Family bought an abandoned yacht in dire condition for $2,500 and rebuilt it into a luxury escape in just 16 months
- This $2,500 abandoned yacht was turned into a luxury home
- The Bennington family has been living aboard while they restore it
- 16 months later and this once-wrecked vessel is now totally different
Published on Feb 01, 2025 at 5:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Jack Marsh
Last updated on Jan 30, 2025 at 8:19 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
After buying an abandoned yacht wreckage for just $2,500, this family has rebuilt it into a luxury escape in just 16 months.
Few people can proudly claim they bought their home for as little as $2,500.
But that’s the case for this family in Wales, as they settled on buying an abandoned yacht with the goal of making it their home.
After 16 months of welding, cleaning, painting, and more, the once-wrecked vessel is now a luxury escape.
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Abandoned yacht bought for just $2,500
We’ve seen a number of boats get restored into prime homes, but projects like this $140,000 superyacht come significantly out of many people’s price range.
In this case, though, the Bennington family bought their abandoned yacht for just $2,500, and it turned out to be an investment worth making.
The boat was a 38ft steel Pilot House cutter named Steel Melody.
The family described it as a ‘stray dog’.
Throughout a 16-month process, all documented on their YouTube channel Sailing Melody, the family got to work rebuilding the vessel, starting with a good old-fashioned scrub.
The first job at hand was cleaning. But not just ordinary cleaning.
The boat had to be stripped of anything rusting or flaking, meaning paint was pulled off, rust ground away, and interiors thrown out. Then, a lovely cold shower.
It wasn’t all plain sailing though.
Major repairs were needed for the hull and bows, before removing all of the osmosis (water damage).
A good thorough bolting of the keels and ballast was also necessary, and that is all before any paintwork was touched.
Transformation: It is now a luxury escape
The family lived on the boat during the bulk of its restoration, but its patience paid off because the vessel turned into a luxury escape.
The new home won’t be their forever stop though, as the Benningtons have already undertaken another restoration.
In fact, Steel Melody is being prepared for sale, while they live on the larger 48ft Ocean Melody.
Of course, not all boat restorations are success stories.
Possibly the ‘cheapest yacht in the world’ sold for just $150 and the restorer behind its second life was shocked by the job.
