The new-build captain
Captain Grant Maugham of 64m motoryacht 'Turmoil' and Captain Bryan Carter of 31m motoryacht 'King Baby' explain why they love the new build process and the importance of having a captain involved from the very start.…
The new build captain sees a thought process, an idea, transform into their next job and their next home. It’s a process that the captain sees through from beginning to end, and it is this reason Captain Grant Maugham of Royal Denship’s 64m motoryacht Turmoil, who acted as the new build captain for Royal Denship’s 63m Big Roi (now Force Blue) and Halter Marine’s 56m Pangaea.
“Some people find it hard to understand, but you see a pile of stuff, all this machinery – nuts and bolts, wood, whatever – and at the end you get something that’s almost as technical as a space shuttle,” Captain Maughan told The Crew Report. “I like to see that whole expansion, the whole thing grow, and at the end of it go wow, people have done that. Just think about how many man hours have gone into it. That’s what I like about it.
“You’ve been in the shipyard for refit or maintenance, or are doing a new build, and people ask how I can spend a couple of years hanging around the shipyard, but I find it really interesting.”
However it can’t just be about passion. Technicalities, from the early stages of design to the latest outfitting stage, remain incredibly important roles within the framework of the new build captain. He or she is, after all, the crewmember accountable and in charge of running the vessel, and managing numerous crewmembers on board.
Captain Bryan Carter of Hargrave’s 31m motoryacht King Baby, who is currently the new build captain for King Baby’s owner’s IAG new build. And for Captain Carter being familiar with the owner of the new build has been hugely helpful. “I’ve been with the owner for eight years so he’s trusted me with lots of the design elements, because I know how they use their boat,” he told The Crew Report.
Having a captain that is so heavily involved from the beginnings of the design process means that one particular aspect of design, that is often sacrificed if an owner doesn’t work closely with a captain at this stage, is adhered to. And what aspect is this? “Crew access, crew service, and the ability to make it flow,” Captain Carter told me. “The traffic pattern, crew going in and out of the galley, in and out of their work spaces without interfering with the owners and guests.
“It’s a space issue,” Captain Carter explained. “It’s about planning entries and exits. Even where the deck supplies are storied – in convenient, quick and easy locations. It’s all in the general arrangement, the checking and rechecking. Honestly, looking at all the other boats and their layout, and talking to other crew and captains to find out whether they have problems with their layouts, they say most of it starts around the galley, and then it’s the common area and bars, getting food from the galley to the fly bridge. Our solution is we’ve put a dumb waiter in the boat. The crew don’t have to carry everything, which takes quite a while, going back and forth.”
Listening to the new build captain is important. Speaking to these two captains along I discovered both the true passion these captains have in being involved in such a complex, lengthy and rewarding process, while learning about on-board design issues from these captains that we as an industry need to understand and take into account. New builds are the future of the superyacht industry so it is imperative that we engage with those involved to learn about betting our industry’s future.
“Some people find it hard to understand, but you see a pile of stuff, all this machinery – nuts and bolts, wood, whatever – and at the end you get something that’s almost as technical as a space shuttle,” Captain Maughan told The Crew Report. “I like to see that whole expansion, the whole thing grow, and at the end of it go wow, people have done that. Just think about how many man hours have gone into it. That’s what I like about it.
“You’ve been in the shipyard for refit or maintenance, or are doing a new build, and people ask how I can spend a couple of years hanging around the shipyard, but I find it really interesting.”
However it can’t just be about passion. Technicalities, from the early stages of design to the latest outfitting stage, remain incredibly important roles within the framework of the new build captain. He or she is, after all, the crewmember accountable and in charge of running the vessel, and managing numerous crewmembers on board.
Captain Bryan Carter of Hargrave’s 31m motoryacht King Baby, who is currently the new build captain for King Baby’s owner’s IAG new build. And for Captain Carter being familiar with the owner of the new build has been hugely helpful. “I’ve been with the owner for eight years so he’s trusted me with lots of the design elements, because I know how they use their boat,” he told The Crew Report.
Having a captain that is so heavily involved from the beginnings of the design process means that one particular aspect of design, that is often sacrificed if an owner doesn’t work closely with a captain at this stage, is adhered to. And what aspect is this? “Crew access, crew service, and the ability to make it flow,” Captain Carter told me. “The traffic pattern, crew going in and out of the galley, in and out of their work spaces without interfering with the owners and guests.
"Honestly, looking at all
the other boats and their layout, and talking to other crew and captains to
find out whether they have problems with their layouts, they say most of it
starts around the galley, and then it’s the common area and bars, getting food
from the galley to the fly bridge." - Captain Bryan Carter
“It’s a space issue,” Captain Carter explained. “It’s about planning entries and exits. Even where the deck supplies are storied – in convenient, quick and easy locations. It’s all in the general arrangement, the checking and rechecking. Honestly, looking at all the other boats and their layout, and talking to other crew and captains to find out whether they have problems with their layouts, they say most of it starts around the galley, and then it’s the common area and bars, getting food from the galley to the fly bridge. Our solution is we’ve put a dumb waiter in the boat. The crew don’t have to carry everything, which takes quite a while, going back and forth.”
Listening to the new build captain is important. Speaking to these two captains along I discovered both the true passion these captains have in being involved in such a complex, lengthy and rewarding process, while learning about on-board design issues from these captains that we as an industry need to understand and take into account. New builds are the future of the superyacht industry so it is imperative that we engage with those involved to learn about betting our industry’s future.
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