World’s Most Outrageous Yachts

 

If a yacht is the ultimate status symbol, then the owners of these extravagant water toys are at the top of their class.

From multiple helicopter landing pads to escape submarines, these floating palaces are super-sized, stunning and packed with a whole new world of over-the-top amenities.

 

 

The Maltese Falcon

One of the world’s largest private sailboats—built for venture capitalist Tony Perkins but now owned by hedge-fund superstar Elena Ambrosiadou—the 289-foot beauty is best known for its revolutionary DynaRig sailing system: a square rig with three self-standing and rotating masts hosting 15 computer-operated sails totaling 25,791 square feet. That means extreme aerodynamic efficiency and speed; the Falcon can cross the Atlantic in ten days. And its quarters, naturally, ooze opulence.

A stunning circular stairway shoots through a light-filled atrium to unite three decks with transparent floors, while other touches include a full gym, massive works of art, staterooms for up to a dozen guests, a VIP suite with private cockpit, a black-leather–floored dining room with a skylight blind that opens like a camera’s iris aperture, and a loungey main saloon in which a porcelain Bugatti emerges from the central table with the touch of a button. For extra fun, the Maltese Falcon carries plenty of water toys: two 32-foot Pascoe tenders with water skis, four Laser sailboats, six sets of dive gear and a 14-foot Castoldi Jet tender.

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Guilty

Greek billionaire Dakis Joannou, one of the biggest collectors of contemporary art in the world, is the man behind this hard-to-miss 114-foot vessel by Italian yacht builder Ivana Porfiri. Its flashy exterior—a WWI-inspired camouflage pattern in bold yellow, purple, black, white and blue—was designed by superstar Jeff Koons.

The bright, mostly-white interior (featuring white Corian flooring and floor-to-ceiling windows) brims with artworks including a wall painting by David Shrigley, a neon “Feelings” sculpture by Martin Creed, and, in the VIP suite, a bright-red “Guilty” painting by Sarah Morris.

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Mr. Terrible

There are certainly bigger, flashier yachts in the seas. But the 154-foot Mr. Terrible, available for private charter, boasts a particularly sumptuous luxury: an interior crafted from no less than a dozen types of rare woods.

Within the Art-Deco-meets-Polynesian confines, you’ll find wall paneling made of Hawaiian koa, a bubinga staircase, vanity tops in South American cerejeira, a makore console in the pilothouse, ebonized wenge sinks, bamboo credenzas, African-walnut floors, a European pearwood bathroom veneer, and an entrance foyer adorned in Honduran mahogany. Other amenities and design details include an underwater camera beneath the transom for watching sea life, six full sets of dive gear, an outdoor dining area with infrared heat panels, a copper soaking tub and a dining-room chandelier designed to look like a tree, with stainless-steel fronds bearing blown-glass fruit.

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Solemates

This 197-foot pleasure cruiser—which Sean “P. Diddy” Combs and his family recently chartered for $850,000 a week through the Luxury Yacht Group firm—is chock full of regal amenities. But its coolest draw is technological: It’s got a custom-made (and customizable) iPad app that allows passengers to control everything from the entertainment and climate systems to blinds and lights in their cabins through a mere tap on their touch-screens (14 iPads are available onboard).

Other perks include a slew of Jacuzzis and flat-screen LCD panels, an aromatherapy shower, and an outdoor gym that converts to a disco with an $80,000 light-and-sound system; among the toys are an inflatable floating trampoline, three remote-control racing sloops, waterskis in various sizes and Sea Bobs that let you zoom through the surf like a motor-powered dolphin.

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Octopus

Microsoft-cofounder Paul Allen’s 414-foot, blue-and-white megayacht, built for $200 million (and with an estimated annual operating budget of $20 million), is seriously tricked out. The behemoth is equipped with a recording studio, jet-ski dock, full-size basketball court, seven boats, a 63-foot tender, room for a crew of 60, two helipads (each with its own helicopter), and two submarines—one remote-control operated for studying the ocean’s floor, the other with the capacity to sleep eight guests and spend up to two weeks underwater.

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Dubai

The royal yacht of Dubai’s Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum makes the list for sheer audacity: At 524 feet, it is the second-largest private yacht in the world. And, built at a cost of $300 million, it was the most expensive upon its completion in 2006. Its decks are served by three elevators as well as an open glass staircase, and they’re host to a variety of pools, hot tubs, sunbathing areas and one large swimming platform—most of which are enclosed to ensconce Dubai-based revelers in vital air-conditioning. There’s also a small submarine onboard, as well as a squash room, spa, cinema, disco, gym and Blackhawk helipad.

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Eclipse

Steel and investment billionaire Roman Abramovich is the owner of this 557-footer—the largest and most expensive private yacht in the world (estimates of its cost range from $400 million to $1.2 billion). With an ultramodern design by French architect Hermidas Atabeyki and a luxe interior by Terrence Disdale, its details are staggering: a 5,000-square-foot master suite that’s armor-plated and windowed with bullet-proof glass, accommodations for 92 crew and staff members, two helipads (plus a hanger below the deck for carrying a third helicopter), a 16-meter pool that transforms into a disco when its water is drained and the floor is raised, a cinema, salon-spa, restaurant, and 24 guest cabins—each with its own six-foot private cinema screen. And pirates, beware: The boat reportedly boasts a military-grade missile defense system, an underwater escape hatch and a submarine. Nosy photographers should also take heed, as an anti-paparazzi laser shield can find light sensors in nearby cameras, fire on them with a focused beam of light and render them useless.

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Seven Seas

Though there’s been no official announcement yet, this new 282-foot, $200-million superyacht built by Dutch shipyard Oceanco purportedly belongs to Steven Spielberg. And that would make sense, as her piece de resistance is an infinity pool whose 15-foot glass wall doubles as a movie screen, allowing folks to enjoy a film without leaving the water. Other hints that you’re in the lap of luxury are said to include an interior of walnut, teak and rosewood; accommodations for 12 guests and a crew of 26; a large master stateroom with a private deck and Jacuzzi; helipad; full gym; spa; massage room; and, of course, an indoor professional screening room with raked seating.

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“A” (Designed by Philippe Starck)

Designed by Philippe Starck, this 394-foot stunner looks more like a futuristic submarine than a standard megayacht. Owner Andrey Melnichenko, a Russian banking-coal-fertilizer mogul, had it built for $300 million, and spared no expense in outfitting its 23,600 square feet of living space. Over-the-top details include a spiral staircase with a $60,000 banister, $40,000-apiece bath knobs, Baccarat crystal tables, a tiny “nookie room” with a round bed and TV mounted on the ceiling, and a panoply of decorative animal skins—including a room wallpapered with white-stingray hides and a pair of chairs made from alligator skins and kudu (African antelope) horns. A door at the rear opens to become a $25-million swim deck. Perhaps most outrageous, though, is the level of security onboard: The boat’s anti-intruder system includes 44 security cameras and a dozen exterior cameras with motion-detection and night-vision infrared. And a 2,583-square-foot master bedroom (with rotating king-size bed), accessible only through a fingerprint security system, is wrapped in bombproof 44-mm glass.

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Ice

Ice, owned by Russian billionaire investor Suleiman Kerimov makes the list for being unexpectedly progressive: She is the first “green” megayacht on the open seas. In addition to being stocked with plenty of over-the-top amenities—large swimming pool, gymnasium, sundeck with Jacuzzi, sushi bar, baths carved from limestone blocks, minimalist design by Terence Disdale, exposed-oak floors, major art collection, helipad—this 295-footer has reduced noise, vibration and pollution thanks to an alternative propulsion technology called Azipod. The system is powered by eight electric generators that replace the two large main engines typically found on a yacht of this size. Any exhaust that is produced by the boat passes through a soot-removal filter before expulsion, and there is a wastewater management system on board.

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Source: Forbes