So after 8 months with the
boat on the market we have decided to keep her and complete a
refit and I am hoping to obtain some
advice on where to do the
work. The
boat was built in 1999 and was the last one built by the Ta Chou ship yard in
Taiwan, (hull #13) designed by Perry. The yard did make a knock off call the Skorpio 71 to avoid paying Perry his royalties I guess but I do not know how many they built.
The boat has undergone extensive upgrades over the past ten years that we have owned her however it is time to renew the standing
rigging and redo the bright
work above decks including the gunnel rails. This is a result of the construction technique that allowed
water penetration at the seating of the teakwork. We also would like to replace all 20 of the
portlights with SS although I am not so sure we will be able to obtain
replacements for the big lights in the Transom. Obviously the missus will want a new
galley as well as the
interior revarnished. Other than that, the boat is in excellent shape and has stood us well after doing an extensive
refit when we bought the boat in 2009.
As we are currently in
Australia we are considering heading to
Thailand or possibly even taking the boat back to
Taiwan to the original builders. I am a bit apprehensive about going back to the Ta Chou yard as I hear that things may not be going so well for them over there.
We obviously need a yard that has good access to
teak and the know how to work it. The last refit was done in Brunei but that yard went bankrupt building a
teak hulled
ketch to the owners design. He had purchased a forest lot to obtain the material for his
new boat and provided the teak from that lot for the last refit when the decks and forward
cabin were redesigned removing both the port and starboard berths and installing a work room and ensuite
head for the forward guest
cabin.
We will be leaving
Sydney in July for the
passage back north through PNG and
Indonesia ahead of the NW monsoon in December as we do not want to beat into the winds heading north. We may in fact spend the NW monsoon in Raja Ampat to enjoy the
diving and possibly cruising Sulawesi in the summer of 2019 before taking her wherever we decide to go for the refit.
All options are open however I think a yard in
Asia is required to match the craftsmanship of the original build. Thanks for the help and I am looking forward to your suggestions.