LUXURY BOATS GET UPGRADED

By Jennifer Mooney Piedra

The trend of customization has spread from land to sea, and companies that personalize yachts say it's a growing part of the marine industry.

When Gil Romano was in the market for a yacht, he envisioned exactly how it would look - from the Corian countertops to the hue of the veneer wall-coverings to the style of furniture for his guests.

The only problem: His dream boat wasn’t available straight out of the factory.  So Romano, a Long Island, N.Y., resident who owns a telecommunications company, bought a used 65-foot Hatteras and took it to Foster’s Marine Group in Fort Lauderdale for a makeover.

Think Pimp My Ride – on water.  “We gut these yachts and customize them to the customer’s liking,” said owner Dennis Foster, 43, of Aventura.  “We do anything and everything – from soup to nuts.”  During the past two decades, Foster’s Marine Group has been repairing boats and transforming old yachts and smaller vessels into floating marvels.

Depending on the project, Foster’s charges $10,000 to $5 million.  Some jobs can take just a few weeks, while others can take up to a year.  The company has made boats bigger, installed fancy electronics and light fixtures, redone galleys, changed windows, added entire levels, and repainted vessels.  A designer helps customers choose the perfect carpeting, upholstery, curtains, blinds, wood, wallpaper, ceiling textures, bed sheets and furniture.

$10.8 BILLION INDUSTRY
But Foster’s Marine Group is not alone in its expertise in the yacht refitting business.  It’s all part of Broward’s $10.8 billion marine industry said Frank Herhold, executive director of the Marine Industries Association of South Florida, a regional marine trade association with 800 members.  “There are a number of companies in Broward that have found this market to be their niche,” he said.  “This area has worldwide reputation for its craftsmanship.”

Finale, Romano’s yacht, is one of the handful Foster’s team is refurbishing.  The team recently sanded down the deck and added a new no-slip surface.  Upgrades on the fly bridge – the highest navigational point on the vessel – are next on the list.  The beige carpeting will be ripped up and replaced with cherry wood flooring.  Two new, plush captain chairs will be installed, and the couch will be lifted higher so people sitting on it can see out the windows.

Romano says remodeling an old boat is the way to go.  “I am getting exactly what I want right to the tee,” he said.  “I know it will look great.”  For Foster, seeing his customers satisfied is key.  It’s been that way ever since he got into the industry 20 years ago…”it’s like their second house,” he said.  “It has to be perfect.”

After serving in the Army, Foster, who grew up in North Miami, started working in 1986 for his uncle, who built small boats.  While working on the vessels, he fell in love with the trade.  “I started making a lot of mistakes, screwing up peoples’ boats,” Foster said.  “But that’s how I learned.”  Six months later, Foster bought a beat-up red van for $400 and took his boat repair business on the road.

FOSTER’S START

Each day, he’d wake up at 8 a.m. and travel from marina to marina, where he’d jump the fences and leave brochures with his name and number on hundreds of boats.  People started calling and he got work.  He began fixing boats at docks but eventually moved his business to a permanent location at Billfish Marina, 2945 W. State Road 84, Fort Lauderdale.

About 10 years ago, business expanded beyond repairing boats when the demand grew for customized yachts, Foster said.  Among the company’s most loyal customers: David McDuffee.  About two years ago, McDuffee, 68, wanted a full hard-top enclosure built for his 65-foot Viking sport cruiser.  Several refitting companies bid on the project, but Foster got the job.  A marine architect helped design the fiberglass enclosure and Foster’s team built and installed it.

“It’s one of a kind,” McDuffee said, “just what I wanted.”  McDuffee, a retired insurance executive who splits his time between New Hampshire and Delray Beach, has returned to Foster’s Marine Group for other jobs – including a custom-built enclosure for a wide-screen TV, new cabinets and electronic work.  On a recent day in the boatyard at Billfish Marina, Bella Fortuna, a 68-foot Azimut motor yacht, was propped up so workers could repaint its bottom and fix some corroded parts.  The shiny red boat, which cost $2.7 million, elicited stares from all directions.

Its interior is decorated with sleek, dark-chocolate furniture and fixtures and beige accents. A 12-foot sunroof, stainless steel appliances in the galley and a flat-screen plasma TV are among its features. The TV is hooked up to a hydraulic lift that conceals it inside a table with the click of a remote control. The spacious master suite has a view of the ocean on both sides through six square checkerboard-style windows.

Customers come from as far away as Italy, Mexico and Canada to have Foster's team give their yachts a makeover. "This is a great place for us to be," said Bob Hagemeister, the company's operations manager. "Fort Lauderdale is the boating capital of the world."