Superyachts come in varied innovative shapes and sizes, but one thing they all have in common is their exceptional size. These vessels start at 24 meters (79 ft) and are professional crewed. The use of many superyachts is restricted to their owners while others are chartered out for luxury cruises.
These ships afford their owners the room to cruise with large groups of family and friends. Superyachts typically have three to six guest cabins with en suite baths. Amenities often include swimming platforms, crew quarters, owner's suite, VIP suites, indoor and outdoor dining areas, sky lounge, bridge, sun deck, jacuzzis, exercise room, and even helipads for helicopters, hangars, and more. Superyachts aren't complete without tenders to venture to shore and toys such as jet skis, sea scooters, fishing boats, paddleboards, canoes, kayaks, submersibles, saunas, steam rooms, beauty salons, massage rooms, dance floors, cinemas and more.
At the moment, most superyachts are built in Europe with various hull types such as displacement hull, semi-displacement or semi-planing hull, and planning hull.
Displacement Hulls
In regards to weight, these hulls are much more forgiving in terms of impact on performance. Dynamic stability is heightened and initial stability is hindered, which all leads to more comfort. Yachts with these hulls are able to carry more fuel but use less fuel, so owners can enjoy longer ranges. Interior design doesn't require lightweight materials as with other hulls.
Semi-Displacement Hulls
These hulls are flatter and lighter. Forebodies are sharper and have higher initial stability. However, there's less flexibility in terms of weight and weight position. These vessels have a larger speed range. Lower speeds mean lower engine loading, which isn't desirable. They can be optimized for either higher or lower speeds, but not both. Taking everything into consideration, many feel that these hulls offer the best of both worlds with a plethora of possibilities.
Planing Hulls
Engine rooms are a significant part of hull volume, up to 40%. A combination of a big beam and low weight means extreme initial stability, which may lead to discomfort in certain harsh sea conditions. Friction is significant, so speed decreases if a vessel with this type of hull is left in the water for too many seasons. Planing hulls offer the option of lots of exotic hull shapes. Plus, these hulls offer a speed benefit and can escape bad weather more easily.
The majority of today's superyachts are powered by diesel engines. Diesel engines are popular due to their versatility. Diesel engines range in size from small ones to propulsion engines of over 113,000 hp. RPMs can range from 100 rpm to 4,000 rpm. Many utilize a common-rail injector system that employs electronically controlled fuel injectors.
There has been a growing number of superyacht types as they become larger. Other terms to describe superyachts include megayacht and even gigayacht for those over 300 feet in length.
Popular superyacht brands include Custom Line, CRN, Feadship, Lurssen, Oceanco, Christensen, Amels, and more.
Contact one of our luxury super yacht brokers stationed at Allied Marine's Bahia Mar office in Fort Lauderdale to learn more about our luxury superyachts for sale.