Used Superyachts For Sale

Though there is still some debate, the length of the yacht is the typical differentiator between a motor yacht (50ft to 80 or 100ft), a superyacht (80 or 100ft to about 200ft), and a megayacht is generally 200ft and greater. All megayachts are superyachts, but not all superyachts are megayachts. Superyachts can be power or sail, or motorsailers that run on both power and sail.

They can be monohulled or multihulled, with multiple decks, and have quarters for lots of crew! They can be highly customized yachts, or semi-custom and production builds, though the larger yachts are almost always built-to-order bespoke vessels and built by well-established shipyards. Today’s superyacht shipyards utilize state-of-the-art construction methods, materials, and technologies. Hulls and exteriors are designed and engineered by the world’s top naval architects and interiors are designed by renowned interior design firms to produce award-winning, innovative yachts that are stunningly beautiful, opulently luxurious, and built and engineered to the highest standards of maritime certifications for safe, comfortable transoceanic voyages.

A subset of the superyacht is the expedition/explorer yacht, also known as sport utility vessels. Although they share many of the same design features and capabilities of superyachts, such as long-range cruising, a luxurious interior, and ability to garage a lot of “toys” and tenders, they are built with the features needed to fulfill their special purpose. SUV and Explorer/Expedition yachts are typically built with a full-displacement hull and deep-Vee draft for the highest seaworthiness to provide safety and comfort in extreme weather conditions and in remote locations. They often have ice-class certifications for polar expeditions, and some have been used for scientific research expeditions. Superyacht builder, Amels’ SeaXplorer and Oceanco’s ESQUEL are recently built expedition superyachts. Feadship has also recently built a modern expedition yacht and Abeking & Rasmussen’s expedition yacht features a SWATH hull (small waterplane area twin hull), as owners seek greater adventure in more remote parts.

Here are a few shipyards that build superyachts:

• Abeking & Rasmussen
• Admiral Yachts
• Amer Yachts
• Baglietto Yachts
• Benetti Yachts
• Feadship Yachts
• Heesen Yachts
• Lurssen Yachts For Sale
• Majesty Yachts
• Ocean Alexander Yachts
• Palmer Johnson Yachts
• Sanlorenzo Yachts
• Trinity Yachts
• Virtus Yachts

Another major trend in superyacht design and engineering is for sustainability and reducing environmental impacts. Most superyacht builders today have developed and implemented fuel efficient hybrid propulsion systems, such as diesel-electric, sail-electric, solar power with engine shut-down periods, along with reduction in facility emissions, developing hybrid methanol fuel cells that emit steam, reducing noise pollution, and implementing waste recycling, as a few examples. Many owners, designers, and builders are concerned with the sustainability of natural materials used to create the beautiful interiors, especially rare woods, and are utilizing high-tech architectural films (such as 3M™’s Di-Noc™ Architectural Finishes) that are exquisitely realistic or fantastical surface wraps that are highly versatile, easily installed, reparable, and sanitizable. The owner’s suite is typically palatial and private, and located on the main deck.

The exteriors are often designed for privacy, especially the megayachts, where the voluminous interior space features opulent salons, entertaining and dining areas with wet bars, magnificent accommodations, and more as specified by the owner. Some display the owner’s valuable art collections, have swimming pools with waterfalls or glass bottoms or can transform to a dance floor for DJ dance parties, spas, Jacuzzis, saunas, bowling alleys, paddle tennis courts, fitness centers, game rooms, screening rooms and other theatrical entertainment systems, heliports, luxury tenders, sportfish boats, submersibles, jet skis, scuba equipment, stern beach club/cabana, side balconies and tender garages, and much more. Some have a shadow support vessel for extra crew, provisions, extra guest accommodations, etc. and security escort vessels. They are optimized with the most sophisticated electronics and systems, and redundant equipment and machinery to support lengthy stays at sea.

Some superyachts are available for charter, offering the sumptuous lifestyle of the world’s wealthiest elite. Miami, St Barts (where New Year celebrations are legendary), the Azores and Balearic Islands, Sardinia, the Maldives, French and Italian Rivieras, Greek Isles, and the Adriatic are just a few popular destination ports.

According the 2018 Robb Report, the top 20 superyacht builders of the world are Lürssen (built 11 of 20 of the world’s largest superyachts in past 2 decades), Abeking & Rasmussen, Feadship, Nobiskrug, Amels/Damen, Oceanco, Heesen Yachts, Benetti, CRN (Ferretti Group superyacht yard), Baglietto, Rossinavi, Sanlorenzo, Perini Navi, Sunseeker, Princess Yachts, Royal Huisman, Nautor Swan, Westport Yachts, Delta Marine, Mangusta (Overmarine Group/Balducci family), Southern Wind (South African boatyard, Italy design office), and Christensen (Vancouver, WA). Northern European custom and semi-custom superyachts tend to keep a higher resale value due to their long-established boat building heritages (dating back 50 to 150 years or more), extremely high quality, level of customization, along with cutting edge innovation and design work by the world’s top naval architectural firms and interior designers.

Here's an example of a walk-through of a CRN Superyacht:

Turkey has a long tradition of maritime construction and is especially known for its wooden motorsailer gulets that are very popular for coastal charters with their vast deck space, interior facilities, and fuel efficiency, able to run on both sail and diesel power, though they don’t truly fall in the private luxury superyacht category. Turkey’s shipyards are also constructing semi-custom and production superyachts—Turquoise Yachts, Alia Yachts, Numarine, Bering Yachts, and AvA Yachts (Kando 110 Series explorer yacht) are some of the more well-known builders. Astondoa is a family-run Spanish shipyard with a 100+ year shipbuilding heritage currently featuring its Century line of luxury built-to-order, customizable superyachts 100 to 125ft in length.