In conversation with Chris Bailey, Sales Manager, Princess Motor Yacht Sales – Yacht Customisation Service
When Princess Motor Yacht Sales opened its brand new Turnchapel facility and wanted someone to head up its yacht customisation service department there was only one logical choice. Son of Aftersales Manager Paul Bailey (himself with over thirty years of Princess experience), Chris Bailey began his career with Plymouth Marine Electronics dissecting Princess yacht interiors in order to install complex navigation systems. A spell as Retrofit Manager at the Princess Yachts International factory followed, after which Chris ran his own retrofit business specialising in Princess craft. He’s basically spent his whole career meticulously dismantling, customising and re-assembling Princess yachts. Chris now heads up a five strong team in a role that could have been tailor made for him.
‘It’s not just about being able to take boats apart’ says Chris, ‘anyone can do that. The real skill is in doing it in such a way that no damage occurs, making whatever changes are desired absolutely to factory specification and then re-assembling so that the finished result is indistinguishable from an original factory fit’.
So what is it that the yacht customisation department actually does? ‘We support the sales team, working closely with them to help achieve the boat the customer wants. If it is a new stock boat or a used boat that is close to a customer’s requirements we can help fine tune the boat for a perfect fit. Whether the boat needs air conditioning fitted before being berthed in the Med, a navigation suite upgrade for a used boat or the customer just doesn’t like the curtains, we can make the required changes’.
But it doesn’t stop there. Chris and his team will take on boats already in ownership and make whatever alterations or additions are required. ‘Within the bounds of what’s physically possible, the only limit is the customer’s imagination’ smiles Chris.
Your journey to the perfect boat, whether one you’re in the process of purchasing from Princess Motor Yacht Sales or the one you currently own, begins with a consultation at the Turnchapel premises. A tour of the facility is hugely reassuring. With dedicated workshops, spray booths, special areas for storing soft furnishings whilst your yacht is being administered to and even a crane on a track that can lift and transport dinghies from dock to workshop, it is immediately clear that your precious craft is in safe hands. A consultation in the customer board room follows so that Chris can understand your requirements and make suggestions based on his years of experience. A quotation is then forthcoming, following approval of which work is scheduled for your yacht customisation service.
So what can they do? ‘What can’t we do?’ laughs Chris. ‘Want a redundant cabin converted into an office? We can do that. Upspec AV equipment, create an entire wifi network across the yacht, fit a generator, a passerelle, change the upholstery, fit teak decking, underwater lights, a backlit name, code for charter? No problem. We can stock the boat with engine spares, cutlery, crockery, bedding, cushions. We’ll not just fit a dinghy, we can even customise it to match your Princess yacht with matching upholstery, teak decking, hifi, etc. We can handle everything right up to and including preparing the boat for transport. We’ll even shrink wrap it. Basically we can take care of every last detail so that all you need to do is turn up, put the champagne in the fridge and go boating. In fact, we’ll even make sure that’s on board if you wish’.
But perhaps the most important benefit is that the entire program is supported by Princess Motor Yacht Sales dedicated warranty support team, the exact same team that looks after the new boat warranty program. What this means for you is that in the event of any issues there’s a network in place to deal with it. And most pertinently of all, you’ll never get caught in the crossfire of responsibility between the yacht warranty and the retrofit warranty.
