My interest in boats began as a kid when a neighbour purchased a 20' sport fisherman in the late '60s - the white GRP shape was like nothing I'd seen before and its clean, simple, lines captured my imagination. For years I sustained my new hobby interest with boating magazines from around the world. 

The existence of the superyacht industry remained a mystery until 1980s media coverage of the West Australian boat builder Oceanfast and their 30m "Never Say Never", opened a portal to a world of unimaginable opulence.

Seeing that boat quayside in a marina soon after launching, proved pivotal and life changing. The futuristic Jon Bannenberg styling was inspiring to fresh eyes, and the very idea that someone had an incredible Aus$20 million to build a boat was just incomprehensible........................that was 1986.

That brief quayside encounter was the catalyst for me stepping away from an electrical career to join Oceanfast, setting course for a future I couldn't have imagined. It was there that I founded my career in superyachts by gaining experience in Weights, Estimating, Cost Control, Equipment Sourcing, Project Management Support and exposure to the definition of quality taken to another level.

The corporate ownership set the scene to steep learning curves, creative thinking and solving issues on the run. No compromise was part of the ethos and the resulting technical achievements and standards of finish were reflected by accolades from industry media.

Parallels with aviation design and lightweight materials were adopted to create planing hull vessels of up to 55m, with speeds in excess of 20 knots and trans-Atlantic range. For the time, it was cutting edge and Oceanfast set benchmarks in fast, lightweight motor yachts, collecting industry awards enroute.

It was an exciting era, a sense of involvement with something special. Teamwork, ownership, commitment, passion, excellence, achievement and professionalism could all be found in the workplace and the work ethic.

The DNA of that culture has stuck with me since, from when I first relocated to the UK in 1991 to work in refits, production boats and superyacht interiors. A return to Oceanfast in the year 2000 to work on several more new-builds, was followed by London in 2003 and 4½ years with Donald Starkey Designs.

Now long re-settled in the UK, Yacht Interiors Ltd commenced in 2008 while I was engaged on several projects as design office representative, and I've since worked on new-build & refit projects located throughout the UK and Europe.

And it hasn't always been yachts. For a time I worked in the aviation sector, manufacturing interior components for a wide range of aircraft with clients such as international airlines and aircraft manufacturers. 2018 saw me on the Owner's Supervision team on a 70m research vessel and in 2019 I was involved with a 190m luxury cruise ship. More recently a technical inspection on a 107m interior to assist resolving a dispute.

Looking ahead, a 70m new-build commences in October 2020 and longer term, I'm collaborating on the development of a 123m explorer yacht with global cruising capabilities. It is now in marketing with a view to finding a client. Expressions of interest are most welcome...!!

Rod Trautman, MD

October 2020

The superyacht that started it all. M/Y Never-Say-Never off Fremantle, WesternAustralia in 1986.

© Oceanfast