The former CEO of Princess Yachts, Chris spent 31 years growing one of the leading brands in the luxury yacht sector, he now embarks on his own journey launching Setag Yachts. When Chris joined in 1989, Princess was building powerboats up to 55 feet and was the sole builder of Moody sailing boats. There were no bills of material, no planning system and no computers, mobile phones or emails. By the early 1990s he had helped to implement the business systems to enable the company to build 1,000 boats in a single year.

Chris prides himself in recognising and growing talent within a company, and through his close relationship with a number of the extremely talented boat builders running various sites within what was then Marine Projects, he helped them to develop more efficient planning and organisational structures, learning all aspects of laminating, furniture construction and the complexity of assembly from them along the way.

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Record Sales

This holistic understanding of the yacht industry saw him grow the company from a team of 400 people to over 3,300, with turnover increasing from £30million to a £340million. He also successfully steered the company through the recessions of the 1990s and the recent global downturn, leading them to record sales and profitability with the strongest product offering (including the landmark V class and M class ranges), represented by the world’s strongest dealer network.

 

Read more about Chris’ journey At the Helm below.

At the helm
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The Best in the Business

Chris is rightfully proud of Princess Yachts’ record of winning the coveted World Super Yacht Awards every time they entered. After a period as advisor to the Chairman, he launched SETAG to fulfil his dream of utilising the skills of the best craftspeople in the business – incorporating the expertise of former rivals at Princess, Sunseeker and Fairline – in order to deliver a personalised refit service at a level of service not yet seen in the pre-owned market, refurbished by the original artists.

Our Story
Laura Prynn profile
Supply Chain Director

Laura Prynn

Laura is a Supply Chain professional with over 20 years’ experience in Luxury Yacht manufacturing, leading teams in the delivery of exceptional customer service and operational performance.

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Phil Heys profile
Engineering Director

Phil Heys

Phil spent 32 years at Princess Yachts, joining as build engineer and finally leaving in 2019 as Technical Director, overseeing the manufacturing (including moulding), testing and despatch of the larger yachts built at Southyard.

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Design Director

Sarah Luck

Sarah is the former Lead Creative Designer at Princess Yachts and Founder / Director of sustainable interior design firm Mippin & Reet.

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With SETAG, you can make a huge difference when you buy something secondhand, maybe a bit tired and then you put all of this beauty in it and you create what effectively is a brand new boat. Completely to your own liking, your own standard...creating the perfect boat for us.
Delighted SETAG customer - Squadron 42 owner
Brilliant concept...new boat look and feel at pre-owned prices - by the industry experts. Recycling at its best!
Briony Newington - Founding Partner, Fairline Yachts.
The great thing is, none of this is off the shelf - I love this boat and now she’s got her frock on...this is the best money I've spent.
Delighted SETAG customer - Princess 61 owner
If you want to redefine, refit and remaster your boat who better to do it than the people who designed it in the first place? "What a fantastic idea!"
Miles Morehouse – Marketing Director, Fairline
We cannot recommend the SETAG team highly enough. If you love your current boat, then for a fraction of the cost to change it, have it SETAG’d. The SY branding certainly helped us obtain a premium price. We got what we paid for her in 2017 plus what we spent with you!
Delighted SETAG customer - Targa 50GT owner
I have worked with Chris for over 30 years and I’m pleased to see him develop his own brand - along with likeminded people with industry-leading expertise. The future is bright for Setag Yachts and pre-owned yacht owners, who can now refurbish their vessels to today’s - or even tomorrow's standards.
David King - Founder, Princess Yachts.
That has been one of the key selling points for us – having that personalised service and having a boat that is unique to us – is standout in its own right. We are pretty blown away…very very pleased. I think it’s fabulous…it has transformed the boat.
Delighted SETAG customer - Targa 47 owner
The perfect way to open up a new market: the "true reflection of luxury". Setag gets it: simplicity and personalisation are key – with the depth of knowledge to deliver.
James Barke – Managing Director of Boats.co.uk
Setag are probably the only company who can carry out all the tasks as a ‘one stop shop’. Other yards were reluctant to price work and needed to subcontract many tasks meaning higher costs and longer lead times. If you are in any doubt speak to Chris and his team, they know boats like no one else.
Delighted SETAG customer - Princess 460 Owner
We have been waiting for this quality of service: a comprehensive, professional refit that we can rely on – because of the pedigree of its staff, with over 200 years' experience in our market.
Christopher Head – Group Sales Director for Sunseeker London Group
You have put Princess magic into our beloved Broom.
Delighted SETAG customer - Broom 370 owner
Never have I come across a more able collection of professionals in this market. We have complete trust in Setag, since its team has been in the business for as long as we can remember. We're very excited to welcome this specialist refit company into our portfolio.
Colin Capewell - Managing Director of Princess Motor Yacht Sales

Testimonials

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