44m ENCORE Offered at €17.21m After Orams Auckland Refit

ENCORE's return to New Zealand brought back people who built her

The 43.9-metre sailing yacht ENCORE is being offered for sale at €17.21 million following an extensive six-month refit at Orams Marine in Auckland. Built by Alloy Yachts in 2013 to a Dubois Naval Architects design, the sloop returned to the country where she was constructed for work spanning the rig, coatings, machinery and electronic systems.

One unusually valuable aspect of the project was the involvement of people who knew the yacht from the original build. The former project manager and some former Alloy Yachts tradespeople were engaged during the programme, giving the refit team access to practical knowledge of structures and installations that may not be obvious from drawings alone.

A complete rig inspection required major dismantling

The yacht's rig was removed for its scheduled ten-year service. Rig Pro and Southern Spars inspected the EC6 carbon standing rigging, while Maffioli supplied new running rigging. Such work is central to the reliability of a large performance sailing yacht, where standing-rig loads and the condition of terminals and components influence safety under sail.

The mast and boom were repainted together with the hull and superstructure. Teak decks were re-seamed and sanded, making the cosmetic elements of the programme substantial, but the engineering work is more informative to a prospective owner than a fresh exterior finish by itself.

Classification and engineering work went below the waterline

ENCORE completed a full American Bureau of Shipping survey that included hull gauging, weld inspection and assessment of underwater equipment. Shafting, propeller, rudder and steering components were among the areas considered. Both Northern Lights generator sets received top-end rebuilds.

Systems work also covered yacht monitoring, navigation, networking, entertainment and lighting. These upgrades span both the systems the captain uses to manage the vessel and the equipment on which guests depend during long passages. Buyers should review commissioning records, remaining warranties and the precise scope of each replacement rather than assume all equipment is new.

The sale combines an established sailing yacht with documented renewal

ENCORE has reportedly remained in private use and has not been offered for charter. That operating history is part of the brokerage proposition, but it should be considered with logbooks, sail inventories, rig inspection records and the full machinery service history when assessing condition.

A yacht with a fresh class survey and extensive refit may offer a different proposition from a newly built sailing yacht, although it remains a vessel delivered in 2013. The public asking price is not a confirmed transaction value, and the next owner will still need to decide how the yacht is maintained and operated.

What prospective buyers should establish before a survey

A sailing yacht's rig inspection has a different significance from replacing ordinary decorative equipment. The buyer's technical team should obtain the records of disassembly, inspection, any component replacements and subsequent tuning, together with evidence of mast and sail-handling checks carried out after the rig was reinstalled. Documentation is especially valuable when different specialist firms have worked on separate parts of the system.

The ABS survey and generator work also deserve detailed supporting records. A new paint finish can be appreciated immediately, but the quality of the engineering programme is demonstrated over time through performance, maintenance access and the ability of crew to operate the vessel reliably on long passages.