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The Global Berthing Directory

Luxury Yachts and Super Yachts

The term Luxury Yacht refers to a very expensive privately owned yacht which is professionally crewed. Also known as a Super Yacht, a luxury yacht may be either a sailing or motor yacht.

History in brief

This term began to appear at the beginning of the 20th century when wealthy individuals constructed large private yachts for personal pleasure. Examples of early luxury motor yachts include M/Y (motor yacht) Christina O and M/Y Savarona Early luxury sailing yachts include Americas Cup classic J class racers like S/Y (sailing yacht) Endeavour and Sir Thomas Lipton’s S/Y Shamrock. The New York Yacht Club hosted many early luxury sailing yacht events at Newport, Rhode Island, during the Gilded Age.

The Present Day

During the last two decades, there has been an increase in the number and popularity of large private luxury yachts with a reported 7,000 Super Yachts afloat Worldwide. Luxury yachts are particularly plentiful in the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas, although increasingly luxury yachts are cruising in more remote areas of the world such as the Artic. With the increase in demand for luxury yachts there has been an increase in custom/specialist yacht building companies and yacht charter brokers. Luxury yacht building and yacht charter companies are predominantly based in the United States and Western Europe but there are increasing numbers to be found in Australia, Asia and Eastern Europe. European manufacturers such as Benetti, Lürssen, Heesen, Feadship, Amels and CRN tend to dominate the very top end of the yacht building market with Italy as market leader followed by the USA.

The Super Yacht Market.

The market is currently valued at $11.5 Billion; it’s not built on solid ground and is subject to weather conditions worldwide. The size of the investment is from 24 and up to 50mtrs, it can give you pleasure and heartache but it’s quite unique in that it continues to grow and remain almost unaffected by global economic downturn. You ask yourself what it is? And the answer is Super yachts.

Design & Layout

Yachts from 24 metres (80 feet) and upwards qualify for design awards from the Superyacht Society and many set the minimum length for a superyacht considerably higher at 45 to 50 metres (148 to 165 feet) yacht, being the smallest with a generally accepted claim to superyacht status, will usually be a three decker with cabins for 10-12 guests (that is a preferred number, more common than 14), and is found on yachts across quite a wide size range), and for a crew of a similar size. The accommodation on this type of yacht is typically as follows:

Lower deck: exterior swimming platform at the stern; four (sometimes five) guest cabins with en-suite bath or shower rooms aft; engine room amidships; crew quarters forward.
Main deck: sheltered exterior deck aft leading into the salon; dining room and galley; entrance amidships; owner's suite forward, usually includes either a study or a second twin stateroom.
Upper deck: exterior deck aft, often used for outdoor dining; second salon (often called the sky lounge); staffed bar inside or outside or both; sixth stateroom will be amidships if it is not on the lower deck or part of the owner's suite; gym (may also be on the lower deck or part of the owner's suite); captain's cabin; bridge.
Sun deck: on the roof of the upper deck, often features a jacuzzi.

A 50 metre yacht will have one or more luxury yacht tenders for reaching shore and other "toys" which may include a speed boat or sailing boat, jet-skis, windsurfing and diving equipment and a Banana boat. Up to date yachts have multiple flat screen televisions and satellite communications.

The number of Super yachts has increased rapidly since the 1990s and increasingly only yachts above approximately 65 metres (214 feet) stand out among other luxury yachts. Yachts of this size are almost always built to individual commissions and cost tens of millions of dollars (most super-yachts cost far more than their owners' homes on terra-firma. A yacht of 65 mtrs usually has four decks above the water line and one or two below. It is also likely to have a helicopter landing platform. Apart from additional guest cabins, which are likely to include one or more "VIP suites" plus the owner's suite and extra facilities. This compared to a 50 metre yacht will include some or all of indoor jacuzzis, sauna and steam rooms, a beauty salon, massage and other treatment rooms, a medical centre, a discotheque, a cinema with a film library, plunge pool (possibly with a wave-maker), a playroom, and additional living areas such as a separate bar, secondary dining room, private sitting rooms or a library. Mega Yacht / Giga Yacht As of 2006 yachts above 100 metres (330 feet) are still rare, but are becoming increasingly more common as the 21st century advances, that many yacht enthusiasts can name them all. They typically have five decks above the water line and two below. The very largest yachts have begun to incorporate such features as helicopter hangars, indoor swimming pools and miniature submarines.This New Breed of Yacht is described as Mega Yacht and Giga Yacht to demarcate the elite among luxury yachts.

Mega Yacht / Giga Yacht

As of 2006 yachts above 100 metres (330 feet) are still rare, but are becoming increasingly more common as the 21st century advances, that many yacht enthusiasts can name them all. They typically have five decks above the water line and two below. The very largest yachts have begun to incorporate such features as helicopter hangars, indoor swimming pools and miniature submarines.