Innovative solutions for creative designs

Makefast’s custom division, Custom Marine Developments (CMD), specialises in producing bespoke, one-off features and accessories for the superyacht industry. Building on Makefast’s 30 years of experience producing cutting-edge electric sunroofs, awnings and bimini hydraulic units for the production yacht market, CMD branched out three years ago with its own factory and workforce.

CMD works closely with superyacht design houses, management services and builders, to design, engineer and build custom solutions for superyacht tenders, including electric sunroof, anchor, door and window systems. More recently, the company has started applying its expertise to larger projects on board superyachts, for both new build and refit projects.

“For the superyacht projects, CMD mostly delivers larger versions of the sunroof systems and powered sun awnings that Makefast specialises in for the production yacht market,” explains Jack Miller, general manager of CMD. “Most of our work is in the superyacht tender market, where the trend is for tenders to be designed by the same design house as the mothership to mirror certain styling points or features. We often work with tender designs that have come off the drawing board with beautiful lines and curved windows, doors and roofs that open up in imaginative ways.” 

Allowing designers to be creative and push the boundaries in terms of design, CMD provides innovative solutions to realise any designed concept into a working reality.

Allowing designers to be creative and push the boundaries in terms of design, CMD provides innovative solutions to realise any designed concept into a working reality. “Often a designer or builder will come to us and say, ‘We want this system, it needs to do this and this is the space we have to do it’,” adds Miller. “And typically there is not much space allocated for these systems, especially for tenders, so we have to squeeze a lot of technology into very small spaces and make the systems work. It means working closely with both designer and builder to develop a system that meets everyone’s requirements.”

As well creating innovative solutions for limited spaces, another important factor for clients is the ease of installation of these systems. As such, CMD ensures turn-key solutions by building each system at its factory in its entirety, including the glass and painted surfaces, and then installs the system into the vessel as a whole package. As well as being heavily involved in the design and engineering phases, CMD then offers ongoing after-sales and service support, with the ability to take advantage of Makefast’s well-established infrastructure and services points to send engineers out to where their clients are.

Having worked directly and indirectly with many of the superyacht industry’s leading design houses, including Espen Øino, Nuvolari Lenard and Winch Design, one of CMD’s latest projects includes the supply of the retractable sunroof for the 27m chase boat Atlantico by Alia Yachts. The custom sliding roof system features two glass panels of 9m² that slide away into the vessel’s superstructure, and is a prime example of the bespoke solutions that CMD is known for.

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Custom Marine Developments

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