Charter Motor Yacht — 55m Galley Optimisation

Project Overview: 55m Charter Motor Yacht Galley Optimisation

This project involved a targeted galley optimisation programme for a 55-metre motor yacht entering its first full Mediterranean charter season after several years of private owner use. The vessel had been built to a high standard for private use, but the galley specification — entirely appropriate for the owner's culinary programme — was inadequate in several key respects for the more demanding throughput requirements of a ten-guest commercial charter operation.

The owner and management company had identified specific operational issues from the vessel's initial charter experience: warewashing was creating bottlenecks at the end of formal dinner services, the absence of a glasswasher was requiring crystal to be hand-washed, and the laundry equipment was struggling with the linen volume of ten-guest charter weeks with rapid turnaround.

Assessment and Priority Setting

We began with a thorough operational assessment — reviewing the existing equipment specification, speaking with the captain and head chef about specific operational pain points, and observing a full dinner service cycle to understand where the bottlenecks were occurring. This assessment produced a clear priority hierarchy:

1. Highest priority — warewashing upgrade: the existing undercounter dishwasher was processing a 75-second cycle for one basket at a time; at the end of a formal dinner service for ten guests, it was taking 45 minutes to clear the crockery and serving equipment, significantly delaying the steward team
2. High priority — glasswasher addition: the crystal was being deteriorated by dishwasher exposure and would need replacement if this continued
3. Medium priority — laundry upgrade: the existing domestic machines were running 8 cycles per day on changeover days, significantly exceeding their rated capacity

Implementation

The optimisation programme was implemented during the vessel's winter lay-up period at a Barcelona yard:

• Hobart AMX hood-type dishwasher — installed in the galley replacing the existing undercounter unit and its position in the layout. The hood-type machine reduced post-dinner dishwashing time from 45 minutes to under 15 minutes for the same service volume
• Winterhalter GS-R glasswasher — installed at the service bar, eliminating the return of glassware to the galley for dishwasher cleaning and ending the progressive crystal hazing
• Miele Marine PW 6101 commercial washers — two units replacing the domestic pair, rated for the commercial cycle volumes that the charter operation required

Project Outcome

The charter season following the optimisation saw a marked improvement in operational efficiency. The steward team reported that the post-dinner service workflow had been transformed by the hood-type dishwasher — clearing the dining room and resetting for the following day's breakfast service was now achievable within a reasonable time after the final dinner service ended. The glasswasher protected the crystal that remained in service and allowed the charter manager to delay the planned crystal replacement programme for at least two seasons. The Miele laundry handled changeover days without the extended cycle runs that had been straining the domestic machines.