Our Process
Yachts in the class of Selene are acquired by their owners as the result of a thoughtful and deliberate process. There are many steps between first sight at a boat show or in a periodical, and first sight of the vessel at the dock with all systems working, tanks and larder full, name on the transom, and the traditional bottle to break on the bow. Selene Florida is dedicated to walking those steps with you. Here are the key ones:
As you travel down the road to owning your own Selene, the pages here can be a guide to what comprises the boat and the systems, equipment, and options that will be important to you as you fulfill your unique cruising dreams. Study the choices; talk with us about their meanings, the implications of having or not having them, and your own original ideas. You may already be at a point where 90% of the detail is at hand. The remaining 10% will come into focus as we work together toward an order. Use our "Build Your Own Selene" page to frame a ballpark budget. If everything seems to fit your needs and means, then it is time to begin the Design phase.
A lot of work will go into specifying your Selene. It starts with all the standard specifications, and adds the options you select. There are many choices of layouts of accommodations, finishes, and options. This all takes time and careful thought. It is our job to work through these choices with you to make sure your expectations are met. Much, if not most of this can be done on the phone and by email.
Selene Florida works closely with Jet Tern during this important phase. The result is a detailed CAD plan of your Selene configured and specified to your exact needs.
Starting this step requires a commitment. It is conditional, in that nothing is final until a Purchase Agreement is accepted by each of us. Your completed reservation indicates your intent to begin the detailed design. It is accompanied by a modest refundable deposit and that is all that is needed to begin the process and to lock in a production slot and base price until a formal agreement is developed. The deposit is applied to the initial progress payment if an order is placed or fully refunded otherwise.
Some details of things like the electronics, entertainment systems, choices of interior materials, fabrics for curtains, mattress covers, salon upholstery, galley and head counters, etc., may be decided during this design phase. They may also evolve during the several months when your Selene is under construction. Often, electronics and entertainment systems are selected during commissioning in the US.
With every specification in hand, a Purchase Agreement is prepared. It is straightforward with a minimum of fine print. The agreed specifications and details are attached to it. It establishes a series of progress payments. Subsequent to the initial order, it is almost inevitable that new ideas further define your Selene. A Change Order describes those modifications and provides a record of what is to be on the boat.
Jet Tern schedules production on a first come, first served basis. When it receives your order, we will learn the construction schedule in a couple of weeks. You already know it can take 8-12 months to build a vessel to the ABYC and CE standards of quality and workmanship that is a Selene hallmark, and that you expect. Beyond that is the reality that orders from other customers are in the queue. Whatever the case, the date projected for start and finish will begin to define your own schedule as you plan to board your Selene for the first time.
Jet Tern engages every owner. For starters, you will receive a user name and password to a special place on their website. Every two weeks, pictures of your yacht under construction are posted for you to view and chronicle. You will be able to watch the amazing process with your own eyes. Share it with your friends and family!
Jet Tern has assigned one of its own Project Engineers full time to Selene Annapolis, and it is his responsibility to check on progress and conformance with specifications on a daily basis.
Selene Florida participates, too. We have retained a Quality Control Engineer who is at the shipyard each week. Each step of construction is under the watchful eye of a professional who knows Selenes and, importantly, knows what owners demand.
In addition, someone from Selene Florida will visit the factory throughout the build to inspect each of our under-construction vessels. Attention is given to every aspect of the construction process, and to assuring that the owner’s specifications are being planned and executed accurately and properly. A Selene Florida representative is aboard at the trial to assure all is just as it should be prior to shipping.
Jet Tern welcomes owners to visit its factory. In support of this, Selene Florida provides an allowance for the owner and partner to travel to China during the construction process. Five-star hotels with every amenity a westerner appreciates are within a $5 taxi ride of the factory and are often less than $60 per night. The dining is outstanding. Jet Tern is located about two hours outside of Hong Kong.
Full tours of the entire production process will give any visitor an appreciation of the energy and commitment that goes into every Selene. The highlight, of course, is inspecting your own vessel under construction. Project Engineers are there to make adjustments to your choices of layout, equipment, systems, finish, and options. Two full days should be planned. As long as you're there, consider arranging your own side-trips to some remarkable world-class cities like Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong.
Shortly before shipping, your Selene is lifted from its cradle and lowered into one of two large pools on the shipyard site. Engines are started and run on and off for several hours each day for 2-3 days. So is the generator, the get-home engine if installed, and all systems that use circulating raw water such as the air conditioning and freezer. The shipyard's mechanical, electrical, electronic, hydraulic, and other systems technicians are aboard. Everything is inspected and tested. The Selene Florida checklist is processed. Anything that is not right is addressed. The original checklist is shipped with the boat, and copies are provided to the owners and to our office.
When Jet Tern’s own quality control staff and Selene Florida’s representative are satisfied that your Selene is ready, she is loaded onto a barge in a custom steel cradle and taken down the Pearl River to the port facilities near Hong Kong. There, she is carefully lifted aboard the freighter that has been scheduled to bring her to the US port in the Southeast.
Secured to the deck, your Selene will sit aboard the freighter for as much as 30-40 days. Although transit times are often less, freighters are sometimes diverted en route. With current information, you may get lucky on the Panama Canal website which runs a webcam that could give you a glimpse of her passage through the locks!
Upon arrival, Team Selene Florida takes over getting your yacht offloaded from the ship and delivered to the commissioning yard. It is quite an adventure to have only a couple of hours to board the freighter, prepare all systems for launch, remove the materials that protect and secure the yacht in transit, and finally ride down to the water, fire up the engine, and start the very first cruise of a new Selene Ocean Trawler.
Your new Selene will be commissioned at the yard of your choice anywhere in the Southeast. We recommend the Fort Lauderdale area for its marine based economy and skilled labor force. The choice is yours based on your needs, location, or other factors that are important to you.
Upon arrival stateside your Selene is first inspected in the greatest detail using the same 500-item checklist plus a rigorous visual inspection to assure that every specification you have defined is met, and every system and factory-installed piece of equipment is fully and dependably operational. A dozen or more pages of detailed CAD drawings shipped with your Selene document all her systems her as built. These are verified upon arrival inspection in the yard.
Typically owners contract separately with the commissioning yard to acquire and install things like the electronics and entertainment technology, the dinghy, ground tackle, etc.
Now it is time to put her through her paces. We will want to test your Selene and all her systems in a real environment. How do the stabilizers work? Are there any leaks? How is the engine doing? If you have a get-home, it is tested, too. Sometimes we discover things that need adjustment or correction. They are noted. Back in the commissioning yard, each issue is assigned to the specialist responsible to resolve it.
Upon demonstration that all of the vessel's basic systems and operations are satisfactory, the vessel is accepted and title passes to the owner. Things that are added to the boat at the commissioning yard (e.g. electronics), unless part of the original Purchase Agreement, are arranged between the owner and the yard, and are accepted independent of vessel acceptance.
Owners are welcome aboard for the sea trial, but it is not intended to be an orientation. It is a time that the yard and Selene Florida team are at work doing all the checking and inspecting associated with an effective evaluation. The orientation comes next.
All things done, it is time for some orientation. We will spend the time on board to take you through the operation of every system and some time aboard to practice boat handling. Most owners find the “feel” of the Selene is picked up quickly. Everything done slowly seems to make things work out just fine.
Some owners seek more in-depth boat-handling experience. If you wish, we can recommend a licensed captain you may retain who will help you build time and experience aboard.
Then it is over to you. Bring your family and friends, or just steal away – we will be on the dock helping you slip your lines and wishing you fair winds, following seas, and an open invitation to come back any time.
Every Selene carries an 18-month warranty against any defects in workmanship or materials. The equipment installed also carries its own warranty. We work with you to promptly address any issues that arise.
Selene Florida is there to support you long after delivery. At any time, we can be tapped for a prompt, efficient follow-up on a range of issues. Need a replacement manual? Need a part? Questions on how this or that should work? Has something failed a couple years down the road and you need a recommendation for a repair? Just some of the things that any owner can access at any time.