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Featured Posts
Red Flags I Look For When Reviewing a Survey Report
A yacht survey report can be one of the most important documents in the buying process. It can also be one of the most difficult to interpret. For many owners and prospective buyers, the challenge is not simply reading the list of defects. It is understanding what those defects mean in practical terms. Some findings are minor maintenance items. Some are negotiation points. Some are signs of deeper neglect. Others may affect safety, reliability, insurance, refit cost or the ve
Alastair Brazier
Jul 2
The Hidden Costs of Deferred Maintenance
Owners rarely choose to neglect their yachts. More often, maintenance is deferred for understandable reasons. The yacht has had little recent use. A component still appears to be working. The season is already busy. A repair looks expensive. There are more urgent priorities competing for time and money. The owner intends to deal with it later. That is normal. Yacht ownership involves constant decisions about what to inspect, service, repair, replace or postpone. The problem i
Alastair Brazier
Jun 26
How Much Does It Really Cost to Own an Explorer Yacht?
The purchase price is only the entry point. We break down the real annual cost of owning a 50–80-foot explorer yacht, from berthing and fuel to maintenance, crew and major system replacement.
Alastair Brazier
Jul 1910 min read
What Spare Parts Should You Carry for Offshore Cruising?
One of the most common questions owners ask before heading offshore is: What spare parts should I carry? It is a sensible question. Once a yacht is away from marinas, engineers, chandlers and next-day delivery, even a relatively small failure can become disruptive if the right part is not onboard. A blocked fuel filter, failed impeller, broken belt, leaking hose or faulty pump may be simple to resolve alongside. Offshore, the same problem can interrupt a passage, increase wor
Alastair Brazier
Jul 910 min read
Maintenance Backlogs: How They Develop and How to Recover
Most yacht maintenance problems do not appear suddenly. They build slowly. One missed service becomes two. A small leak is monitored rather than fixed. A pump still works, but sounds tired. Batteries are “probably fine for another season”. A seacock is stiff, but not urgent. The fuel filters look acceptable, the bilge alarm has not been tested recently, and the engine room still looks broadly tidy. Nothing feels dramatic. But over time, small delays become a maintenance backl
Alastair Brazier
Jul 510 min read
Refit or Replace? Deciding Whether to Upgrade Existing Systems
One of the most common questions in yacht ownership is whether an existing system should be repaired, refitted or replaced completely. It is also one of the easiest decisions to get wrong. Replacing equipment can feel reassuring. New machinery, new electronics and new control systems all create the impression of progress. But new does not automatically mean better, and replacement does not automatically mean reliability. Equally, keeping old systems running indefinitely can b
Alastair Brazier
Jun 288 min read
The Hidden Costs of Deferred Maintenance
Owners rarely choose to neglect their yachts. More often, maintenance is deferred for understandable reasons. The yacht has had little recent use. A component still appears to be working. The season is already busy. A repair looks expensive. There are more urgent priorities competing for time and money. The owner intends to deal with it later. That is normal. Yacht ownership involves constant decisions about what to inspect, service, repair, replace or postpone. The problem i
Alastair Brazier
Jun 269 min read
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