DECISIONS, DECISIONS

Let’s face it: Boats are an expensive investment. There is no getting around that fact. So with that in mind, coupled with the unique circumstances of the boating market in early 2021, we approach the scenario of those who might be faced with the choice of either building a brand-new custom boat or extensively refitting an older model. Each has its strong points. We leaned heavily on the professional advice of three custom-boat builders who are quite experienced on the refit side as well: Randy Ramsey, president of Jarrett Bay Boatworks; Michael Rybovich of Michael Rybovich & Sons; and Dominick LaCombe Sr. and his son, Dominick Jr., president and general manager, respectively, at American Custom Yachts.

DEFINING A REFIT

“Everyone has a different idea of what a refit really means,” LaCombe Sr. says, “so that’s an important starting point—to actually define what you mean when you use that term. Some might think it’s a refit when it’s really just an upgrade.” He points out that there are three stages of work that are typically done to a boat: maintenance, upgrades and a full refit. “What some owners might see as a complete overhaul is really just maintenance,” he points out. “To us, a major refit is taking the boat down to nearly the bare hull, replacing the major components, and either replacing or rebuilding the engines.” Timewise, projects like that might take nine months to a year to complete, and it’s all based