Yacht Refit Cost Factors Explained
By Maréa Yachts · Reviewed 15 July 2026
There is no honest headline figure for a refit. The price is driven by the volume of work — surface area, labour hours, yard time and specification — rather than by the yacht's length alone, and by how much is discovered once panels come off. The most reliable way to control the cost is a scope of work written in enough detail that every yard is pricing the same job.
Why nobody can quote a refit from a length
Refit pricing is often discussed as though it followed a simple rule of thumb per metre. It does not. Two yachts of identical length can sit at opposite ends of the cost range depending on their age, systems, interior, condition and what the owner actually wants at the end. A cosmetic freshen-up and a structural rebuild are both called refits, and the word does none of the work of telling you which one you are buying.
What follows is not a price list — it is a map of the levers. Understanding them lets you read a quotation properly and ask better questions of a yard.
The main cost drivers
| Cost driver | Why it moves the price |
|---|---|
| Size & volume | Work scales with area and volume, not length. A wider, taller yacht has more hull and superstructure to prepare, more deck to lay, more interior to touch. A few extra metres can mean a great deal more surface. |
| The paint job | For many refits this is the single biggest variable. Fairing and preparation are labour hours, not materials, and the yacht occupies a shed for the whole cycle. The finish standard you ask for changes the hours dramatically. |
| Scope creep & unknowns | Corrosion, wet core, tired wiring and failed sealant tend to reveal themselves only once panels are opened. Every refit discovers something; the question is whether the budget expected it. |
| Materials & specification | Marine-grade and class-approved products cost more than their industrial equivalents, and specification choices — coatings, teak, fabrics, equipment brands — move the total considerably for the same nominal task. |
| Labour rates & yard location | Hourly rates differ by region and by yard. A lower rate is only an advantage if the hours, standard and supervision are comparable. |
| Shed vs open-air | Painting and many finishing tasks need a controlled, enclosed environment. Shed availability, and whether the travel-lift or dock can take the yacht's weight and beam at all, can decide both cost and feasibility. |
| Project duration | Time is a cost in itself: yard fees, berthing, insurance, and crew salaries while the yacht earns and does nothing. A longer programme costs more even if the work list never changes. |
| Class & survey | Class-approved materials, documentation, attending surveyors and required inspections add both cost and calendar. Commercially registered yachts carry more of this than private ones. |
| Interior joinery & soft furnishings | Bespoke means hours. Veneer matching, curved work, upholstery and loose furnishings are craft-intensive and rarely quick, and the interior is where owner taste changes most during a project. |
| Engineering & systems age | Older machinery, obsolete electronics and parts no longer supported push you towards replacement rather than repair — and one replacement often forces another downstream. |
| Logistics & lead times | Freight, customs and import duty on parts, and long lead times on specialist equipment. A part that is late does not only cost its own price; it can hold the whole yard slot open. |
| Owner's team & project management | Someone must write the scope, check the work, price variations and hold the programme. This is a real line item — and typically the one that pays for itself. |
| Contingency | Not padding. A refit without a contingency is a refit that will be renegotiated under pressure once something is found. |
Why quotes for the "same" job differ wildly
Almost always because they are not the same job. One yard reads "paint the hull" as fair, prime and finish the whole surface to a mirror standard; another reads it as spot repair and polish. One assumes new sealant everywhere; another only where it has failed. One has allowed for what might be found behind the headlining; another has assumed nothing will be. The numbers look comparable and are describing different projects.
This is why the cheapest quote is so often the least specified. A low figure can reflect efficiency and a sensible rate — or it can reflect optimistic assumptions that reappear later as variation orders, at a point where you have no leverage because the yacht is already stripped and in the shed. When you compare quotes, compare the scope behind them first and the total last.
The best cost control is a written scope
Before you approach yards, define what is being done, to what standard, in what materials, in what sequence, and what happens if something unexpected is found — including how variations are priced and who approves them. A clear scope does three things at once: it makes quotes genuinely comparable, it removes most of the arguments that inflate a project, and it forces the honest conversations early, while they are still cheap.
And sometimes the answer is no
A refit's value case depends on the vessel and its purpose. A yacht you intend to keep for many years, with sound structure and a layout you love, can justify substantial work that would never make sense on a spreadsheet. A tired hull bought cheaply on the assumption it can be brought back for a modest sum is a different story, and the honest answer is sometimes that the refit is not worth doing — that the money is better spent on a better starting point. That conclusion is worth reaching before the yard invoice starts, not after.
Why do refit quotes for the same yacht differ so much?
Usually because they are not quoting the same work. One yard may assume a full fairing and paint job while another assumes a local repair and polish; one may include class survey support and another may not. When the scope of work is written in detail, the spread between quotes narrows considerably.
What is usually the single biggest cost in a refit?
For many refits it is the paint job. Fairing and surface preparation are labour-intensive, the work needs a controlled environment, and shed time is charged for the whole duration. Painting is rarely a small line item once the hull is stripped back.
Is the cheapest quote a good idea?
Often the cheapest quote is simply the least specified. If a yard has assumed less work, cheaper materials or no allowance for what is found once panels come off, the difference tends to reappear later as variation orders. Compare the scope behind the number, not only the number.
How can I keep refit costs under control?
A clear, written scope of work is the best cost control available. Define what is being done, to what standard, with what materials, and what happens if something unexpected is found. Add a realistic contingency and agree how variations are priced and approved before work starts.
Related reading: Yacht refit in Türkiye · Writing a refit scope of work