So yard and owners pored over fabric and wood samples and toyed with floor plans and, of course, budgets and finally settled on a course of action that would make everyone happy for about $400,000—not an unreasonable investment in a yacht that probably cost two to three times that new. Most of the money would be applied to the interior; neither the mechanicals nor the electronics would be touched, nor would any fiberglass work be undertaken to change the yacht’s basic profile.
Ryan Pennell
The newer dining space not only offers comfortable restaurant-style seating but also is surrounded by curved cherry that received multiple coats of lacquer courtesy of the craftsmen at Knight & Carver.
Knight & Carver hauled Princess Pauline and began what everyone thought would be a six-month-at-most project. The owner was excited—so excited that he frequently flew up from Mexico to check on the progress of the project. He was delighted with what the folks at Knight & Carver were doing, but as the modifications began to take shape, he began to realize that it wasn’t quite what he had in mind. So he made some changes—just a few—but important ones. Subsequent trips resulted in more changes, and soon the budget had ballooned to $600,000—significant inflation but still better than a new Azimut.
More changes followed: a circular staircase down to the owner’s aft stateroom, new windows to significantly soften Princess Pauline’s sharp exterior, a Jacuzzi tub on the flying bridge (which necessitated raising the radar arch nine inches so people wouldn’t bump their heads).
Finally the price tag hit $1 million—which was getting perilously close to that new Azimut—and kept going. But when the job was finished a little more than a year later, a strange thing happened. Instead of being shocked and irate and questioning the yard bill line by line, the owner was ecstatic. Princess Pauline was exactly what he had envisioned.
Ryan Pennell
The old bar has been replaced by a slightly smaller one (not shown), but to make sure the yacht is stil entertainment-friendly, Knight & Carver added a wine cooler in the aft starboard corner. Other big changes include the addition of a 45-inch LCD TV on the forward bulkhead and a private stairway to the owner’s cabin.
Since then the love affair has, if anything, deepened. In fact, the owner is so happy with his “new” yacht, he’s planning more renovations, like new electronics and maybe even a repower. Those should take the total cost of the refit to—well, does it really matter? Here’s an owner who has the money, has the yacht he wants, and has found a yard that can translate his dreams into reality.
Like some moon-eyed Romeo, he’s in love and knows that logic has no place in this affair.
Knight & Carver
(619) 336-4141
This article originally appeared in the April 2007 issue of Power & Motoryacht magazine.
