Christensen Shipyards is ready to launch the 50m (164′) superyacht SILVER LINING, with the ceremony to take place in early May, where the yacht will be loaded onto a string of self-propelled dollies, pulled from the yard’s shed, and cautiously transported a short distance to the launch ramp in the shipyard’s protected five-acre lagoon.
Hull 36 Silver Lining
Following the launch SILVER LINING will undergo four weeks of river and sea trials. In addition to this important event, the yacht’s splash into the water will mark an especially poignant me moment for Christensen Shipyards’ employees, who only 15 months earlier had lost their jobs by the closure of the shipyard.
Hull 36 Silver Lining
“I can’t imagine the angst and the hardship our workers suffered when they arrived to work and found the gates locked,” says Jim Gilbert, Christensen’s new president. “All of us in management, and particularly the two people who stepped up to purchase the yard’s assets out of receivership, feel blessed that so many of our best people hung in there through those tough times and were able to rejoin the new company when it was formed last summer. Silver Lining is the real symbol of the rebirth of the company and a testimonial to the extraordinary boatbuilding skills of an extremely talented and dedicated workforce.”
The technical aspects of the launch itself give evidence to a new spirit and dedication to quality at the shipyard. The new cradle-and-dolly system is safer and more secure, and will also cut a day or more off the old launching system.
Henry Luken, chairman and principal owner of newly-minted Christensen Shipyards LLC, says he’s particularly proud of the fact that so many of the yard’s former senior employees supervisors, shop foremen, project managers, engineers and naval architects—have returned to the company.
2016 Christensen Shipyards’ Employees
Noting that the yard’s workforce now totals among them more than 1,000 man-years of experience at Christensen, Luken remarks,“We’re boatbuilders. That’s what we love to do. The goal of our new company is to streamline every aspect of the building process to support the people who build the boats and those who buy the boats we build. We want our customers to have as much enjoyment during the process of construction as the exceptional artisans who create them.” A three-time Christensen owner himself, Luken says, “I’ve been on both sides of the table, as
A three-time Christensen owner himself, Luken says, “I’ve been on both sides of the table, as a client and as a builder. I know how to simplify the purchasing and building experience. My personal experience enables me to create a culture in which clients have the real-time information they need to feel confident every minute of the construction process.”
Hull 36 Silver Lining
The 50-metre luxury yacht reflects the yard’s new philosophy by being completed both on time and on a budget. Cruising the seas together with SILVER LINING this summer will be CHASSEUR, a fully MCA-compliant 50-metre superyacht, which is scheduled to hit the water in June. Both of these spectacular boats will be present at the upcoming Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show in November.
While the two vessels are similar when it comes to their length, Silver Lining boasts huge interior volume with stunning traditional high-gloss black walnut woodwork. On the other hand, CHASSEUR provides a slightly smaller interior space created according the MCA rules, however her beautiful interior design boasts light, highly contemporary sycamore highlighter by elegant teak soles and dramatic baths finished with brilliantly hued onyx and marble.
