Though I’ve never been on a yacht, one thing is pretty clear – they’re cool as hell! These luxurious vessels are taking over water bodies, and are slowly becoming a preferred means to travel from one destination to another. How exciting would it be to explore beautiful locations in these exotic vehicles? I mean you now have yachts that function as solar-powered floating villas, while some are even inspired by sportscars! The yacht experience has been elevated to a whole ‘nother ball game. And, we’ve curated a collection of the best yachts we’ve come across! From a conceptual swan-shaped yacht to a superyacht with a gaping void in the middle – this collection of automotive designs will leave you completely impressed, and itching to get aboard one!
1. The Shape
Christened “The Shape” this superyacht breaks all the fundamental rules of sailing and yacht design that we’ve seen so far. It has a gaping hole right in the middle (just like the ones in modern skyscrapers) that serves as the sun deck and a never-before-seen unique visual attraction. How it will address the turbulent seas when the weather is hostile, is a question for another day! The beastly concept is 69 meters long and having a draft of 3.90 meters yacht offers a living area of 35 meters past the void. It has three decks hidden in the colossal structure – the first floor having the suites, the second one being the shared living space, and the command center on the third.
2. Icaria
The silhouette of the Xenomorph head from the Alien franchise is an apparent relatable element, and the traces of Avanguardia yacht are also evident. So, has the Italy-based design house finally hit saturation with its thinking cap on? Most definitely not, as the 279-foot Icaria vessel hones massive deck space for two helicopters to park and a full-fledged tender garage to house a couple of watercraft, accessible via two foldable doors. The superyacht has an imposing bow followed by a large glass bridge. Icaria is more tailored for explorers who like to tread out into the rough waters. For times when adventure seekers need to relax in the warmth of the sun, there is the gorgeous deck right by the hollowed-out area the designers refer to as “hole deck.”
3. Avanguardia
Pierpaolo Lazzarini of Lazzarini Design Studio is known for his unique and extraordinary watercraft creations and this swan-shaped concept yacht called ‘Avanguardia’ tops the list. The name means ‘vanguard’ and it comes from the position of its control tower which is perched like a swan’s head. Can you guess which 1970’s Japanese manga unintentionally inspired this? Avanguardia is subdivided into 5 decks and can fit up to 60 passengers. The ‘swan head’ is the control tower that is used to maneuver this 137-meter long, almost outrageous, yacht. Another interesting feature about the control tower is that it can detach from the ‘neck’ and transform itself into an auxiliary 16-meter boat. When in motion, the mobile control tower can adjust Avanguardia’s position by lowering itself right into the center of the yacht.
4. Lazzarini GTM Concept
Delivering to the desirous a notion of how a Ferrari would look like on the water, the Lazzarini GTM doesn’t give out the car it may be based on but does replete the Prancing Horse DNA without a doubt. The two companies have not collaborated on the design, so you cannot earmark this one as official, but the concept has a design worth seeing the light of the day someday. Beyond the inspired look, the Gran Turismo Mediterranea is an 88-foot, sporty yacht, made using the Ferrari-favored carbon fiber. Undeniably Ferrari for the seas, this design renders appear with a Ferrari badge on the front, gullwing doors and a cabin that welcomes the owner and crew into a sportscar-esque cockpit that ensure you don’t feel any difference from the Italian stallion’s driver seat to the pilot seat of this hyper yacht.
5. SeaJet
The concept christened SeaJet is a hyper-fast transportation yacht that’s encapsulated in a sense of style and luxury – affluent travelers will take a keen interest in it. This watercraft would be stored in a superyacht and is designed to haul around 50 passengers from one location to the other for short travels. Much like the Xenos hyper yacht and the Jet Capsule, this one being 23 meters in length is bigger than the Jet Capsule and smaller than Xenos- suggesting a fleet of hyper watercraft in the making for a profound travel experience on the seas.
6. The Tecnomar
The Tecnomar pulls inspiration directly from the Lamborghini Sián FKP 37’s design details (the two even feature together in the video). Outwardly, it’s pretty easy to draw parallels between a car and yacht, simply because they both need to be incredibly aerodynamic and streamlined, but the Tecnomar manages to do so much more to look the part (apart from the angular bodywork, of course). Take for instance the Y-shaped headlights, a detail that’s directly taken from Lamborghini’s playbook (remember the Terzo Millennio), or the zig-zag stepping on the rear of the yacht that’s inspired by the rear profile of the Aventador.
7. Arkup 75
Arkup 75 lets you live in comfort and luxury in total autonomy – enjoy life between the sea, the sky, and the city. The 75 feet long yacht has a total living space of 4,350 sqft! It is truly floating architecture and modern interior goals at its finest. Arkup is a game-changer for the hospitality market when it comes to self-sustainable, blue developments. floating and overwater eco-resorts a reality with the versatility to scale, configure, even relocate. “We are revolutionizing life on the water. We leverage Arkup products and expertise for fast deployment, modular, floating communities that you scale according to market demands,” says the team.
8. Drakkar S
The designer has created the blueprint of the 85-foot superyacht dubbed Drakkar S inspired by the ye olde Viking longships, which’s perfect for newbie sailors who would rather prefer the autonomous luxury of a vessel. To make self-propelling possible, Drakkar S is infused with advanced autopilot and artificial intelligence systems for smart navigation – detecting any underwater obstacles or even estimating the ideal distance for mooring. Even more so, it can be controlled with a smartphone app – that just sets the tone for a future Apple yacht in Silver or even the Space Grey colors.
9. Estrella
There are over 5,000 superyachts currently on this planet, however, none of them look as impactful as the Estrella. Designed by South Kore-based Yeojin Jung, Estrella hopes to break the mold of ‘boring’ practical superyacht design with something that’s a cross between feasible and outlandishly luxurious. Envisioned to look like the jewel of the seas, Estrella comes made for UHNWIs (or Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, as my sorry self just learned), and sports a split-hull design that divides the yacht into the main component, and two floater components on either side, reminiscent of a seaplane.
10. The Earth 300
Designed to be 300 meters in length and capped with a 13-story-high ‘science sphere’ on top, the Earth 300 was conceptualized by naval architect Iván Salas Jefferson (founder of Iddes Yachts) as the torchbearer of global science, allowing us as a species “to expand our knowledge and understanding of the universe, both above and below the ocean’s surface.” It comes equipped with 22 state-of-the-art laboratories for research, a cantilevered observation deck, and has space for 160 scientists (along with dozens of other experts and student researchers), 164 crew members operating the vessel, and finally 40 additional slots for ‘VIP guests’. However, here’s the most impressive part of the Earth 300 vessel… it runs entirely on ‘clean’ nuclear energy.
