Recipe for success

The importance of a good building specification can't be stressed enough. It is like a cooking recipe: screw up the ingredients, and the result can be an unpleasant surprise. The difference to a meal is that a yacht project takes several years to complete, not several hours.

A good specification is much more than an equipment list. Together with the building contract, it also lays down how changes are dealt with in a way that is fair both to the yard and the owner.

To establish a specification detailed enough for a yard to quote on, it should be made in accordance to the preliminary naval architecture, interior design and a technical general arrangement.