Charlie Ross on how Pendennis Falmouth is building for the future

As Pendennis Falmouth enters a new phase of growth and investment, SuperYacht Times sits down with Charlie Ross, Director of Operations, to discuss current activity at the yard, future plans, and how the company continues to blend craftsmanship with technological innovation.  

Having joined the business almost 20 years ago as an ex-Lloyd's surveyor, Charlie has worked throughout the company’s spectrum of operations, from refit project management to new-builds. He is now bringing his broad collective experience to the management of the Falmouth facility, working closely with the Vilanova facility and partners at both Cockwells and Norfolk Interiors.

Are there strategic or physical developments on the horizon? 

The most recent development has been the reorganising of our management structure, which allows us to focus more effectively moving forward. My role centres on Falmouth, ensuring clear ownership and direction. Stephen Hills can now focus on the Group’s commercial activities and Toby Allies on client engagement. We’re planning both in five-year and 15-year horizons – not just business goals, but also how we’re perceived by the community and the industry as a whole. 

We are also making physical amendments to the yard in Falmouth and have secured planning permission to raise the roof on part of the dry dock, which will allow larger vessels with more air draft to enter. We’re also extending Hall 3 – where Fox was built – by 40 metres, adding capacity, workshops, and new technology. Currently we can handle a single 75 metre and a 50 metre yacht simultaneously. The dry dock upgrade will allow us to accommodate two 75 metre yachts simultaneously, meeting current, and hopefully future demand for our services.

Following the delivery of the 34.86-metre Fox last year, has there been a shift in perception of Pendennis as a new-build facility as well as refit? 

Definitely. Over recent years we’ve completed some highly significant rebuilds and reconstructions such as the classic motor yacht Marala and more recently Jester and Seawolf, which have shone the light on our refit capabilities. 

The completion of Fox last year, however, was an opportunity to demonstrate to the industry that our expertise is excellently translated to the completion of complex new-builds. Fox was an unusual project, coming to us in a partially completed state, we were able to employ a lot of our technological and design abilities to the yacht and put our own print on it. The final yacht has been extremely well received, and we are certainly open to more new-builds, though we do not have plans to transition into a solely new-build yard.  

Pendennis Falmouth is a full-service shipyard, and we employ all of our staff directly which gives us excellent control over timelines and quality. That being said, in the past 18 months we’ve had the aforementioned and highly significant rebuild of the 58.83-metre Seawolf, as well as an electric-propulsion aluminium catamaran for the Thames; alongside the refits of returning clients such as Rebecca, Teleost, Catalina, and Adix. Our long-serving team means many of the people who worked on a yacht years ago are still here for its next visit, and the lessons learned from refits directly inform our new-build practices, which I think makes it a very solid combined offering.

Pendennis Falmouth has made significant investments in technology, could you elaborate on that with some specifics? 

In the first instance with Fox, we used our 3D scanning capability to capture the built structural environment accurately so that we could then allocate the net space to systems engineering and allow the modelling of the interior carpentry and cabinetry to be developed in the envelope. Further to this to improve production efficiency and quality we elected not to use drawings but had the live digital models on iPad for the production teams to use for installation. This was a first step, next time I can see this being further augmented in some way to further improve the outcomes. 

At Pendennis we’re always looking to improve our facilities and services, and our most recent technological development has been the opening of a new Digital Manufacturing Centre (DMC) on-site in Falmouth. The DMC extends our current capability with additional CNC cutting, profiling and machining equipment to fully leverage our existing 3D scanning and design capability. 

On-site we have a CNC water cutting machine capable of cutting almost any material 200 mm thick, 4-metres long by 2-metres wide. We can also tap holes and mark parts if required.

How has the integration of Norfolk Interiors and Cockwells within the Pendennis portfolio benefited your clients and developed the offering? 

With the additions of Norfolk Interiors and Cockwells our clients can benefit from the increased capabilities and experience that each subsidiary brings, whether it's designing and building bespoke interiors or offering high quality custom tenders. We think each brings coherency to our offering as a high-quality provider in the industry. Falmouth acts as the mothership, sharing technical expertise and benefiting from reciprocal knowledge exchange.

Pendennis has tended to favour a few long-term projects alongside maintenance work, rather than overloading. Is that still the case? 

Absolutely. As a full-service yard, the trade mix needs to fit. Long-term projects allow us to manage resources efficiently while also handling shorter refits. It means our technical and design specialists can contribute real value across the board. 

We’re not an out-and-out new build yard, nor just a quick refit stop. Clients come to us for technically challenging projects or tight timelines. We aim to deliver Northern European standards but with a more tailored service and continuity through facilities like Vilanova. 

We operate year-round, and the maritime tradition here means people love working at Pendennis. With a motivated workforce spanning generations, we’re committed to delivering excellent service.

How central is team longevity and training to Pendennis? 

Very central. Our average workforce age is around 37, thanks to ongoing apprenticeships. But we also have veterans who’ve been here since day one – there’s a wealth of knowledge, around 6 million man-hours. We recently repaired a timber sailing yacht’s hull using techniques mastered over decades. That continuity and expertise defines us.

Finally, what do you see as your biggest challenge in leading Falmouth? 

A major focus is keeping skills development attractive to young people. We had over 300 attendees at our apprentice evening and 108 applicants for about 20 places – that’s promising. But we must ensure there are clear pathways into management or technical roles. We recently launched a digital manufacturing centre, grouping CNC and profiling tools with 3D scanning and other innovations. And of course, sustainability is a key challenge. We've hired a transformational lead to drive this agenda – it’s the start of a critical journey for the company.