What to ask before committing to a new build

A new build runs for a year or more, usually in a yard several thousand miles away, in a language and a business culture that are not yours. The yard is good at building boats and is also, quite reasonably, looking after its own interests.

The decisions that are expensive to change

Tankage, machinery, and the layout of spaces you will only ever have seen as a drawing. These are settled early, by people who will not be living with the result, and they are the decisions that cost real money to revisit once the hull exists.

Questions worth asking the yard

What does the payment schedule track — real build milestones, or the calendar? Which options are genuinely worth the money, and which are upselling? What should the hull look like at forty per cent complete, and what does it mean if it does not?

None of these are trick questions. A good yard will answer them straightforwardly. The point of asking is that you find out early which kind of yard you are dealing with.

Why visits are timed, not frequent

Yard visits are worth making at the stages where a visit actually changes something, rather than at the ones that photograph well. Knowing which is which is most of the job.