Boatbuilding: Better than new! The refit final of the Dehlya 25 "Willy"

Although the idea was ambitious, nobody could have predicted how the project, which began with a wreck a good three years ago, would end. In 2016, YACHT wrote in the first article of the series on the refit of a wrecked Dehlya 25: "In a unique project, we will be modernising a 32-year-old yacht from the ground up over the coming months. We want to show what surprises a boat that looks sailable at first glance can harbour, how much overhaul is actually needed, but also what is possible with modern materials, up-to-date equipment and fresh ideas."

From today's perspective, looking back, this was an extremely optimistic assessment, not to say naïve. It quickly became clear that it would not be a normal refit, if there is such a thing. The boat, bought in the Netherlands for 5000 euros, turned out to be almost a total loss. The interior was beyond repair, the teak in the cockpit was coming loose and the sails and mast were destined for the rubbish bin. The list of damage analyses grew longer and longer: various, sometimes severe hull damage, pronounced osmosis in the underwater area, disintegrating reinforcements in the bow and under the mast foot. The keel could no longer be moved, the windows and fittings were in ruins and, and, and. In fact, there was virtually no area that didn't need to be repaired. Only the endoscopic examination of the water ballast tank saved the project. Apparently due to long periods of standing on land, it was not affected by osmosis. A complete refurbishment at this point would have meant the end of the project.

Part of the concept was that the necessary work would not be carried out by YACHT editors - thank goodness - but by selected partners from the maritime industry; by specialist companies who were to show what is possible in their respective trades, what costs and time can be expected, where it is worth doing it yourself and what is better left to the experts.

In the current YACHT 2/2020, you can see the finished boat and read about how the individual measures work together, what has been improved and what has remained the same. And also what it all cost. A detailed table lists all the work, the hours required and the material costs. Available from today at newsagents or to order digitally here.