Build a Yacht

An experienced owner’s representative acts as your advisor and advocate—protecting your interests throughout the build process. While it’s possible to manage a project independently, the complexity, cost, and long-term implications of design and build decisions make expert guidance invaluable.

We help ensure you select the right design, materials, layout, sailplan, and equipment based on your specific needs and sailing goals. Having worked as an owners rep and for a yacht manufacturer, we understand firsthand how valuable it is to have someone independent representing you—someone who can ask the right questions, push for the right outcomes, and ensure nothing is overlooked.

Our role is to help manage the process —on weight, on budget, on time, and to spec. And because every owner and project is different, we adapt our involvement to fit your needs

We tailor each package to the specific needs of our clients—because no two owners or projects are the same. We can help you assess and compare reputable shipyards, offering informed quality, performance and risk assessments for each. We can evaluate naval architecture and design proposals, assist in sourcing interior designers and other key specialists, and support equipment research and the development of technical specifications.

We can prepare bid packages, liaise with attorneys, flagging authorities, and composite or structural surveyors, and manage the entire build process. This includes scheduling, contract oversight, identifying potential delays and risks, and evaluating change orders to the project scope.

We can also support your captain through commissioning and sea trials, right through to final acceptance—and remain available post-delivery to assist with warranty issues and ongoing support.

While shipyards often have their own project managers, their primary responsibility is to the yard—not to you as the client. And while shipyards may make ambitious promises to secure a contract, it often falls to an experienced owner’s representative to ensure those promises are fulfilled.

An independent representative acts solely in your interest—working alongside the yard’s team while remaining separate from their payroll. This allows us to ask the right questions, monitor progress, challenge decisions when necessary, and ensure the vessel is delivered to the contract specifications, on time and to the standard you expect.

Working with Rapide lowers both project and operational costs by improving efficiency, ensuring accountability, and avoiding costly mistakes. We provide control, transparency, and alignment throughout the process—making sure your interests are protected at every stage. Our involvement means you receive the level of service you deserve, and the end result is a better-quality yacht with fewer issues, less downtime, and more time on the water. With our support, you can move forward with clarity and confidence—even when making bold decisions

The build timeline varies depending on the size, complexity, and stage of the project. For a custom or semi-custom performance multihull, you can typically expect the process to take 12 to 30 months from contract to delivery.

Key factors that influence the timeline include production slot availability, shipyard and labor capacity, the yard’s experience with similar vessels, the level of customization, and any change orders made during the build process.