Thomas Custom 67 | David Thomas Design | Built 1991, Rebuilt 2009
Ecover of Skagen began life in 1991 as Group 4, Mike Golding's winning entry in the Challenge round-the-world race. Built by Devonport Management Ltd to David Thomas's design, she was constructed to withstand sustained offshore punishment - a fact her high tensile steel hull and robust engineering still reflect.
In 2009 she underwent a complete rebuild at Danish Yacht in Skagen, Denmark, emerging as a thoroughgoing luxury cruising yacht. The Challenge interior was stripped and replaced with classical joinery in bird's eye maple with a teak sole; the decks were hand-laid in teak with black caulking; all electrical, hydraulic and plumbing systems were renewed; and a Nordic Mast carbon spar was fitted. The result bears no resemblance to her racing origins save the structural integrity that makes her genuinely capable offshore.
She has since cruised extensively, including a transatlantic passage in 2017 as part of the ARC, with time in St Lucia, Antigua, Martinique and Grenada. She has been maintained since returning to the UK in 2021, and the current owner has invested consistently in keeping her ready for sea.
Key Features & Recent Refit
Broker's SummaryEcover of Skagen represents a rare convergence of proven structural integrity and quality finish. Her steel hull and Challenge-built backbone give a blue-water buyer genuine reassurance; her 2009 refit and the systematic maintenance of recent years mean there is little left to do before departure. The new engine alone represents a material reduction in the uncertainty a purchaser normally accepts when buying a yacht of this age and size. At the asking price, she offers capability, comfort and ocean-ready condition that would cost considerably more to assemble from scratch.
Few yachts offered for sale carry a history as clear and well-documented as Ecover of Skagen. She was built in 1991 by Devonport Management Ltd as one of the original Challenge 67 fleet, and competed as Group 4 under Mike Golding, winning her class in the round-the-world race against prevailing winds and currents. That pedigree is not merely decorative: it tells you that the underlying structure of this yacht was designed and built to sustain the most demanding offshore conditions a yacht can encounter.
In 2009 she was taken to Danish Yacht in Skagen, Denmark, for a rebuild of thoroughgoing ambition. The Challenge interior and deck arrangement were stripped entirely. She emerged with a classical cruising layout finished in bird's eye maple with a teak sole, hand-laid teak decks with black caulking throughout, a carbon spar from Nordic Mast, and a complete replacement of all electrical, hydraulic and plumbing systems. The result is a vessel that reads and presents as a purpose-built luxury cruising yacht. Her racing origins are evident only in her hull form, her structural robustness and the exceptional quality of her winch and hydraulic arrangements.
The current owners purchased her in France in 2014 and have sailed her extensively, including a transatlantic passage in 2017 as part of the ARC, followed by extended cruising in St Lucia, Antigua, Martinique and Grenada. She returned to the UK in 2021 via the Azores.
Maintenance during the current ownership has been systematic and well-documented. In 2023 a new Steyr SE236E40 230hp engine was fitted, giving her barely 15 hours at the time of listing. The hot water system was refurbished, all batteries replaced throughout, rudder bearings renewed, bilge pumps and windlass serviced, and hydraulic hoses replaced. In 2024 the rod rigging received its full five-year service and all halyards were replaced, navigation lights were renewed, and all mast LED lights replaced. The life raft, lifejackets and fire extinguishers have all been serviced within the past two years. This is not a yacht requiring a list of deferred work; she is ready for her next passage.
Ecover of Skagen accommodates eight in four cabins, each with its own en-suite heads and shower. The owner's cabin occupies the full beam aft, with a double berth of 150 by 210 centimetres, a two-seat sofa, dressing table and ample stowage. Two guest cabins forward of the saloon and a crew cabin in the forepeak complete the arrangement. The saloon is generous by any standard, with leather sofas, a dining table seating six, a Bose sound system and a concealed widescreen television that rises electrically from behind the seating. A separate nav station carries the full Furuno electronics suite and Simrad autopilot.
On deck the layout is clean and seamanlike. The hydraulic systems manage the genoa furler, vang, backstay rams and mainsail outhaul, reducing the physical effort required of a short-handed crew. Anderson primary and secondary winches handle the sail plan efficiently, and the Reckmann hydraulic genoa furler is well suited to extended offshore passages. The teak bathing platform opens hydraulically via remote control, giving straightforward access from a tender or from the water.
Principal Dimensions
LOA: 67ft / 20.42m
LWL: 55ft / 16.76m
Beam: 17ft 3in / 5.26m
Draft: 10ft 2in / 3.1m
Displacement: 50,000 kg / 110,231 lb
Hull Material: High tensile steel
Builder: Devonport Management Ltd
Designer: David Thomas
Year Built: 1991
Year Rebuilt: 2009, Danish Yacht, Skagen, Denmark
Official Number: 721998
Classification: MCA SCV Cat 0 (6 persons), Cat 2 (14 persons) — not currently in date
Accommodation: 8 berths in 4 cabins
Construction
Hull: High tensile steel shell plating over T-bar longitudinals and angle ring frames
Guest Cabin (Starboard): Lower berth 100 x 210cm; upper berth 80 x 210cm; drawers and hanging space; en-suite heads and shower
Guest Cabin (Port): Lower berth 85 x 210cm; upper berth 80 x 210cm; drawers and hanging space; en-suite heads and shower
Crew Cabin: Forepeak; twin berths 210cm; drawers and hanging space; en-suite heads and shower; accessible from deck or port guest cabin
Saloon: 250cm headroom; leather sofas; dining table for 6; concealed electric widescreen TV; Bose sound system; extensive stowage; wet locker to starboard
Galley: Open plan, aft to starboard; bird's eye maple cabinetry; Corian worktops; ENO 4-burner gimballed gas stove with oven and grill; 2-drawer refrigerator; top-access chest freezer; Siemens microwave; extractor fan; stainless sink with mixer tap
Navigation Station: Open station adjacent to companionway; full-size chart table; full AC and DC control panels
Heads: Vetus electric heads throughout
Domestic Systems
Air Conditioning: Central plant reversible system with air-handlers for all cabins; Webasto serviced 2023 with new saltwater coolant pump
Entertainment: Bose sound system in saloon; LCD TV in owner's cabin; TV in saloon (new 2023); CD / radio in crew cabin
Fire Suppression: Seafire 1230 automatic unit with shutdown and monitor control (2023)
Fire Extinguishers: 4 x 2kg dry powder; 1 x 4kg dry powder; 1 x 6kg dry powder (all 2023; all serviced 2024)
Alarm System: IP addressable fire and bilge alarm with SMS alerting
Gas Certification: 2023
Navigation Lights: All new 2024
Summary of Recent Maintenance
2023: New Steyr engine; new battery banks throughout; hot water system refurbished; fresh water pumps replaced; rudder bearings renewed; bilge pumps serviced; windlass serviced; new bow thruster motor and solenoid; hydraulic hoses replaced; grey waste sump boxes replaced; water tank seals and senders replaced; new LED lights; new navigation lights; Webasto air conditioning serviced; generator refurbished; ZF throttle serviced; deck hatches overhauled; antifouling; gas safety certification; life raft, lifejackets and fire extinguishers serviced; raw water deck wash pump replaced
2024: Rod rigging 5-year service; all halyards and running rigging replaced; hydraulic hoses replaced (mast, furlers, transom platform); mast LED LOPO lights replaced; navigation lights replaced; fire extinguishers serviced; liferaft serviced; fresh water pressure system serviced
Nicolle Associates offers the details of this vessel in good faith but cannot guarantee or warrant the accuracy of this information nor warrant the condition of the vessel. A buyer should instruct his agents, or his surveyors, to investigate such details as the buyer desires validated. This vessel is offered subject to prior sale, price change, or withdrawal without notice.
Details
ManufacturerDevonport Management Ltd
ModelDavid Thomas Challange 67
Year (Build / Refit)1991
Length20.4m
Total Power230 hp
Beam5.3m
Specifications
Dimensions
Length20.4m
Max Draft3.1m
Beam5.3m
Hull
MaterialSteel
Accommodation
Guest Cabins4
Bathrooms4
Propulsion
Engine 1
Engine MakeSteyr
Engine ModelSE236E40
Engine Hours15
Engine TypeInboard
Drive TypeInboard Direct-Drive
Fuel TypeDiesel
Power230 hp
Year2023
Listing details on this page are provided by Nicolle Associates as marketing material. Please contact the broker directly for full details.