One Year on

Where we are – and where we’re headed next…

It’s now 12 months since we launched onto the market, spurred by a game-changing idea from our founder, Chris Gates: one that – like all the best ideas – was so simple it seemed amazing that no-one had thought of it before.

Put simply, it was to introduce a ‘third way’ in the luxury yacht market: one that allows you to refit a pre-owned yacht so that it’s as good as new, at a fraction of the cost. In short, to fall in love with your boat, all over again.

‘The pre-owned market doesn’t have to be what you assume it is,’ explains Chris. ‘The intriguing thing is that most of our business is coming from boats that are loved and are in excellent condition, but they’re in need of modernising – we’re not talking about a boat that’s a wreck, that’s a ‘doer-upper. There’s such a huge market out there of boats that are in good condition, and people love them but they just date so fast. And people are beginning to understand that now.’

If anything, the customer is leading the way, seeing the benefit to them faster than the general trade has. ‘In truth, the end user has almost gazumped them, and understood that they can take their boat and, instead of upgrading to a brand new boat, turn what they have already into something really special,’ says Chris. ‘And that’s a great opportunity to us because we’re talking to a much bigger audience.’ Even better, with the enthusiasm we’ve seen from the projects we’ve completed, our customers have become our greatest advocates, showing the end result off to their boating friends, which in turn leads to supplementary business for us.

We know the quality of our work speaks for itself – but of course it doesn’t hurt to have some satisfied owners spreading the word too. And with people looking for more sustainable options in every aspect of their lives, we can add longevity to their cherished boats (not forgetting that we recycle the kit that we take off wherever we can and specify sustainable materials in our designs). But the real driver is the economics of it: the fact that you can take something that is mechanically sound, or fix the issues that you’re concerned about, and redesign the interior in a modern luxurious scheme to rival the new of today at a massive saving compared to a new yacht – and with a company that you can trust to deliver.

As for the next 12 months: we aim to consolidate on what we have done already, to continue to build awareness along with the capacity to deal with the demand, and to have Setag recognised as the established alternative in people’s thinking when it comes to boat ownership.

‘It’s bedded in, we’ve got roots now, we’ve got new offices at Queen Anne’s Battery in Plymouth, and there’s a full time workforce,’ says Chris. ‘We’ve got relationships with people in the industry, where our message is being told and understood. We’ve got positive advocates out there for what we’re doing. We see massive growth going forward, but we’re in no rush to get there – we want to build off quality and satisfied customers. The key is to be considered… I’m confident we’ll continue to win more business.’

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Exceptional Service

There has never before been a qualified service comparable to that which we offer at Setag: total renovation and refurbishment of your yacht from start to finish.

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Meet The Owner

Nick Burnham from the hugely popular YouTube channel Aquaholics sat down with Jonathan and Helen, the owners of the beautiful Squadron 42 we Remastered. Hear what they had to say about their experience working with us.

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Glowing Reviews

Our Squadron 58 design & refit project has been reviewed by AQUAHOLIC & Boats.co.uk who have both given her, and us, glowing reviews! Check out their videos to see her in all her glory.

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