The International Superyacht Society’s Best Refit award was given to Pendennis’ remodelling of the 1983 Feadship A2 last night in Fort Lauderdale. “A2 was a milestone for the yard in terms of our remodelling projects, and really showcased all elements of our in-house skills and experience from naval architecture through to exterior finishing,” says the yard.

Read on for our in-depth report on the refit project, published in Superyacht World in January 2013.

The owner acquired the 1983 Feadship Masquerade of Sole (ex. Circus II) to rebuild for family cruises. “The owner had contemplated a new build but our discussions revealed the financial and time benefits of converting an existing yacht into one reflective of modern design and technology,” says Pendennis’ Toby Allies.



The owner’s brief was for the rebuild to be completed in only 16 months, and the first question was how much of Masquerade should be carried over to the new design. After structural surveys, it was decided that the yacht should be stripped out and returned to bare bulkheads. Her stern was also cut off for a five-metre extension and swim platform.



The interiors saw a complete redesign by architect Peter Marino. “There was a very close working relationship between Pendennis and Peter Marino, with each using the other’s ideas and expertise to balance aesthetic solutions with spatial planning for practical living with easy systems access and maintenance,” says Allies.



The owner was highly involved in the interior redesign, after years of collaboration with Marino on other projects. The previous interiors were not to the contemporary style and tastes of the owner, so have been modernised with cutting-edge pieces. Performance levels have also been improved, says Allies. “The brief from the owner was to increase both the range and cruising speed following her refit,” he says. “This was achieved in both areas, with her cruising speed now 14 knots from new MTU main engines. A rebuild of the engineroom from scratch plus a complete systems upgrade has left the vessel more akin to a newly built Feadship rather than a 20-year-old one.”