The Third Time’s the Charm for Skat

　　If good things come in pairs, great things must come in threes. At least that seems the case for Skat. The famous militaristic-looking megayacht is having her third refit with Royal Huisman’s Huisfit division.

　　Skat, measuring 231’10” (70.7 meters), cruised into Amsterdam earlier this week, as you’ll see in the video below. It’s because Huisfit offers customers a choice of location for service work. They’re all deep-water facilities, too. For instance, they can head to Royal Huisman’s headquarters in Vollenhove, northeast of Amsterdam. They can also go to Emden Dockyard, in Germany near the Dutch border. Huisfit has an exclusive relationship with the yard. Skat chose the newest place that Huisfit has exclusive use. It’s the former Holland Jachtbouw yacht-construction site, in Zaandam, just outside of Amsterdam. (Holland Jachtbouw ceased operations earlier this year. Royal Huisman negotiated exclusive use.)

　　As for the 15-year-old Skat, the megayacht is essentially always on the move. The Bahamas, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the United States… you name it, she visits it. She’s well maintained, too. But, such a busy schedule means she typically has limited time for regular surveys, overhauls, and other work.

　　In fact, she has just a few months from late 2012 into 2013 to do her first Huisfit visit. For example, the team touched up paint, upgraded the two tender garages, reconfigured the upper deck for sunpads, and installed new furniture on the main and bridge decks. Skat additionally completed a Lloyd’s survey.

　　The second refit visit took place in 2014. Lasting seven months, it involved work outside and inside. Outside, Skat gained a new paint job and teak decking. Inside, Huisfit treated the tanks, serviced the engines, overhauled the sewage-treatment system, and attended to hatches and cranes.