Watch: Installing a Hot Tub on a Private Yacht

30 June 2023

It’s the perfect picture. Sitting on a private yacht, drink in hand in a gorgeously sunny location listening to the tinkling of sails on nearby boats and the quiet sound of waves tickling the shoreline.

How could you make this any better? Well, you could be sitting in your own private stainless steel hot tub.

We recently installed a ‘yacht tub’ on a customer's private yacht and we’ve been excited to share some videos of its progress.

The Brief

Approximate Cost: £50k
Lead time: 16 Weeks

We were asked to design, manufacture and install a stainless steel hot tub on the deck of our customer's beautiful 33m yacht. The yacht was in Cannes, France for the initial installation and would then be moved to Antibes for finishing and commissioning.

The customer asked for a round stainless steel hot tub which would be designed with an integrated balance tank wrapped around half of the pool. We manufactured the spa in Cheshire, UK and once ready, shipped it to Cannes ready for installation. The yacht was docked here for some refurbishment giving us the opportunity to lift the hot tub into the yacht by crane.

We shot some videos once the spa was installed, before the finishing aesthetics were added and the spa was fully commissioned. We hope to add more photos and videos of the finished yacht tub in all her glory on this gorgeous private yacht.

Q&A with Richard Gowland, SpaFlo

We caught up with Richard after completing this yacht tub project to ask a few questions and get some tips for what to consider when installing a hot tub on a boat or yacht.

Was the hot tub transported to the yacht fully assembled?

Yes, we manufactured the hot tub in Cheshire UK and then loaded the tub onto the yacht, fully assembled. Once on deck, we just have to do the final connections onto the fast water fill, drains and electrics on board.

How did you get the tub onto the Yacht?

The yacht was already stationed in the dry dock in Cannes, France for some refurbishments. This provided the perfect opportunity to manufacture the tub off-site and lift it by crane onto the yacht whilst docked.

What do you love about Yacht Tub projects?

I love working with top class architects and designers to create unusual and beautiful designs. Once we have finished making the tub, I love working closely with the crew members and their high level craftsmanship on site, finishing the works and training them to look after the spa pool properly for the long term.

What are the main challenges of a yacht tub project?

Weight and water distribution. Structural engineers have to be involved at every stage of the project to ensure the yacht isn’t top heavy and the weight distribution (with and without water) is always balanced. Other than that, a bespoke yacht tub follows our usual design and fabrication process and we are always excited to see what interesting and unusual designs we can create.

How do you care for stainless steel on a boat?

Installing a stainless steel hot tub on a boat has some extra considerations to dry land because it is at the mercy of salty water. You should polish anything stainless steel such as handrails regularly to stop salt latching onto it and corroding it. A simple microfibre cloth and polish applied regularly will do the trick. The stainless steel hot tub itself has some protection as it is covered most of the time and is then cleaned prior to filling and after draining on each use.

Do you leave the water in the tub whilst the yacht is travelling or does it need to be emptied?

Most pools and spas installed on boats are not full of water while yachts are moving. There is no baffler inside a pool or spa to stop water sloshing around in any choppy water. They are filled after the yacht is anchored, then drained again before they move off. They can be filled and heated pretty quickly and the heat of the stainless steel helps to warm them up.