Jon Bannenberg

The late Jon Bannenberg's CORAL OCEAN, built by Lurssen, rivals superyachts of today.

Demand for superyacht refit is booming, and yards in the Mediterranean region are rising to the occasion.

Twenty years ago, Boston Whalers and RIBs were as popular with large-yacht buyers as they were with boaters who owned just these craft. They served as occasional toys or were used for utilitarian purposes by the mothership’s crew, and sometimes both. The more yachts grew in size, though, the more time they started spending at anchor. Suddenly, owners found themselves needing a better way of getting to and from shore.

Coral Island, a Jon Bannenberg design built in 1994, is notable, in part, because of her perfect proportions. She was quite large at the time of her launch especially, but she is harmonious and, to this day, does not look out of fashion. It is said that interior photography has never been allowed, possibly a security precaution in the aftermath of the theft of a $6 million Picasso in 1999.

Adnan Kashoggi, once a well-known arms dealer, ordered a yacht designed by Jon Bannenberg. The yacht kept a fairly high profile, appearing on the big screen in the James Bond flick “Never Say Never.” Real estate mogul Donald Trump was the yacht’s next owner and renamed her Trump Princess. Prince Al Waleed bin Talal bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud bought the vessel next, which became Kingdom 5KR.

Lürssen built the John Bannenberg-designed Limitless in 1997 for Leslie Wexler, the American son of Russian Jewish immigrants, who founded a clothing empire in Arlington, Ohio in 1963. During a decade that witnessed the disappearance of the general store, Wexner opened a specialty store focused on young women’s clothing, which became The Limited.