{"id":50552,"date":"2021-01-08T19:55:12","date_gmt":"2021-01-09T00:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/?p=50552"},"modified":"2023-05-08T07:42:11","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T11:42:11","slug":"boatbuilder-profile-outer-reef-yachts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/story\/yachts\/outer-reef-yachts-boatbuilder-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Boatbuilder Profile: Outer Reef Yachts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"88-foot <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The 88-foot Outer Reef Argo<\/i> off San Diego. The yacht also cruised Patagonia and rounded Cape Horn in South America.<\/span>\n Courtesy Outer Reef Yachts<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Chris Wheeler was awaiting guests in the Bahamas aboard his 67-foot Outer Reef Classic Motoryacht, Private Idaho<\/i>, when one of his batteries went down. \u201cIt was harming the performance of the whole house bank,\u201d he says. \u201cThese things weigh like 150 pounds. It\u2019s a massive battery. They\u2019re also hard to get.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

He knew a guy who had one in Jupiter, Florida, and he knew of a sailboat sitting about 100 miles away from there in Key Biscayne, waiting for a weather window to sail across to the islands. Needing help from afar, Wheeler called Capt. Randy Ives, who manages service projects and more for Outer Reef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cI asked if there was any way he could get this battery and put it aboard this sailboat that\u2019s coming to the Bahamas in two days,\u201d Wheeler says. \u201cWell, Randy found a way to make it happen. They weren\u2019t even selling me anything or making money off me. It\u2019s just above-and-beyond service to help out an owner whose boat is 10 years old and well out of warranty\u2014who\u2019s in trouble in the middle of nowhere.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Wheeler\u2019s experience epitomizes the level of customer service that Outer Reef<\/a> president Jeff Druek says is a core company value. Along with a willingness to customize just about anything, and the ability to build boats that can cruise just about anywhere, customer service is a pillar of the brand\u2019s culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomething is going to break. These are boats,\u201d Druek says. \u201cIt really comes down to who gets it fixed and gives the client the confidence that it\u2019s going to get fixed. It\u2019s not about lip service. It\u2019s about actually getting it done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Outer <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n On the left, an Outer Reef 860 Deluxbridge comes out of the mold at the shipyard. Customization is part of the build process at the Outer Reef yard and can be done anywhere on board. In some cases, the builder has moved bulkheads and adapted layouts to satisfy client requests.<\/span>\n Courtesy Outer Reef Yachts<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Building Value, From the Start<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n

To Druek\u2019s thinking, customer service is intertwined with pretty much every part of a boat\u2019s build-and-purchase process. From Day One, he works with clients to customize Outer Reef models in substantial ways\u2014sometimes even moving bulkheads. And on every project, he and his team guide owners to make choices that not only the brand can support in situations like the one Wheeler faced but also will help to keep resale value high. Druek wants owners to know that when they\u2019re ready to sell, they will have an exit strategy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a direct link between customer service and resale value,\u201d Druek says. \u201cWe control probably 98 percent of every Outer Reef that comes back on the resale market. That is unheard of in itself. At the end of the day, when our clients want to get out of their boat or they want to build a new boat, I want to control that resale value. With me controlling that boat on the brokerage market, I can command the highest dollar amount for it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

This past summer, he says, he sold two brokerage Outer Reefs\u2014a 65 and an 86\u2014for more than the sellers paid new. That\u2019s the whole idea, Druek says: \u201cIf you had a sour relationship with a client, why would they ask you to resell it for them? I want to represent every one of our boats.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Outer <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Outer Reef is willing to customize pretty much anything an owner wants, from layouts and furniture to tabletops and cabinetry.<\/span>\n Courtesy Outer Reef Yachts<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Going to Serious Lengths<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n

Of all the owners Druek has worked with over the years, Larry Castellani is probably the one who stood the best chance of pushing the builder to its breaking point. A longtime boater who had owned numerous vessels, he bought a 70-foot Outer Reef he liked, but he then realized he needed more space for his growing family, including his grandchildren. Castellani\u2019s new brief included four staterooms\u2014all with king- or queen-size berths and en suite heads\u2014as well as two crew cabins in the stern, including one with a king-size berth for the couple who had been running his boats as crew for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Outer Reef\u2019s largest model, an 86, came with three staterooms and one crew cabin. A fourth stateroom was possible\u2014but with bunks and a shared head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd on top of that, we wanted to build to home specs,\u201d Castellani says. \u201cWe wanted 8-inch risers, 10-inch platforms. The idea of having stairs that do not conform to muscle memory is not a good idea on a boat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Druek says he put in more than 400 hours of time on drawings, revisions and more revisions to make those requests a reality. At some point in the 10-month-long design process, he gave Castellani a laptop with Skype pre-loaded, so Castellani could click on Druek\u2019s picture and reach him anytime, anywhere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I had to pay Jeff Druek by the word or by the number of emails that went back and forth with the different layouts, trust me, he\u2019d be a billionaire,\u201d Castellani says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

And eventually, Druek figured out how to give Castellani exactly what he wanted. He created more space for the sleeping areas by using the entire 86-foot mold that Outer Reef had, changing the swim platform from an integral part of the boat to an extension. Druek also found a way to give Castellani\u2019s wife, Joan, the full-size washer and dryer she wanted in the master stateroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cJeff and Joan were simpatico,\u201d Castellani says. \u201cAfter six months of this, I wanted to send them both to a political correctness class because it would not be uncommon for Joan to get on Skype with Jeff and not invite me. That\u2019s not funny. I\u2019m paying for this thing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Druek, who got his start as a builder of custom homes, looks back on the process fondly. As challenging as the design brief was, it gave him ideas that can now be used to enhance Outer Reef builds in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many times he profusely apologized for monopolizing my time and asking for drawing after drawing after drawing, but it pushed me to be a better designer,\u201d Druek says. \u201cI\u2019m designing a 97 for a client right now, and we\u2019re doing the dance. It\u2019s going to be an extraordinary vessel. It\u2019s really geared toward watersports, diving, fishing\u2014it\u2019s set up specifically for his lifestyle. That\u2019s what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Outer <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Owners of the Outer Reef 610 Equiessence<\/i> (and their dog) in a design session with company president Jeff Druek for their second Outer Reef, a 720 Deluxbridge Motoryacht.<\/span>\n Courtesy Outer Reef Yachts<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Confidence Underfoot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n

For Dave Scudellari, the process of building his 70-foot Outer Reef, Ana Luisa<\/i>, was also a bit about customization but a lot more about building with confidence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Scudellari had owned a series of boats: a 22, then a 28, followed by a 40 and then a 54 that he kept for 17 years. He loved heading out with his family and friends on New York\u2019s Long Island Sound, sometimes having 15 or 20 people on board for a day of fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

As he got older, he wanted to cruise the Bahamas. His boat could take a beating, he says, but he didn\u2019t feel good in the rough stuff. \u201cI have great respect for the ocean,\u201d he says, \u201cso if I was going to do the Bahamas, I wanted to have a bluewater boat. This wasn\u2019t going out to [Rhode Island\u2019s] Block Island. This would be crossing the Gulf Stream.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

About 10 percent of Outer Reef owners cruise to remote locations, Druek says, including one who took an 88-footer to Patagonia and rounded Cape Horn in South America. The boats can handle the kind of cruising Scudellari wanted to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

But Scudellari, having dealt with his share of shipyards over the years, also wanted to make sure Outer Reef would have his back in terms of support as an owner-operator. Outer Reef connected him with existing owners to interview, including one guy, he remembers, who had an older boat in the Bahamas with Outer Reef still sending him parts. Something about a battery that died. That story made an impression on him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"860 <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The 860 Deluxbridge Motoryacht HQ<\/i> and 610 Motoryacht Sandana<\/i> highlight the range of sizes Outer Reef builds.<\/span>\n Courtesy Outer Reef Yachts<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Scudellari took delivery of Ana Luisa<\/i> in 2018 and had a captain deliver it to the Bahamas. He and his wife got aboard in the Abacos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe waved goodbye to the captain and took command of the vessel,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt was unbelievable. It was so beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

On the first leg of their trip, though, an alarm sounded. Just like Wheeler had done when he ran into trouble in the Bahamas, Scudellari called Ives at Outer Reef.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m taking pictures in the engine room so he can see what I\u2019m looking at,\u201d Scudellari says. \u201cWe sorted it out, and it was done. That\u2019s why I have the peace of mind that I can be adventurous. Things will go bump in the night. It\u2019s boating. But there\u2019s a support system. I have someone to call, and he knows this boat better than I do. That is what makes the difference for an owner-operator.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Druek says that if Ives isn\u2019t available, a whole list of other people are, including him\u201424\/7\/365. Buying a boat is not a small undertaking, he adds, and Outer Reef\u2019s philosophy is that owners deserve that kind of support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lot of our clients, whether they\u2019re going to take a month and cruise or a couple weeks here and there, it\u2019s a large investment,\u201d Druek says. \u201cIf you\u2019re out for a month and you go down for a week, you just lost 25 percent of your time. We understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Each of the owners says Outer Reef\u2019s commitment to quality and service is why they would be happy to work with the builder again. As Castellani puts it, thinking out loud about how he might challenge Druek beyond the 90-foot Julianne<\/i>, \u201cIf we were going to build another boat and Jeff had the 115 available, we\u2019d have to give that serious consideration.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Take the next step: outerreefyachts.com<\/a><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Outer Reef Yachts says its core values are customization, customer service and building yachts tough enough to cruise anywhere.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":23620,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Kim Kavin","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"20210108","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"163","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Outer Reef Yachts says its core values are customization, customer service and building yachts tough enough to cruise anywhere. Owners who have chosen Outer Reef for the past decade say their experience more than matches the marketing.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"76NP6XWGBBCTNBP4CKFLOHT334","arc_website_url":"story\/yachts\/outer-reef-yachts-boatbuilder-profile\/","custom_permalink":"story\/yachts\/outer-reef-yachts-boatbuilder-profile\/","arc_subtype":"right-sidebar","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":0,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[163],"tags":[176,573,387,185,164],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50552"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50552"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50552\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23620"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50552"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50552"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.yachtingmagazine.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50552"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}