RLR Yachting

RLR Yachting is where many Maltese sailors and visiting crews go first when a boat needs something, whether that is a new pair of sea boots, a replacement halyard, a serviced engine or a full set of crew uniforms for a superyacht. Founded in 1963, it is the oldest chandlery and yacht management business in Malta, and it still trades from the Ta' Xbiex seafront, within easy reach of the main marinas and yards around Marsamxett Harbour.

The business covers five main areas: a well stocked chandlery, a dedicated crew uniform showroom, a mechanics and electronics department for Volvo Penta and Raymarine, a rigging division with yacht services and management, and yacht brokerage. For UK boat owners, captains or newcomers taking up sailing in Malta, it is a practical one stop shop.

A family business since 1963

Brothers John and Paul Ripard, both sailors, started RLR in 1963. The Ripard name runs deep in Maltese sailing: John Ripard Senior was also a co-founder of the Rolex Middle Sea Race, the offshore classic that starts from Grand Harbour each autumn. Sixty years on, the founders' children and grandchildren still help run the business day to day.

The wider team is made up of sailors and water lovers, which shows in the advice on offer. Darius Goodwin, who moved to Malta from the UK in 1988 and joined RLR in 2003, leads the management side. Thomas Ripard, a professional sailor and grandson of John Ripard Senior, runs yacht services and agency, while Lauren Ripard handles sales and marketing, drawing on more than 8,000 nautical miles offshore and years spent running a lifejacket business in the UK. If you are thinking of making the same move as Darius, our guide to relocating to Malta covers the essentials.

Behind the counter and in the workshops the faces are familiar to regular customers. Retail Assistant Hannah Martiriano grew up around the chandlery and boats with her stepfather Christian Ripard, so her product recommendations come from first hand use on the water. Rebecca Micallef has been part of the business for 22 years and looks after administration and accounts alongside Ines Psaila. It is a small team, but between them they cover sales, servicing, rigging, uniforms and yacht management, and most of them sail or spend their free time at sea.

The chandlery on Ta' Xbiex seafront

The shop stocks technical clothing and safety equipment for every kind of sailing, from inshore dinghy racing to ocean passages. RLR is an official distributor for a long list of brands, among them Musto, Marinepool, Slam, Zhik, Tilley, ComfortSeat NL, Gocycle electric folding bikes, Spinlock, Harken, Raymarine and Volvo Penta.

Safety gear includes Spinlock and Team Marine life jackets and harnesses. Hardware ranges from high load blocks to rope, and the staff are happy to talk through the right choice for your boat. Sailing apparel runs from offshore foul weather kit to casual wear for the marina, and much of the range can also be ordered online.

The aim is to be the first point of reference for local and international boat owners, agents and mechanics alike. A weekend dinghy sailor can pick up a buoyancy aid and gloves, a cruising couple preparing for a long passage can get advice on harnesses and foul weather gear, and a professional crew can order deck hardware or spares for an engine room. Customers who would rather browse first can use the online shop and then collect or ask for advice in store.

The store is a short walk from the Royal Malta Yacht Club, which makes it handy for visiting crews berthed nearby. Other chandleries and marine businesses appear in our directory of marina services in Malta.

Crew uniforms and team kit

RLR runs the only dedicated superyacht crew uniform showroom in Malta. Captains and pursers can try on samples and place a custom order in a single appointment, and core styles are kept in stock in all sizes so that orders can turn round quickly, even against tight deadlines. Orders can be shipped wherever a yacht happens to be.

Everything a crew needs is covered, from epaulettes for the captain to steel toe trainers for the chef, in quick drying, non iron performance fabrics that still look smart. Embroidery, flex printing and heat seal vinyl graphics are added through trusted partners, and a Marinepool catalogue is available on request. Brand Manager Ekaterina Kulikova, who joined in 2023, looks after the showroom, kitting out anyone from a four person youth Optimist team to the crew of a motor yacht over 50 metres.

The same service extends ashore: some of Malta's leading restaurants and coffee shops buy their branded staff uniforms from RLR. The approach is the same for a café as for a yacht, with the design artwork, the choice of technical or casual garments and the printing or embroidery all handled as one package, so a business can get a smart, consistent look for its team without dealing with several suppliers.

Volvo Penta and Raymarine servicing

RLR has represented Volvo Penta exclusively in Malta since the early 1970s and is one of Raymarine's longest standing distributors worldwide, having carried the brand since the days when it was called Autohelm. Its technicians are warranty certified by both manufacturers and train continually on new products.

On the engine side there are two parts specialists in a well stocked outlet open six days a week, plus four authorised leisure marine mechanics and two industrial and commercial mechanics who cover Malta and Gozo and are on call around the clock. Kurt Galea, with 15 years at RLR and 25 in the industry, and Kurt Schembri, who joined in 2018, are both warranty certified technicians.

The Raymarine outlet has the latest equipment on display and wired up so customers can try it before buying, with two specialist sales staff and two fully authorised technicians. RLR also represents FLIR thermal cameras, which it offers exclusively in Malta, along with A+T Instruments, Kannad, Lopolight, Bluefin, Scanstrut, Northern Lights, Spectra, Navionics and Watt & Sea.

Rigging, yacht services and brokerage

RLR has distributed Marlow Ropes exclusively for more than 35 years, and since 2020 it has run a dedicated rigging division. The team visits the boat, measures on site so that everything fits first time, and then designs and installs anything from dinghy control lines to superyacht mooring lines. Services include new installations, inspections and maintenance, replacement of standing and running rigging, and custom solutions, with a maintenance plan handed over after each job. Rigging Technician Fabio Galea brings more than 25,000 offshore miles and 13 Middle Sea Races to the work.

Each rigging job follows the same four steps. It starts with a consultation to understand the boat and any problems with the current set up, moves on to a thorough inspection of the existing rig, then to a custom design installed with care using high quality materials, and finishes with careful checks and ongoing support. Regular inspection is the best way to catch wear before it becomes an expensive failure, which matters in Malta's long sailing season.

Beyond rigging, the yacht services team handles routine maintenance and full yacht management for local and international owners. The brokerage side guides clients through the whole process of buying or selling a yacht, and you can compare other specialists in our directory of yacht brokers in Malta.

Visiting the store and getting in touch

The store is at 269 Ta' Xbiex Seafront in Gżira, on the waterfront between Gżira and the Ta' Xbiex marinas. It opens from 9am to 5pm on weekdays and from 9am to 12.30pm on Saturdays. If you are flying out to join a boat, our pick of hotels in Sliema and Gżira puts you within walking distance, and our Valletta guide covers the capital just across the water.

Once your boat is ready, the Maltese coast is yours to explore: our Gozo guide, our Malta weather guide and our list of things to do in Malta will help you plan. To ask about stock, uniforms, servicing, rigging or brokerage, use the VisitMalta.co.uk enquiry form on this page and we will pass your message to RLR Yachting, who will reply to you directly.