Hargrave Customization

Brief Summary

Hargrave Custom Yachts is one of the most versatile, experienced and competitive builders of large motoryachts in the world. The reason is that it combines the economies of a production boat builder facility with the capabilities of one-off tooling and a family-owned business. No boarding directors, no absentee owners who know nothing about the yacht business, or quarterly reports to stockholders that expect to see profit gains each year. Buyers of Hargrave Custom Yachts can have virtually any style motoryacht they want, from 76’ (23.15 m) to 185’ (56.38 m), using the most state of the art home materials available.

Captain's Report

Contents of Report

• Overview
• Cinderella
• Mobility
• Raised Pilothouse MB3
• Cutting Edge
• Sea Legend
• Donna Marie
• Dolce Vita
• Freedom
• Tiger's Eye
• Sunny
• Price

Overview

Hargrave provides all naval architect and engineering, all interior design and décor to the customer’s specifications. And once the yacht is built and delivered, it provides complete aftermarket support, right down to supplying a Captain and crew, slip space, and even charter customers if wanted.

Over the years, we’ve seen some of the most innovative designs come from Hargrave Custom Yachts, and to a large degree, some of the most inventive attributes were the ideas of the owners themselves. Let’s take a look at some of the customization Hargrave Custom Yachts can provide.

Cinderella

The owner of the 78-foot Hargrave Cinderella was drawn to Hargrave because he liked the open aspect of the 68 motoryacht. He wanted a his-and-hers full beam master bath, a fourth cabin and comfortable seating on top of the trunk cabin on the foredeck. He also wanted a jacuzzi hot tub for six on the flying bridge as well as a bar, dining table and comfortable lounge seating.

All of these details weren’t possible on a 68’ (20.72 m) boat with a 19’ (5.79 m) beam. So, Hargrave customized a 68-footer that the client liked into a 78-footer (23.77 m) with a 21’ (6.40 m) beam with all the details the owner wanted.

Mobility

The owner of the 84’ (25.60 m) Hargrave Mobility wanted to have a large salon with a standard sized sofa, a coffee table and five comfortably-upholstered armchairs – four of which are recliners. He also wanted a dining area that could comfortably seat eight people and not be a squeeze as well as a desk in the salon.

In order to do that, Hargrave had to create a 25’ (7.62 m) salon that took advantage of virtually all of the boat’s 21’ (6.4 m) beam. That would require completely new tooling for the deck and superstructure – something that no production builder would currently do. Buyers have to live within the confines of the tooling available with virtually all fiberglass builders. But, not at Hargrave. With the completely new deck and superstructure tooling, the clients got the boat of their dreams.

Raised Pilothouse MB3

The owner of the Hargrave 100’ (30.48 m) Raised Pilothouse MB3 wanted a transom with traditional port-to-starboard curved stairways to the aft deck and a large, very comfortable crew area that could sleep five. They also wanted the salon and dining area to have the room of a 125-footer (38.1 m) with a full-sized sofa, loveseat and chaise, a tasteful bar with at least two stools and a dining table that could comfortably seat eight people. To do that, Hargrave built a 100’ (30.48 m) wide body design with a 21’ (6.4 m) beam.

Cutting Edge

Another Hargrave customer wanted all the amenities and room of a 125’ (38.1 m) motoryacht in the length of a 100-footer (30.48 m). It’s beginning to sound familiar. So, he went to Hargrave and got pretty much everything he would have gotten in a boat that would have cost nearly twice as much.

He wanted a boat that could entertain over 100 people at a cocktail party with food and drink stations all over so people could mix and mingle without feeling crowded. The flying bridge has tables and seating all over and even a jacuzzi with a bar. On the main deck, the wide body of the salon would hold plenty of people and he could serve eight for a formal dinner. The aft deck had a Euro-styled rounded settee for cocktails and al fresco dining. Guests could even disappear to the foredeck for a getaway from the crowd and find places to relax and enjoy the evening. After the party, he wanted a place where he and his wife could enjoy a glass of bubbly, thus the cozy booth in the master seen above.

Sea Legend

The owner of the 114’ (34.74 m) Sea Legend had quite a different mission in mind when he came to Hargrave. He wanted to take his 10-year-old son on a Trans-Atlantic trip and then cruise all the historical spots in Europe and the Mediterranean.

He would bring along a private teacher for the whole voyage. There would have to be a desk for two below as well as venues for teaching all around the boat to keep the child’s interest high. The teacher would have to have his or her own stateroom as well as the son and his parents when they flew in. By specifying a cockpit on this motoryacht, there would be a safe place from which to fish. And the flying bridge with its hot tub, tender and other toys would break the tedium of study. Sea Legend has traveled nearly 90,000 miles on its own bottom and has crossed the Atlantic twice – and the parents lived happily ever after.

Donna Marie

The owner of the Donna Marie wanted a boat that could go faster than he had owned by a friend. That and it had to be 114’ (34.74 m) and go at least 24 knots top end. It also had to be oceangoing, be able to entertain a crowd, have four staterooms and room for a crew of four. It had to also have a cockpit for fishing scuba diving and have a bed in the master that was seven feet (2.1 m) from the entrance door.

Hargrave again turned to naval architect Jack Sarin and built a whole new boat from scratch with the latest and high-tech materials to save weight. In this case, the whole boat was custom-formed to keep up. Most of the innovations can’t be seen because they’re in the hull shape of materials such as e-glass, honeycomb bulkheads and granite countertops with honeycomb backing. The result was a yacht with a top speed of 24 knots that can cruise all day long at 21 knots with 1,950-hp Cat C32 Acerts.

Dolce Vita

One boat owner, who was tall, came to Hargrave because he was tired of bumping his head where most mortals tread. Would it be too much to ask to have a multi-million dollar, 100’ (30.48 m) motoryacht rebuilt to his personal specifications? No, not at Hargrave it wouldn’t.

Dolce Vita has 7’2” (2.18 m) headroom virtually everywhere. All door frames are 6’10’’ (2.08 m) high, the vanity and bathroom countertops were raised to 38’’ (20.32 cm) and, like other Hargrave clients, this owner opted for the wide body to maximize the size of the salon and dining area – for eight, of course.

Freedom

One Hargrave owner wanted a large motoryacht that had an interior right out of the latest renderings from Milano. But, with exterior lines, they were not the flavor of the month. Hargrave commissioned Jack Sarin to draw the lines of the 95’ (28.95 m) Freedom with a 22’ (6.70 m) beam and the owner worked closely with Shelley DiCondina to give the inside of the boat the modern, Italian look he wanted.

Tones of gray, brown and off-white are used throughout the boat on the bulkheads, the furniture, carpet, the overhead and on cabinets. This owner also wanted a separate entrance to the master stateroom and a west-coast pilothouse, which combines the lower helm station with a country kitchen – no problem for Hargrave.

Tiger’s Eye

The owner of this boat wanted a boat under 100’ that could do pretty much what every Hargrave does – offer plenty of room for entertaining and long-distance cruising in a comfortable yacht with one twist. The owner also wanted the boat to be comfortable for the crew, so let’s take a look. The captain gets a private stateroom that includes an ensuite. The others get a shared cabin.

The 98’ (29.87 m) Tiger’s Eye has a 21’ (6.40 m) beam. That beam pays off not only in the salon and dining area but also in the skylounge which has the boat’s only helm. The skylounge is a second salon and has not only a bar but also a day head. Behind and outside is a jacuzzi hot tub, settee, grill and room for a tender.

Sunny

Another Hargrave owner wanted a venue that her children and grandchildren could not refuse. What would be better than a 100’ raised pilothouse motoryacht that could go anywhere in the world? So, the mission of Sunny was to have the children and grandchildren aboard in separate staterooms with all four being the same.

That’s our look at the breath of customization that Hargrave can provide. From a basic 76’ flush deck motoryacht to a 185’ tri-cabin; from production-standard fiberglass hulls to one-off composite hulls and interiors to meet all tastes and levels of luxury. But, there is one more subject that needs to be touched upon...

The Price

The dirty little secret of the large motoryacht business is that all boats cost pretty much the same no matter where they are built in the world. The Far East has slightly lower labor costs, but shipping American and European equipment there is an expense that builders in those countries don’t have. Then, the boats have to be shipped to the U.S. and Europe. Far East boat builders tell us that the cost evens out.

Hargrave motoryachts are built in Taiwan by a reputable yard that has been in business for over 50 years and has built hundreds of large yachts. Most of its craftsmen have been working all of their lives on large yachts and are as experienced as any in the industry. And, it has a small army of college graduate engineers working on every boat that is built there.

Virtually all of the materials used such as fiberglass and resin are held to world-class specs. Engines, generators, appliances and other items are sourced primarily in the U.S. and Europe. The exterior and interior designs speak for themselves – and we can attest to her build quality under the skin.

Lower Overhead. So, why are Hargraves so much less expensive than other brands? It is simple. Hargrave does not take massively expensive exhibit space at the world’s most expensive boat shows such as Dusseldorf; Genoa; Paris; Miami; Ft. Lauderdale and elsewhere. It does not have an expensive office building or factory to support. It does not have sales offices all over the world with high-paid managers and ads running in expensive carriage-trade magazines.

When a boat is sold by most European brands, a significant part of the cost is marketing and sales – a strategy that has been very successful selling expensive yachts to people that know virtually nothing about boats that size and the boats they are buying.

Hargrave has been in business for many years selling from five to ten large motoryachts a year. It has a base of return customers that is as high or higher than any other brand in class. That says a lot about the owner experience with both Hargrave boats, and the service that Hargrave provides.