vessels & conversion platforms for active engagements and available candidates. Where the right answer is a clean-sheet build instead, see new build owner’s representation. Where the right answer is a wind-powered hybrid, see our WindVoyage joint venture with VPLP Design and Norse Shipyard.
Bring us your mission. We will tell you in one conversation whether a conversion is the right path — and which platforms warrant the next step.
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