Welcome to a world of endless possibilities. While custom yachts, especially the world’s biggest yachts, are often noted for their impressive size, they offer much more than just scale. These bespoke vessels are about realizing ambitions and creating something truly distinctive, standing out not only for their size but for their unique design and craftsmanship.
A custom yacht represents one of the most complex and rewarding projects in yacht construction. This process involves designing and building a vessel tailored to the owner's specific preferences and lifestyle, resulting in a unique creation that stands apart in the yachting world. Owners who have completed a custom build often describe it as a transformative experience.
Building a Custom Yacht
Custom yachts drive innovation and set trends within the yacht market. Many features found on modern production yachts originate from custom designs. The combination of an owner's vision with the expertise of builders and designers fuels these advancements.
In essence, a custom yacht is crafted to meet your exact specifications, constrained only by naval architecture and classification rules. While safety is a priority, the design possibilities are extensive, allowing for a high degree of personalization.
Constructing a custom yacht can take from two to five years or more. Choosing the right shipyard is crucial, and it’s important to consider factors such as costs, build slots, and the shipyard’s culture. Effective communication and a good relationship with the builders are essential.
A custom build also requires a designer, who may be an individual, a studio, or part of the shipyard team. The yacht designer and naval architect will turn your ideas into reality, working alongside a team that may include a project manager, interior designers, engineers, a yacht captain, and other specialists.
Custom Yachts, Size and GRT
In custom yacht building, size, volume, and scale are key considerations. While length is important, Gross Registered Tonnage (GRT)—which measures internal volume—is a more accurate indicator of a yacht’s size and space. For example, DILBAR, currently the world's largest yacht has a GRT of 15,917 and measures 157m in length, while the longest yacht, AZZAM, is 180m with a GRT of 13,136. Despite their similar lengths, these yachts offer different onboard experiences due to their GRT.
Custom yachts generally start around 30m in length but can, and do, exceed 100m. The trend towards larger yachts continues to grow, though smaller custom yachts are becoming popular.
When Size Matters
While GRT is more informative, hull length still matters in custom yachting, with many yachts carrying model names that refer to their LOA and most are still referred to by length.
Deciding on the size of your custom yacht involves balancing your budget with your needs. Larger yachts entail higher running costs and may have limitations on where they can dock. It's essential to weigh whether you prefer a well-appointed smaller yacht or a larger one with potential compromises in detail and finish.
Cabins vs Space
Larger yachts can accommodate more cabins, but the number of cabins doesn’t always increase significantly with size. Most owners prioritize maximizing living space rather than adding extra cabins. Standard yacht classifications also limit the number of guests, which influences layout and design decisions.
Another reason for not adding excessive cabins is the charter market, where regulations typically limit onboard guests to 12. Even if you don't plan to charter your yacht, future buyers might, making it more practical to focus on spacious, high-quality living areas rather than overcrowding the yacht with cabins.
As yachts increase in size, they face more stringent regulations, particularly concerning guest capacity. This is why many large yachts limit themselves to just 12 guests, even though they could technically accommodate more. This limit allows them to comply with less rigorous classifications, avoiding the more demanding regulations that apply to commercial and charter yachts.
For larger yachts, exceeding the 12-guest threshold triggers stricter requirements for safety equipment, crew qualifications, and adherence to international standards like the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. These regulations ensure that larger yachts maintain higher levels of safety and security, but they also increase operational complexity and costs.
As a result, many large yachts, despite their capacity, stick to the 12-guest limit to balance luxury with regulatory compliance.
Yacht Crew
Custom yachts, particularly those over 24m, require a crew to operate safely. By law, yachts of this size must be managed by a qualified captain or skipper. Crew-operated yachts have separate quarters for the crew to live, cook, and sleep. For yachts over 24m, it may be necessary to have the crew on board 24/7, which requires adequate accommodation.
Operating a crewed yacht comes with higher running costs and added responsibilities for the owner. However, many of these responsibilities can be managed by the captain or a yacht management company, making the owner-captain relationship crucial.
As a guide, between 20-30 crew are required on a yacht of around 70m. A 135m yacht typically requires a crew of 50 to 70 or more, depending on the yacht's design, service level, and operational needs. The crew size on any yacht varies based on factors such as the number of guests, the amenities offered (like spas, gyms, or submarines), and the level of personalized service expected.
The 160m Lurssen yacht BLUE (2022) has 80 crew members and 40 crew cabins, supporting 48 guests in 24 cabins. The 100m yacht MOONRISE built by Feadship in 2020, carries 32 crew, while the 78m Amels yacht ENERGY (2022) operates with 27 crew.
Platform and Semi-Custom
Platform Build
A platform build in the context of custom yachts refers to a yacht that is constructed using a pre-existing, standardized hull and often certain superstructure elements. This "platform" serves as a proven foundation upon which various levels of customization can be added.
While the basic structure and engineering are standardized, allowing for faster construction and reduced costs, owners still have the flexibility to customize significant aspects of the yacht, such as interior layouts, finishes, and sometimes exterior styling. This approach strikes a balance between full custom builds, which are entirely bespoke and take longer to build, and production yachts, which have minimal customization options.
Platform builds are particularly popular in the 24m to 60m range, offering a good level of personalization without the extended timelines and higher costs associated with fully custom yachts.
Semi-Custom
A semi-custom build in yacht building is a type of construction where the yacht is based on an existing design or model, but allows for a significant degree of customization to meet the owner's specific preferences. Unlike fully custom yachts, which are designed and built entirely from scratch, semi-custom yachts start with a pre-defined hull, superstructure, and often basic interior layouts. However, the owner has the flexibility to modify various aspects of the yacht to suit their tastes and needs..
Key features of a semi-custom build include:
Exterior Styling: While the hull and superstructure are usually set, owners can often choose different exterior design elements, such as color schemes, deck layouts, and sometimes even modifications to the superstructure.
Interior Layout: Owners can typically select from a range of interior layouts, adjusting cabin configurations, living spaces, and other interior elements to match their lifestyle and requirements.
Finishes and Materials: Semi-custom builds offer a wide range of options for interior finishes, materials, furnishings, and decor, allowing owners to personalize the yacht's interior style and ambiance.
Technical Equipment: Owners may also have some choices in the selection of technical equipment, such as engines, navigation systems, and other onboard technologies, although these options may be more limited compared to a fully custom build.
Semi-custom builds offer a balance between the cost and time efficiency of production yachts and the personalization of full custom builds. This approach allows owners to enjoy a unique, tailored yacht experience without the longer timelines and higher expenses associated with a fully bespoke project
Brokerage Opportunities
This YachtBuyer article primarily focuses on new builds, which offer the full experience of custom yacht creation. However, pre-owned custom yachts are also available on the brokerage market. While buying a used custom yacht doesn’t offer the same level of personalization as a new build, it provides access to high-quality craftsmanship and may be more cost-effective. A refit can further tailor a pre-owned yacht to your needs.
Reasons to buy
- Lower costs compared to new build
- Near-immediate delivery
- Wider choice
- Option to refit
Things to consider
- Bespoke design could be costly to alter
Yacht Projects for Sale
Some yacht builders offer yachts for sale while still in the construction phase, allowing buyers to customize from an existing platform. This approach significantly shortens the time from purchase to delivery, with various customization options still available.
For instance, Nobiskrug has the 85m yacht WHITE LION for sale, which is currently under construction with a projected delivery in 2027. Turquoise Yachts offers the 66m PROTEKSAN NL 233 for sale, also in build, with a delivery date set for 2028. Additionally, Cape Scott Marine presents the CAPE SCOTT 137 for sale, with a delivery timeline of 2026.
YachtBuyer offers a comprehensive and trusted source for all yachts for sale, including custom, semi-custom, platform builds, and ongoing projects. With verified listings, it ensures accurate and reliable information for buyers seeking their ideal yacht.
