World's Largest Yachts

Six exciting new launches this year join the list of the world's largest superyachts afloat.

Nuvolari-Lenard designed the largest yacht yet launched at CRN, the superyacht builder based in Ancona. Azteca’s classic appearance and huge open sun deck embody today’s new luxury, according to her designers. The design team had already worked with the shipyard on the commissioning owner’s previous boat, named Clarena.

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.

Espen Øino and Donald Starkey designed the yacht previously known as Queen M. When it changed hands a few years ago, the new owner had his vessel altered to suit his lifestyle, ordering a complete interior makeover by Eidsgaard Design. The addition of a glass-enclosed room aft of the top deck and a newly painted gray hull give the yacht a new, distinctive look.

Predator’s radical reverse bow, engineered by De Voogt naval architects to slice through waves, has stimulated more discussion in the yachting industry than many contemporary yachts dubbed revolutionary and, for a time, inspired a number of concepts with a similar bow.

Laurel, for many years one of the world’s best-kept secrets, has come out of anonymity in the past few months. Having completed a number of circumnavigations, she is now listed for sale. She is the largest yacht launched by Delta Marine and of the largest yachts built in the United States in the past 86 years.

Espen Øino designed this slender and swift semi-displacement yacht, which claimed the title as the world’s longest aluminum motoryacht until the arrival of sistership Silver Zwei, now Dragonfly. The vessel has an aircraft-style interior and displaces just 540 tons, which means that—powered by twin MTU 4000 16V diesels—Rabdan can cross the Atlantic at a swift 18+ knots.

After her launch in 2009, this slender and contemporary aluminum yacht appeared in Abu Dhabi in time for the Grand Prix. Watchers soon discovered she was none other than Hull No. 2 of Hanseatic Marine’s innovative series (the ex Silver Zwei). Hull No. 1, formerly known as Silver and now called Rabdan, was already in the United Emirates as a new royal yacht.

Hamburg-based Newcruise designed Siren inside and out, as they did sistership Sapphire and the slightly smaller Triple Seven. Built with transoceanic capability, Siren has a steel hull, aluminum superstructure and reaches a maximum speed of 17.5 knots with a range of 5,000nm thanks to twin MTU 16V4000M60 engines producing 4,520 bhp.

If this yacht reminds you of Siren it is no coincidence. These yachts share elegant styling by Newcruise and engineering by Nobiskrug. Nobiskrug’s hull 781 was listed for sale for around $115 million during construction and was reportedly sold for about $110 million to new owners last year through Edmiston.

What sets apart the world’s very largest yachts? In the case of the new Nobiskrug Mogambo, certainly, sophistication does. Like it or not, the slightly masculine contemporary décor by Reymond Langton Design using two primary woods (sycamore and ebonized walnut) is nothing short of perfection.

She is one of a beautiful series of yachts all built on the same platform at the Nobiskrug shipyard. She was known as project 783 (Mogambo, also on this list, was project 782). She has an interior by Raymond Langdon. The resemblance is not a casual one. Kristal Waters built these sisterships, designed, according to their marketing materials, to fill a niche at the top end of the market.

Located in Vigo, Spain, the Freire Shipyard, established by Paulino Freire in 1895, specializes in commercial shipbuilding (tugs, fishing boats, patrol vessels, etc.). Little wonder, then, that this expedition-style vessel first managed to avoid scrutiny. Still, the very private Pegaso eventually had to take to the water, which meant that yacht enthusiasts everywhere would try to find out about her.

Ilona is a well-traveled yacht, extensively photographed from Europe to the Far East, which is not surprising as her owner is an experienced yachtsman. Amels won a bid to build the Australian owner’s new yacht and the shipyard worked closely with project manager Captain Elworth to provide custom features such as a helipad that converts to a hangar.

Trinity Yachts set out to build private yachts a mere 14 years ago in its hometown of New Orleans and opened a second shipyard in nearby Mississippi in 2005 to meet the demand. While at first Trinity’s founding partners set out to fill a niche by building yachts in the 150-foot or so range, the shipyard has since built a number of much larger yachts, many in all aluminum and more recently in steel and with aluminum superstructure.

Blohm + Voss built the yacht, originally known as Eco in 1991 for Emilio Azcarraga, a Mexican media magnate. It was a leap forward in the yachting industry in many ways. The innovative Eco was the first pleasure vessel to combine a composite superstructure and a metallic hull, for instance. She also had a futuristic design by Martin Francis, with bubble-like windows all around the front of the superstructure.

Leander enjoys a great reputation as a charter yacht with worldwide destinations that range from the Baltic to the Bahamas. The English manor house décor features overstuffed sofas and chairs and a baby grand piano, and her stern and forward decks offer great vistas. Leander has a crew of 25 and a formal dining room that seats 20.

The experienced owners of this expedition-style vessel, who also cruise on Meteor, like to explore faraway places. Espen Øino and Lürssen’s engineering took their cue from naval ships and destroyers to come up with an efficient hull that can go more than 8,500 miles without refueling.

This superyacht launched as Boadicea, Queen of the Iceni Celts, whose history is both bloody and glorious. She was defeated in 61 AD when 10,000 Roman legionaries annihilated 200,000 of her soldiers. Boadicea played the politics and war game brilliantly and perhaps that is why her ex-owner, Australian game show producer Reg Grundy, named his yacht.

Sam Sorgiovanni designed the stunning Anastasia for an active Russian family. This yacht is an instant classic with beautiful details that also help conceal its recreational spaces from curious onlookers. A large garage accommodates water toys, including two custom 31-foot Vikal Sport tenders, a limo tender and four WaveRunners, all housed in the impeccably finished garage.

Built at De Vries’ Makkum yard, this classic Feadship is very discreet. Among the great onboard amenities are a heated contra-flow swimming pool, a 12-seat cinema, a beach platform and an LED lighting system that lights the decks in a rainbow of colors. Alberto Pinto and Laura Sessa created the yacht’s interior décor.

Rinaldo Gastaldi was the naval architect who originally designed this very distinctive yacht in 1972 for American construction magnate William Levitt, of “Levittown” fame. Levitt’s company, Levitt & Sons, created large suburban developments of prefabricated single-family homes, beginning in 1950 on Long Island.

Samar made a visit to the 2009 Antigua Yacht Charter Show that was much-noted, and for good reasons: This five-deck yacht is a showstopper. Visitors step from the aft deck into the interior of a grand castle.

London-based Eidsgaard Design styled this striking and award-winning Feadship, built at the Royal Van Lent shipyard in cooperation with Edmiston. Eidsgaard Design also did this yacht’s interior design. The firm shows a real knack for creativity, evident at first glance on this yacht’s superstructure styling.