How Burgess helps you build a better yacht

What does Burgess do during a new yacht build?

The Burgess New Build team provides yacht build management and superyacht project management, guiding you through every step of creating your dream yacht – from developing the concept and negotiating the yacht build contract to overseeing the build and supporting once the yacht is delivered. We make sure the process is enjoyable, efficient and cost-effective, while ensuring the final result is exactly what you envisioned.

What sets Burgess apart is the strength and depth of our in-house expertise. We are the only yachting company to offer a truly end-to-end service, combining naval architects, marine engineers, project managers, brokers and yacht managers working together under one roof. All this knowledge is fully utilised and forms an integral part of your project up to delivery and beyond. Every expert advocates exclusively for your interests, keeping your project fully aligned from first enquiry, through delivery, and into life on board.

Turning your vision into a clear yacht build brief

When beginning down the path of building a yacht, defining its purpose and usage is essential. Will this be a family yacht? Perhaps an explorer, or maybe a vessel purpose-built for the charter market to generate income? Once the intended use is established, you can then ask yourself what your size and style preferences are which, when taken with your defining purpose, can help your build manager create a solid build brief to present to shipyards.

Choosing the right shipyard for your yacht

With so many shipyards and types of yacht – from production to fully custom – knowing where to start can sometimes feel overwhelming. Drawing on deep technical knowledge, commercial insight and relationships with leading yards around the world, the Burgess New Build team helps owners identify the shipyard best placed to deliver their vision – with the right balance of quality, cost, timeline and risk.

Not all yacht shipyards are suited to every project. Understanding how they differ is key to finding the right partner for your build. They vary significantly in quality, pricing, delivery schedules, capacity and size limitations, making it essential to identify the factors that matter most to you before selecting the right build partner.

While choosing an established yard with a strong track record is often the lower-risk option, it can also mean higher costs and longer lead times. The right choice therefore depends on how the owner weighs quality, price, timeline and risk. As senior partner and naval architect Ed Beckett explains, 'our role is to understand each client’s priorities and discuss the strengths, trade-off and risks of each yard with complete transparency.'

How Burgess supports yacht design and technical development

Designing a yacht is about function first and looks second. Burgess brings together your chosen designers, the shipyard and our in-house technical specialists to help translate your vision into a yacht that works as beautifully as it looks. Building on your brief, we help align the layout, styling and engineering with how you intend to use your yacht, your design preferences and your performance priorities. This includes reviewing the General Arrangement (GA), which sets out the layout of guest cabins, crew areas and technical spaces, alongside the detailed build specification.

As the exterior and interior design develops, Burgess reviews the technical specification and performance expectations with the project team, helping you understand how choices about engines, range and materials support your plans. Your cruising grounds might call for an ice-class hull or greater range and autonomy, while a preference for faster passages will bring different performance priorities. By considering these requirements together, we help identify potential conflicts between the design and its technical demands before construction begins, when they can be addressed more readily.

How does Burgess' wider yachting expertise improve a new build?

At Burgess, our 360-degree offering brings practical ownership expertise into your new build, with specialists across yacht management, crew and charter working under one roof. Drawing on experience with similar vessels, our Management and Crew teams can advise on crew requirements, operational challenges and expected monthly running costs. Bringing this knowledge into the process early helps you understand the implications before committing to a build, while continuing input throughout construction helps shape a yacht that works for you in practice, not just on paper.

If you plan to charter your yacht, the Burgess Charter team can suggest options that will maximise its charter potential. While the project is focused through Brokerage and Technical Services, you have access to the expertise of the entire Burgess team to make sure you get the right product for what you want to do.

Once your yacht is delivered, Burgess continues to support every aspect of ownership, from warranty oversight and crew recruitment to charter strategy and refit planning. That continuity means the collective expertise that guided your build remains at your side throughout your ownership journey.