McMullen &Wing The custom yacht experience
It starts with a dream. A dream of something special, something different, something just for you.
The custom yacht experience A reflection of who you are, how But not just for you, of you.
you choose to live, what you believe, what you truly value.
Beauty. Art. Time.
Not just any time – the best time. The environment to relax, find yourself again. Your favourite place in the world, anywhere in the world. A fine yacht. Your yacht. A reflection of you.
M&W
But not even just your yacht, an experience. An adventure, crafting a beautiful ship, technology, craftsmanship and art in one. The creation of a masterpiece, your masterpiece ...
A portrait of you.
the custom yacht experience From the beautiful island nation of New Zealand, McMullen & Wing has a global reputation for building some of the finest custom yachts in the world.
“For us, a custom yacht is a process, not merely a product. It is the creation of a yacht which responds to, and extends, the dreams of her owners. For the owners, our clients, a custom yacht is an experience: one of the most personal acts of creativity an owner can undertake.” David and Terry Porter, Managing Directors, McMullen & Wing
What McMullen & Wing builds in every yacht is in direct response to the client. Interpretation of the dream is the essence of custom yachts. Yacht building is, of course, an intensely technical process. Comfort, reliability and safety are essential attributes of any quality yacht and McMullen & Wing’s reputation for technical excellence is truly exceptional. And there is, of course, a product at the end of the process. Rare indeed in this age, our yachts are not built for ‘the market’ or for a ‘typical’ owner. Call them what you will, such vessels are production yachts, ‘off the rack’ products which sit, waiting for an owner to want them.
McMullen & Wing believes that custom yachts are something quite different: set apart by the purest interpretation of one owner’s vision and values; underpinning the project, guiding designer and shipyard in the realisation of a yacht which is an expression of who the owners are, who they want to be and how they like to live: the emotional purpose for the yacht’s entire existence. Enchantingly, the result is not a yacht which only suits one owner, one family. It’s quite the reverse. The result is a yacht with integrity, timelessness and enduring beauty, with a magic that affects all who experience her, derived from the original vision and values of one individual.
“I bought Big Fish specifically because she represents for me the ultimate form of freedom: the opportunity to enjoy peak experiences and adventures with my family and friends in the most beautiful parts of the world on precisely my own terms. Big Fish always awaits me, wherever, whenever, however and with whomever I wish.� Richard Beattie, Owner, M/Y Big Fish
“The build was a pleasure. My wife and I visited the yard every couple of months to see the tangible progress, and there was a well-developed communication process through which I could monitor progress and costs.� Mark Johnson, Owner, M/Y Surprise (now Koi)
CREATIVE & PERSONAL A marriage between owner, designer and shipyard. The art is not just creating a fine yacht, it is in ensuring the yacht we create is your yacht: a distillation of your character – the essence of who you are and how you live.
Gregory Marshall has a long history with McMullen & Wing and its principals Terry and David Porter, dating back to his early professional years working with Bill Garden. Greg now runs his own world-renowned naval architecture practice from Victoria, Canada, and the ever-growing business association has developed into a close friendship.
My first experience with the McMullen & Wing team was more than 25 years ago on a beautiful 54ft passage maker named Defiance and since then we have done a number of projects seemingly ever increasing in both size and complexity to the last collaboration, the 50m Starfish. Today’s superyachts are very complex objects. There are many shipyards around the world building beautiful 50-metre yachts but when you start to look at the details closely most of
them quickly lose their lustre. Terry and David Porter have built an exceptionally competent team over the years that has continued to impress us with the attention to detail and technical problem solving. We are excited about the next 25 years with McMullen & Wing and the opportunity for building many even bigger and more spectacular yachts.
Michael Peters is one of the world’s most renowned designers of high-speed powerboats. Famous for his offshore racing successes, he is also known for a wide range of pleasure boats. He has designed five McMullen & Wing vessels including four sportfishing yachts and the magnificent 25m express cruiser, Jariya.
Typical of most American buyers, the owner of Jariya originally wanted to build in the US, but was disappointed in the quality and budget he found available. We had recently completed three large sport fishing yachts with McMullen & Wing that had come out both beautifully and right on weight, so we asked the owner to consider building in New Zealand. Reluctant at first before visiting the yard, he expressed concerns about interior quality and even asked the yard to subcontract the interior in Italy, which they refused. After one visit everything changed when he met the Porters and saw the yard quality first hand. McMullen & Wing went on to build Jariya to
meticulous standards of weight and quality, in every way equal to much larger European superyachts. While on board in one of the guest staterooms after delivery, the owner pointed out the bedside table with its compound curved face of drawers and book matched veneers to me with pride and amazement. I reminded him of his request for an Italian interior to which he laughed and admitted what a mistake that would have been. Working with the Porters over many years now, I hold their quality, fairness and friendship at the highest level.
“McMullen & Wing’s reputation for innovation and excellence is what led me to build there, but the fact they produced for me a superb yacht of extremely high quality and reliability is what would bring me back. We could not have been more pleased with the process, or the result.” Jim Radley, Owner, M/Y Jariya (now Elliele)
CRaftmanship & PERfection Our craftsmen are exceptional, our facilities first rate; but it is our culture which pushes us to strive constantly for perfection. Ever questioning, changing, developing, improving, the quest for perfection never ends. It is that quest which gives us energy and motivates us afresh for each new yacht project: the opportunity to make each yacht even better than the last.
For a builder, perfection is more often found in the small things than the large. It is in the details that you will find the hallmark of the craftsman: the subtle relationships between elements, a seamlessly assembled cabinet, the careful selection of natural materials.
It is our hope that owners will keep finding new joys in our yachts for years after our work is done. Perfection is also to be found in knowing the right tool, the right process, the right person for the job. McMullen & Wing makes good use of the efficiency and accuracy offered by modern technology. Computer-controlled plasma cutting of metal plates ensures precision in the important foundations of the yacht structure. Robotic welding ensures the
most consistent metalwork. Highly controlled closed moulding processes guarantee the highest purity composite laminates. Automated cutting of timber panel substrates direct from CAD drawings ensures accuracy. Yet technology is a tool, an enabler. It is there to make the product even better, not to make it more quickly. For all the technology we provide, our yachts are first and foremost built by people, not by machines.
“I was surprised by the profound enjoyment I derived from the cre
eative process of developing my yacht.�
Richard Beattie, Owner, M/Y Big Fish
people & place Ask me what is the greatest thing in the world, I will reply, it is people, it is people, it is people! He aha te mea nui o te Ao? Maku e ki atu. He tangata, he tangata, he tangata! – New Zealand Maori proverb
At McMullen & Wing, people are the most important thing in our world.
The people who work for us make us who we are. Without our people, some of whom have worked with us for 20 or 30 years, we are nothing but a collection of sheds and machinery. Together with our people, we are one of the finest and most respected boat builders in the world. The people for whom we work, our clients, are not simply there to pay the bills: they define the entire essence of the projects we deliver. Without their input, our boats are just floating objects. With the engagement of our customers, our boats are given purpose, focus and life.
The people around us – our families, our neighbours, our community – are not there to enable us to work: our work is there to sustain them and enrich their lives. Without the people around us, we are nothing but workers, toiling without vision or purpose. Surrounded by our community, we are family, friends, colleagues, customers. As a group we form a company, an important employer and exporter: an essential institution in the city and nation in which we live.
“New Zealand: the world’s most trusted nation.” Transparency International, 2011 & 2012
Tony Harvey is the longest-serving member of the McMullen & Wing team. The Boat Building Supervisor started as an apprentice when the company was relatively young, and since has been an integral part of the development of the company for more than three decades.
My interest in boats started when I was very young. My parents would take me for holidays at the beach where I would row my father’s dingy all around the bay. This fascination with boats never left me. At the age of 16 my father got me a job at McMullen & Wing as an apprentice boat builder. Well, what a ride it has been. From the day I started I was told to sand a teak cap-rail on a 70ft yacht. I was allowed to sand but not varnish. That job was for older apprentices. From those early days I moved on to build many fine boats in Kauri, Mahogany, aluminum, steel and carbon fibre. These included fishing boats, luxury sailing yachts and powerboats. Amongst the new builds we have refitted many boats as well. These boats have come from all around the world and this has let me see how other boat builders put their boats together.
Things have changed a lot over the years from building a 58ft boat, which was the largest aluminum boat built in New Zealand at the time, to the last build being a 45m superyacht. Who would have guessed? Recently we had a disaster, a near-finished 50m superyacht was damaged by fire. We are currently rebuilding the shed so this great ride can continue for many more years. Whether you are going to work in them, race them or sail them around the world you have to have a passion for them. It’s the same when you build them. There is a team of us at McMullen & Wing that have worked together for 10, 15, 20 years or more. We all have that passion to build worldclass boats.
Ben Porter has been with McMullen & Wing all his working life. Both personally and professionally, engineering is his life. Working on superyachts gives him the opportunity to pursue this passion to the highest level.
Engineering has always been a large part of my life. As a very young boy I used to “help” my father in his workshop, building and fixing things on Saturday mornings. I learned to apply my skills on vintage and veteran cars, and around the family farm. All these experiences combined to make engineering the logical career for me, and it was my father who both encouraged and gave me opportunities to follow my passion. McMullen & Wing has also been a part of my life since I was a young boy, where I attended the launching of my grandfather’s newly constructed boat. It was the boating with my family that started the interest in the marine industry, a result of most enjoyable times spent with family and friends on the water. I think back to when I saw the launching of my grandfather’s boat, the
excitement and anticipation, and it’s still there today when we launch our new boats. McMullen & Wing is where I started my career in engineering. And it’s where I have worked in, or led teams of some exceptional people for over 20 years. It’s where we have had the opportunity to create custom boats ranging from sports fishers, sailing yachts, exploration styled and high-speed carbon motor yachts. However, although there is a great amount of passion and investment of oneself in what we produce, it’s the people you work with who both challenge you, and bring the best out in you, and it’s the people who make it enjoyable to be at work the next day.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work with a range of quality materials. It’s an honour and a pleasure to work with these beautiful natural materials and to show them at their best in a great yacht. ” Tony Knofflock, Joinery Supervisor
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DESIGN & INNOVATION A Jack of all trades, and a master of every single one.
McMullen & Wing is an advanced composite builder, an aluminium yacht builder and a steel ship builder, all wrapped into one.
In 2007, McMullen & Wing launched Ermis², a high-speed advanced composite motor yacht, engineered in aerospace grade carbon fibre and titanium to ensure the lightest, strongest vessel possible. In the same year we started building Big Fish, a worldexploring, steel-hulled expedition yacht. All of the construction for both boats was performed in house with our own staff. Every aspect of both boats was executed to the highest world standards, under the supervision of expert surveyors. And both yachts went on to win the world’s highest superyacht accolades.
We don’t need to build things 'our way', we build them 'the right way'. Grounded in experience and tradition, knowledgeable in the latest technology and determined always to challenge 'normal'. One yacht may be a carbon fibre lightweight speed machine and the next a steel expedition yacht. Inconsistent? No. Utterly consistent. The right material for every project. The same principle applies to every aspect of our projects. The right materials, the right technology, perfectly suited to your yacht.
“Ermis² remains to this day one of the fastest and most technically advanced motoryachts ever built: extremely fast, extremely light, extremely strong, and testament to the skills and commitment of an outstanding team.” Ioannis A. Alafouzos, Owner, M/Y Ermis²
RELIABILITY & LONGEVITY We build yachts to be used, enjoyed, loved. Tied to the dock they can be admired, but at sea they come to life, stretch and dance.
In 2012, M/Y Mea Culpa returned to New Zealand for the first time since her 2003 launch. It was a significant moment: during her time ‘back home’, she was to clock over her first 100,000 nautical miles.
Like crossing the equator for the first time, the 100,000th mile should be celebrated. McMullen & Wing offered to host a party for the owner, captain, crew and for our own staff to mark the significance of the occasion. The owner refused. No, you can’t put on a party for us. Because we want to put on a party for you. At that time, nearly 10 years on, there were some 50 staff still working at McMullen & Wing who had been involved in Mea Culpa. At a dockside barbeque, our staff spent time
back aboard, reminiscing, inspecting their work. The critical eye of the craftsman was brought to bear on every detail. The pride of our staff was palpable. Without any exaggeration, she looked good enough after all these years and miles to be brand new. Of course, she had been well maintained, but she had not been refitted or renovated. She was exactly as we had built her. This is what McMullen & Wing yachts are known for – deep, lasting quality.
“You all did an outstanding job building an incredible boat. The owner has had a lot of wonderful times on this boat, catching fish and relaxing with friends and family. Mea Culpa has done everything she was designed to do and proves she’s a world traveller.” Mike Hein, Master, M/Y Mea Culpa
RENEWED & REBORN Just as the best custom yachts are built in reflection of their owners, often a new owner will seek to weave their own selves into the fabric of their newly purchased yacht.
Technology develops over time, enabling new levels of comfort and performance to improve enjoyment of an older vessel. And some yachts fall on hard times, the scars of misadventure and deterioration concealing their inner beauty.
Restoration of a great yacht makes a lasting contribution to a rich yachting culture. Whatever the reason, renewal of an older vessel deserves care, sensitivity and the same level of craftsmanship as any new yacht. McMullen & Wing has maintained, refitted, renewed and restored many fine yachts, both motor and sail. These yachts have benefitted from the exceptional workmanship and attention to detail that characterise all our projects; our contribution treated as a
mark of authority, a stamp of approval for years to come. The greatest of all our refits to date has been the restoration of S/Y Shenandoah. Described as one of the world’s greatest yachting treasures, Shenandoah came to us in a sorry state. Under the direction of a visionary owner, McMullen & Wing rebuilt and restored her to her fullest glory. Rescued and given new life, sailing the oceans once more, Shenandoah inspires fresh generations around the world to turn towards the sea.
“Working at McMullen & Wing I have had the pleasure of being involved in many exciting and unique projects, from the restoration of Shenandoah to the construction of the ultra-modern Big Fish. Working on such beautiful vessels is not just a job, it’s a passion.” Mike Kimberley, Project Planner
large & small McMullen & Wing builds custom tenders in aluminium and advanced composites for superyachts of all shapes and sizes. Our tenders are respected the world over for their robust construction – these are not disposable items but mini superyachts in themselves. Elegant, practical and reliable. Quite simply the best custom tenders in the world.
“With more than 1,200 hours on the engine in conditions that ranged from Antarctica to the tropics, the construction and reliability of Triple Ripple has proved to be 100 per cent, on a program that relies heavily on the equipment in service.� Winston Joyce-Clarke, Master, M/Y Big Fish
I have had the pleasure of a professional relationship since late 1996 with Terry and David Porter; the Managing Directors of McMullen & Wing. During that time, we have instigated three separate new construction projects with them for aluminum custom tenders. McMullen & Wing were tasked with the full scope of concept, design, engineering, fabrication and final fit-out of the three vessels. After our initial project, it was clear to us that the Porter brothers had a firm understanding of the level of quality and performance we sought. We were impressed with their in-house ability to handle the diverse technical tasks of work to arrive with the correct final product. That prompted us
to build two more similar vessels over the next 10 years. McMullen & Wing proved that their design, engineering and execution of the construction projects maintained the high level of quality and consistently met our expectations. I have since guided other clients with similar needs to McMullen & Wing and have had feedback with similar positive endorsement. I am confident that McMullen & Wing have the necessary skill and experience to continue successfully with the design, engineering and construction of any custom yacht tender. – Len Beck, Captain, M/Y Battered Bull
“I was impressed by the innovative solutions to common problems, the quality of finish, the robust build and in particular the engineering which was more akin to a ‘small ship’ than to a vessel’s tender.” Steve Probst, Master, R/V Pegaso
celebrated & respected Our yachts are special. Few in number, yet extensive in the praise they receive, McMullen & Wing yachts are celebrated the world over. A small family-owned business in a distant Pacific nation, building just a handful of finely crafted yachts, yet very much at home amongst the world’s most awarded yacht builders.
Big Fish International Superyacht Society Design Awards 2011 – winner Showboats Design Awards 2011 – winner World Yachts Trophy 2010 – winner World Superyacht Awards 2011 – judges’ special commendation Asian Boat Awards 2011 – winner
Ermis2 International Superyacht Society Design Awards 2008 – winner Showboats Design Awards 2008 – winner World Yachts Trophy 2008 – winner
Jariya International Superyacht Society Design Awards 2006 – winner
Kelsey Lee International Superyacht Society Design Awards 2005 – finalist
Surprise International Superyacht Society Design Awards 2002 – winner
Dreamin’ On International Superyacht Society Design Awards 2001 – finalist
Day Money International Superyacht Society Design Awards 2000 – finalist
Shenandoah Showboats International Yacht Awards 1998 – winner
contact Michael Eaglen michael.eaglen@mcmullenandwing.com +64 27 275 4467 David Porter david.porter@mcmullenandwing.com +64 27 448 6349 McMullen & Wing 21 Gabador Place, Mount Wellington Auckland 1060, New Zealand Telephone: +64 9 573 1405 www.mcmullenandwing.com
Acknowledgements McMullen & Wing would like to thank everyone who kindly contributed to this publication. Photographers: Aquos Yachts, Bugsy Gedleck, Chris Lewis, Tim McKenna, Michael Ng, Brendon O’Hagan, Neil Rabinowitz, Jim Raycroft and Ivor Wilkins. This booklet is published by McMullen & Wing Ltd. Designed and produced by The Superyacht Agency. www.thesuperyachtagency.com