19 Oct 2011

Refit on 46m Radial shelved

By Belinda Liversedge

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A major refit involving a complete transformation to the exterior of 46m Radial has just been abandoned. The owner decided to call off the project despite new designs being fully drawn up by Studio Spadolini.
 
Plans for the refit at Sud Marine shipyard were reported in the media today, but after speaking to the yard, SuperyachtNews can confirm the project is now no longer going ahead. The owner initially sought the extensive refit because he did not want to replace a much-loved yacht. Studio Spadolini, which worked on the dramatic redesign, which would see angular exterior lines transformed into a more fluid look, said the yacht was "very much loved by the owner and all his family".


46m Radial has had three refits since her 1985 build date

However, despite the yacht being taken to the yard, the owner pulled out of the project. Phil Rose, Sud Marine’s Operations and Production Manager, confirmed that the owner decided in the end "it was cheaper to buy a new one."
 
The news was a blow to the yard, which although completely full according to Rose, has no current projects of the magnitude Radial was offering. He said, "there wouldn’t have been a square inch of the vessel left unchanged. We were really looking forward to start work.”
 
The work would have seen a series of new gentle exterior lines added. Extensive plans initially revealed by Studio Spadolini said work would "start from the hull and main deck going up with new bulwarks, aft decks, sun deck and mast." The refit would also have involved a "complete[ly] new design around the pilot house and on the interior of the helm station and bow section.”


As Radial would have looked from designs by Studio Spadolini

The news is in keeping with the widespread financial conservatism that the state of the troubled global economy has triggered, says Rose.
 
He said: “There’s little refit work around; we seem to be the only busy yard in the area. People seem to have been excited and optimistic from the busy charter season but hesitation is creeping in again.”
 
He added that he had been asked for several quotes for big refits over the summer, but none of them had come to fruition.

Related Links

Sud Marine Profile | Sud Marine Website

Studio Spadolini Profile | Studio Spadolini Website

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