CLASSIC BOAT APRIL 2016 87CRAFTSMANSHIP
When pushed, Adrian names Morgan as Rustler’s
automotive equivalent. We would have guessed Land
Rover for the number of wealthy, married, retired
couples in their 50s who buy these boats and sail around
the world, but the Morgan badge works, sharing as it
does the semi-bespoke serial builder status and love of
quirkiness. Rustler Yachts does not always follow
boilerplate modern yacht building and the end product
works well, a result of Adrian and Nick’s experience in
sailing (the former as a racing sailor, the latter as a racing
man). Engines sit not under the companion, but encased
in cabinetry in the centre of the saloon for better weight
distribution; cleats, nav lights and helm’s benches pop up
here and fold away there.
The yard is quietly busy as we promenade the upper
walkways overlooking the build bays. Half a dozen
yachts are in build. “There’s no fat – there’s 40 of us and
only Nick, a secretary and me in the offi ce,” says Adrian.
The rest are here on the fl oor, engaged in wiring,
plumbing, joinery, fabrication and everything else to
create the fi nished boat; it’s nearly all done in-house.
Among them is the 37 – “our fi rst digital boat”
explained Adrian, that started life on a CAD
programme, which then whispered its binary secrets
to a fi ve-axis router which cut out the moulds.
Rustler Yachts, although ‘premium’, compare well
in value to yachts from builders like Malo or
Halberg Rassey. Half a million quid (for a nicely
specced 44) is still half a million quid, but so far every
boat has been bought without a loan. Many Rustler
clients are retired couples in their 50s who spurn the
ostentation of a bigger yacht for the Corinthian joy of
real sailing and arriving in ports incognito. It’s a 70 per
cent British market with the rest going overseas.
“Even our clients who are major CEOs will pick up
the phone to talk boats – typically they’d rather talk
boats than work!” said Adrian. Having this sort of loyal
customer base [not to mention Princess Anne – a 36,
now a 44] helps to bring new boats to market. “We’re
talking about a 57 – we’ve got someone ready to buy it
and possibly others.” This is the stuff boatbuilders’
dreams are made of. And it doesn’t hurt that people at
the top are getting richer and younger. In the old days, a
Rustler 36 would be the last boat for a retired MD in his
60s, the pinnacle of his boat-owning career. These days,
a number of clients get through two Rustlers before
swallowing the anchor.
Rustler doesn’t just build boats. A good slice of hard
standing enables bread-and-butter work like craning and
antifouling. Then there is the restoration side. There are
four on the refi t team and current projects include a
Rustler 31 and a 1920s motor Falmouth quay punt
built for Falmouth’s harbourmaster.
A recent job was a rebuild of a (GRP) Van de
Stadt Gallant 54. Projects for the future include a
motor yacht, 53 and 63 footers, and supporting the
Golden Globe Race in 2018. And, of course,
British-built, modern classic yachts. Lots of them.Above left: two
R37s and an R42
Above right:
Midway fi t-out of
a new R37
Facing page:
Rustler is known
for the quality of
its cabinetry24 33 36 37 44