Michael Schneider Yacht Consultancy
Project Management · New Builds · Refits · Yacht Brokerage · Crewing · Worldwide Technical Support
Working directly with yacht owners, captains and management companies worldwide.
Michael Schneider — Independent Yacht Consultant
Profile
Michael Schneider is an independent yacht consultant whose work is grounded in professional seagoing practice rather than office-based administration. The background is operational: time spent on board in senior positions and in command, with direct responsibility for crew, systems, safety and the day-to-day realities of running a yacht.
That perspective shapes every project. Specifications are read with an eye on how a system will be serviced at sea. Yard schedules are assessed against what a crew can realistically absorb. Technical decisions are explained clearly, so that owners can make informed commercial choices without having to become engineers.
The consultancy remains deliberately small. Each engagement is handled personally, with a limited number of projects at any one time and full personal accountability for the outcome.
Services
Engagements are scoped individually — a single yard period, a full new build, brokerage representation, or ongoing support alongside an existing captain and management structure.
Single-point representation of the owner's interest from first concept through delivery and beyond. Programme, budget and specification control, yard and supplier coordination, contract milestones, technical decisions and reporting written in plain language for the owner and the captain.
Support through yard selection, specification and contract review, design reviews and engineering coordination. On-site supervision during construction and outfitting, inspection of systems and finish quality, sea trials, snag management and a structured handover with complete documentation.
Definition of a realistic refit scope, tender preparation and comparison of yard proposals, planning of dry-dock and yard periods, daily supervision on the ground, variation and cost control, and close-out with clean records of everything changed on board.
Personal representation for yacht sales, combining commercial guidance with first-hand operational and technical experience.
Discreet assistance with crew structure, selection and interviewing, onboarding and handover, standing orders, watch and maintenance routines, safety and ISM-related documentation, and support for captains and heads of department during demanding periods.
Remote and on-site technical assistance wherever the yacht is operating: troubleshooting and second-opinion reviews, contractor selection and supervision, warranty and defect follow-up, planned maintenance oversight, and preparation for surveys and class or flag requirements.
Selected experience
A selective view rather than a complete employment history: refit and project management, new-yacht warranty periods, expedition sailing, yacht operations and ocean passages.
Oyster 82
Captain · Refit Project Management
2026 · Arenys de Mar, Barcelona
Extensive refit including teak deck replacement, interior conversion and coordination of specialist contractors.
Solaris 80 RS
Captain · Warranty & Yard Projects
2020–2024 · Aquileia, Italy
Warranty-period works with Solaris Yachts, two yard periods, technical upgrades and preparation for long-range cruising.
Owen Clarke 68 · Expedition Yacht
First Officer · Relief Captain · Refit
2019–2020 · Makkum, Netherlands
Refit and warranty works with KM Yachtbuilders, including interior improvements and preparation for high-latitude operations.
Lagoon SIXTY 5
Captain · Blue-Water Operations
2024–2025
Command and operational management across the Mediterranean, Atlantic, Caribbean and Pacific.
Selected yards & builders
Oyster Yachts · Solaris Yachts · Nautor Swan · KM Yachtbuilders
Organisations with which Michael has professional project experience. No endorsement, representation or formal partnership is implied.
References are available on request, with the consent of the parties involved.
Brokerage
Personal representation for yacht sales, combining commercial guidance with first-hand operational and technical experience.
Current listings
For saleLagoon SIXTY 5
2024
Highly specified Lagoon SIXTY 5 with extensive upgrades and proven blue-water cruising experience.
Independence
An independent consultant sits on one side of the table only. There is no yard relationship to protect, no supplier margin to defend and no internal department to keep busy.
The work is carried out personally. Nothing is delegated to a rotating account team, and the person on site is the person the owner speaks to.
No commission-driven relationships with yards, suppliers or agencies. Recommendations are made only on technical and commercial merit for the owner.
Decisions are assessed from the position of the people who will operate and maintain the yacht, not only from a drawing or a spreadsheet.
Ownership, itineraries, budgets and commercial terms remain confidential. No public case studies are published without explicit consent.
Contact
Every enquiry is treated confidentially. A short conversation is usually enough to establish whether independent support is the right answer, and what form it should take.
