The Superyacht Builders Association (SYBAss) is discussing with three US superyacht builders the possibility of joining this select organisation over the next few months. SYBAss secretary general, Theo Hooning tells SB that "I will be at Miami to discuss membership with the three yards. I have already visited two of them." The membership has recently been expanded with the Burger Boat Company being made up to a full member and Proteksan-Turquoise joining as the first member yard from Turkey.

To become a member of SYBAss, an applicant has to have completed three yachts of 40m (131ft) or more over the past 10 years. With the two new members the membership has risen to 19 and includes: Abeking & Rasmussen, Alloy Yachts, Amels, Baglietto, Benetti, Cantieri di Pisa, CRN, Delta Marine, Feadship, ISA, Lurssen, Oceanco, Pendennis, Perini Navi, Royal Husiman, Trinity Yachts and Vitters. Holland Jachtbouw is also a candidate member.

Plans of SYBAss to form a refit group led to a Refit Committee being set up, whose members held a meeting at METS last year. As ICOMIA has also set up a Refit Group the plan is for the two groups to share a meeting at METS this year and for this to possibly become an annual event. Hooning tells SB that: "Many of the technical and environmental issues that affect refit are the same for newbuild. A meeting at METS was sensible because most of the yards are there." As to the current market he says he is "praying for the future as what we have now is a grim picture and will lead to a smaller market." He says he sees a future market which is more focused on "real yachties" with less speculative building but that "there will always be would-be yachties that will want to own a superyacht. These are future clients of SYBAss members."


Superyacht Business / David Robinson, 10 February 2010