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Article selected from our quarterly magazine dedicated to the largest
and most luxurious boats with information, interviews, technical
articles, images and yachting news
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ASTILLEROS DE MALLORCA, DEDICATED TO SUPERYACHTS
We have already talked about the subject of refitting on these pages, looking into the reasons behind an owner preferring a used boat adapted to his own needs, often turning the concept of the original project upside down. We have mentioned vintage boats that have been completely rebuilt, working boats adapted for yachting and boats whose fame is due to their former owners or to events in which they played a leading role; their historical value meaning they are given due care and attention. This time we want to discuss boatyards specialising in this kind of activity, that is, those able to restore a schooner's original splendour or to turn a tug boat into a comfortable luxury yacht. There are only a few boatyards in the world known for their skills in this specific sector, Astilleros de Mallorca amongst them.
For further information please contact Astilleros Mallorca; Contramuelle Mollet 11; Palma de Mallorca; Spain tel. +34-71 710645/46/47; fax +34-71 721368; web site www.astillerosdemallorca.com; email info@astillerosdemallorca.com |
The company was
originally set up in 1942 with the name of Astilleros de Palma
S.A., in the port area of Palma de Mallorca. Astilleros de
Mallorca has always been involved in the provision of assistance
and maintenance to important boats and the yard also used to build
new boats until 1990, when they stopped this activity to
concentrate exclusively on growing refitting work. The yard
produced about 200 boats - including fishing boats, tenders,
dredgers, sailing ships, tankers and yachts - some of which are
still in use today, like the largest schooner built since the 1930's.
At present Astilleros de Mallorca enjoys a particularly
high reputation on an international level for work carried out on
yachts between 30 and 65 metres in length.
It is no coincidence that 80% of the boats handled by the yard
over the past ten years are registered or come from non-EU flags
and harbours, yachts that came to Palma de Mallorca solely because
of the presence of this famous boatyard. Further proof of
Astilleros de Mallorca's expertise is provided by the numerous
top-level refits they carry out each year - i.e. those with a
value greater than 30% of the boat's original cost. Each year more
than 100 superyachts are entrusted to the care of the Iberian
yard; some of which undergo ordinary maintenance, but most of
which have complex work done on them, including transformation of
the boat's original intended use.
Astilleros de Mallorca carries out all the different kinds of work
inside its own yard, collaborating with companies in the same area
who provide technology, materials and technical personnel
specialised in the working of each individual component. The
boatyard has its own workshops for carpentry, steel, aluminium and
all the on-board metalwork, engine and transmission, electronics,
electrical systems, rigging, sail repair and any other kind of
work necessary on a superyacht (whether sail or engine powered), a
vintage boat, or an ex-merchant-ship requiring conversion.
Astilleros de Mallorca's premises extend over 220m of quayside
equipped with a 10,000kg travel lift, as well as others (25,000 ,
10,000 and 5,000kg) located on the mainland, four slipways, of
which two are 74m long with a capacity of 1,700,000kg, one 63m
long with a capacity of 800,000kg and one 6m long with a capacity
of 400,000kg. There are also 3,650 square metres of space reserved
for work on smaller yachts up to 25,000kg tonnage. Each yacht
undergoing work can count on 220 or 380V 50Hz mains power, a
telephone line, and fax and email in the boatyard's offices. We
paid a visit to the yard last spring and were amazed not only by
what we have tried to describe in these few lines, but also by
what was on show while we toured the facilities. We were also
struck by the technical office's enormous archive where we found
designers, engineers and architects carrying out daily research
into solutions capable of satisfying the most unusual requests.
The most awe-inspiring fact was the incredible amount of
information stored relative to thousands of yachts and their
accessories, Astilleros de Mallorca's technical office is able to
propose suitable solutions for every type of boat and requirement,
both for furnishings and for all the technical equipment to
complete the job. The yard has efficient network connections with
companies all over the world operating in the boat sector,
enabling it to retrieve information and materials for any kind of
requirement. One of the latest works recently completed by the
yard is the 52.75m motor yacht "Passion", formerly "Destiny of
Langdawi", which required 22 months' reconstruction work, in order
to comply with SOLAS regulations and BV rules.
This challenging refitting operation involved the structure and
superstructure, fixtures, engines, control room and all the interiors.
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