They come in all shapes and sizes and can be dramatically expensive, but what are the most popular yacht brands?
Almost all of the popular yacht brands originate from Europe. The largest is Benetti, of Italy, established in 1875. Also massively popular is Feadship, the most iconic of all the Dutch shipbuilders. The UK’s most popular yacht builder is Sunseeker, a hugely popular name in the industry.
Read on to learn more about the powerhouses of the yacht industry, and who is the most popular.
Order Up
Many of the modern yacht builders construct their vessels made-to-order. This means they don’t boast a huge inventory, and they’re not vying for extensive sales lists.
Modern superyachts can cost hundreds of millions of dollars, and be equal in size to some small cruise ships. They boast the finest materials, the latest in technology, and can come fully crewed and equipped.
It’s not surprising that even the most established shipyards don’t keep these vessels locked away. If a millionaire strolls into the office and asks for one to be built, it will be customized to their liking.
Quite often, it can take years from the initial order to the final stages of construction. It’s the opening phase that might actually take the most time – the design phase.
If a client is unsure what they want in a superyacht, they’ll have to sit with architects and interior designers. Every detail must be accounted for, from the carpets to the doorknobs.
The majority of these shipyards are located in Europe. They can be found primarily in Italy, Scandinavia, Holland, and the United Kingdom.
There’s a massive history in these countries of shipbuilding and yacht construction. In Italy, Benetti holds the crown for being the world’s largest and oldest superyacht builder.
They’ve been established since 1875 and work hard to keep up the innovation in the industry. They’re constantly releasing new concepts and models that are massively popular among fans.
One of the most iconic and preferred brands of superyacht is Feadship. The Dutch masters have been in business since 1949 and they’ve built some of the world’s finest yachts.
They’re incredibly luxurious and quite often enormous, spanning hundreds of feet in length. The yachts they build are quite simply award-winning.
Another hugely popular brand of yacht is Sunseeker, a shipbuilder from the United Kingdom. They were founded on the English coast in 1969, and build some exceedingly luxurious vessels.
In The Money
There are few things more extravagant and luxurious than a private yacht. However, some owners take the levels of wealth and luxury to extremes.
Take the History Supreme, for example – a yacht covered in solid gold and platinum. It’s worth a reported five billion dollars, and is the most sumptuous vessel on the planet.
It was custom ordered by Malaysia’s richest man, Robert Kuok. However impressive the seacraft was, it cost just one-third of Kuok’s alleged net worth.
Falling behind the History Supreme is the $1.5 billion Eclipse. This superyacht is owned by the Russian billionaire, Roman Abramovich.
It’s one of the largest yachts in the world, measuring more than five hundred feet in length. It boasts an anti-missile system, dual helipads, and even a miniature submarine.
The yacht is so huge that it requires a crew of seventy people at all times to keep it running. This includes cooks, porters, navigation, and cleaning staff.
The sheer capital required to own these behemoths of the sea is staggering. However, it isn’t just ownership that is expensive – you will also need to pay dramatic prices to charter a yacht.
In tourist hotspots all around the world, lavish yachts can be chartered at will. These locations include the Caribbean, the Meditteranean, and the Riviera.
If you want to charter a luxurious yacht for a week, you’ll be paying anything up to around a quarter of a million dollars.
This includes the craft hire, the crew, and items like food, drink, taxes, and fuel. At that cost, it’s almost certain to be the vacation of a lifetime.
It’s an extremely exclusive industry, with almost all of these superyachts being owned by celebrities. Each one is unique, and there are people out there who dedicate themselves to yacht-spotting.
In places like Monaco, the French Riviera, Portofino, and London, these yachts can be seen regularly cruising along.