McMullen & Wing is seeking an owner who wants to breathe new life into the yard’s 50-metre steel and aluminium superyacht Star Fish, which was extensively damaged in a fire at the yard in Auckland in August. Current owner and chairman of Aquos Yachts Richard Beattie wants to give a new owner the opportunity to complete the project.



“Everyone involved with the project knows how much energy and creativity went into her vision, design and creation,” he says. “Ultimately, it was a financial decision. As the owner of Big Fish, which is undergoing a refit at McMullen & Wing ready to resume her charter and cruising schedule in the South Pacific and South East Asia, it was never my intention to own two large yachts. Given the additional time and financial resources required to complete StarFish, I have decided to give another owner the opportunity to complete her.”



The yacht was almost two years into the three-year build cycle when disaster struck. The fire (above), which started outside the hull, destroyed the superstructure and parts of the yacht’s interior that had already been installed, including the nearly completed crew quarters, but it left the aft areas of the yacht virtually untouched – the engineroom machinery was still cloaked in its protective plastic sheeting.

The shipyard says that Star Fish can be completed at a substantial discount and, with a remaining build time of around 18 months, in about half of the time normally required for a custom 50-metre yacht. A new client can resume construction to the yacht’s original six-stateroom layout with a 38-metre private owner’s deck (below), but McMullen & Wing is asking several designers to submit their concepts for different potential superstructure and arrangement plans. McMullen & Wing says revised specifications will be available to interested parties.



“I can confidently say a new owner will enjoy dramatic value and extraordinary enjoyment from breathing life back into this project. Since her launch 30 months ago, Big Fish has become the most travelled, most chartered and most applauded yacht in the world. The next owner of Project Star Fish will benefit from this pedigree,” says Beattie. For more information contact Jim Gilbert at Aquos Yachts. Tel: +1 954 770 9624. Email: jim.gilbert1@gmail.com.

Big Fish, which has cruised almost 60,000 miles on charter and exploration since her 2010 launch, is available on charter from Y.CO.