Before & After: Orams Marine's Refit of Latitude a World Superyacht Award Finalist

Auckland’s Orams Marine has been named as a finalist for the prestigious World Superyacht Awards in the Refit of the Year category. The company, based in the marine industry area of Auckland’s Wynyard Quarter has been lauded for its work on 45 metre motoryacht, Latitude. The project saw 12 months of work completed in exactly 184 days - an ambitious target time frame set before work began.

The extensive refit, the first major service period for the vessel in three years, covered a full repaint, engineering work and major structural work on this adventurous motoryacht, which has transversed the North West Passage twice. The vessel had covered 40,000 nautical miles through some of the world’s harshest conditions prior to reaching Auckland.

Orams Marine’s Craig Park flew to Copenhagen to meet with the captain prior to the refit. “The captain, Sean Meagher, explained to me the plan for a modernised, more usable flybridge area. After a series of preliminary onsite sketches, the concept was sent to a naval architect who turned that sketch into construction drawings.

Once the yacht arrived in New Zealand, our project managers and tradesmen turned Captain Meagher’s vision into an entirely new space on the vessel,” says Park.

The interior of the flybridge was removed in its entirety so that the structure and joinery could be completely remodelled. The addition of a bar and jacuzzi as well as mood lighting created a completely new space for the yacht’s owners to enjoy.

The structure was rebuilt in composite which reduced the weight of the upper deck of the yacht and future-proofed against corrosion of the additional structure. The refit also saw the two main engines rebuilt, two complete generator replacements, shaft seal and bearing replacements, hydraulic system overhaul, bow thruster overhaul and watermaker overhaul among other projects.

The finalist position isn’t the first time Orams Marine’s refit work has drawn accolades. Work on the refit of 44 metre Shenandoah of Sark saw it reach the hotly contested finals of the 2010 World Superyacht Awards, with the latest nomination only adding to the company, and the country’s, reputation for exceptional craftsmanship.

Plans created by naval architect, Kraken Yachts, were implemented onsite by Orams’ team of project managers who were tasked with the considerable role of bringing together a number of trades to complete the refit on time.

The work was undertaken at Orams Marine’s yard which sits in the heart of Auckland’s marine industry cluster. Orams Marine’s 600 tonne slipway is in almost constant demand with vessels keen to take advantage of New Zealand craftsmen’s skill and reputation for marine excellence.

Orams’ work has proven popular with yachts spending tine in the Pacific or completing circumnavigations as the yard’s team has a track record of undertaking comprehensive projects with quality results.

“We look forward to further showcasing New Zealand engineering and craftsmanship, and continuing to grow our skilled tradespeople from their start as apprentices to the moment they take their place on the world stage with projects like this one,” says NZ Marine executive director, Peter Busfield.

The awards will be announced in May at the ceremony in Florence. 

Photo credit: Thumbnail, modified from photo by Karsten Sperling, Wikimedia Commons.