Jaw-dropping, award-winning new superyachts you have to see
Daniel Coughlin
01 February 2018
This year's most desirable dream boats
Want to know which floating palaces will rule the waves this year? Boat International, the definitive guide to the world's most incredible superyachts, has revealed the winners of its 2018 Design & Innovation Awards, and the victors certainly do not disappoint. Feast your eyes on the standout entries, from the superyachts with the finest cabins to the vessels that boast the most stunning exteriors.
Best Tender Design: Faith Limousine
First up is the most impressive design for a tender, the swish little boat that ferries guests to and from the shore. The category was won by the 10-metre Faith limo, which reflects the elegant curves of its mothership.
Best Tender Design: Faith Limousine
Designed by WWD and Allseas Design, the convertible craft has a sumptuous soft leather and walnut interior, and premium mahogany veneering on the hull. While the boat's price tag hasn't been disclosed, the marine limo is thought to have sold for around $500,000 (£354k).
Best Interior Design – Motor Yachts Below 399GT: Telli
Telli, a 33-metre contemporary beauty by Ferretti Group, bagged the gong for best interior design for a motor yacht below 399GT. Simple and stylish, the $8.4 million (£5.9m) craft's inside spaces marry perfectly with its minimal exterior.
Best Interior Design – Motor Yachts Below 399GT: Telli
Refreshingly devoid of bling and OTT detailing, Telli's interior is an exercise in tasteful restraint, with clean lines, understated walnut panelling and mid-century-style furnishings the order of the day here.
Best Exterior Styling – Motor Yachts Below 45m: Cyclone
Minimalism also triumphed in the best exterior styling for yachts below 45 metres category. Up-and-coming Turkish shipyard Tansu, which is getting a name for functional, pared-down superyachts that nod to military styling, won with its 43.7-metre Cyclone.
Best Exterior Styling – Motor Yachts Below 45m: Cyclone
Cyclone, which has a price tag of $10 million (£7.1m), looks more like a naval minesweeper than a luxury superyacht, and packs in plenty of outdoor space, including an extra-large aft deck and generous foredeck seating area.
Best Naval Architecture – Semi-Displacement or Planing Motor Yachts: 1of7
Semi-displacement and planing craft are the supercars of the yachting world and can achieve high speeds over short distances. A collaboration between shipbuilder Dynamiq and Porsche, the 35-metre semi-displacement superyacht 1of7 was especially lauded for its naval architecture.
Best Naval Architecture – Semi-Displacement or Planing Motor Yachts: 1of7
Delivering optimal comfort is a challenge with this sort of watercraft and the $15 million (£10.6m) 1of7 excels in giving its passengers the smoothest ride possible, thanks to state-of-the-art stabilising technology. The judges were also impressed by the superyacht's fuel-efficient prowess.
Best New Production: Azimut Grande 35 Metri
This year's best new flagship is the Grande 35 Metri by Italian shipbuilder Azimut. The 35.2-metre superyacht has a sporty vibe that will appeal to buyers with a sense of adventure who can stretch to the $15.5 million (£10.9m) asking price.
Best New Production: Azimut Grande 35 Metri
The widebody catamaran-like hull shreds its way through the waves at speeds that are impressive for a superyacht in this class. Outside space is plentiful with a foredeck complete with a hot tub, while the interiors are neutral and quietly sophisticated.
Best Lighting: Seven
Lighting is all important in a superyacht and Boat International has dedicated a whole category to it this year. The inaugural winner is the 60-metre Seven by Dante O Benini & Partners and Perini Navi.
Best Lighting: Seven
No expense has been spared on cutting-edge illumination in this $30 million (£21.2m) superyacht, from the latest exterior lights to backlit onyx wall panels and chromotherapy mood lighting in the cabin spaces.
Best Interior Design – Sailing Yachts: Ribelle
Dutch shipbuilder Vitters teamed up with interior designer Rémi Tessier to create this light-filled cabin for its 32.5-metre Ribelle sailing yacht, which seriously wows with a spectacular glass canopy. No wonder the $37 million (£26.1m) boat won the Best Interior Design – Sailing Yachts category.
Best Interior Design – Sailing Yachts: Ribelle
What stood out most for the judges was the extensive use of copper, which is rare in a yacht, and there's no denying the metal creates a fabulous reflective effect and luxury feel that isn't excessively ostentatious or tacky.
Best Interior Design – Motor Yachts 400GT to 999GT: Razan
Minimalist interior design is all well and good, but many high-end customers prefer something more opulent. Cue Turquoise Yachts' 47-metre Razan, which is priced at a cool $30.4 million (£21.5m).
Best Interior Design – Motor Yachts 400GT to 999GT: Razan
The interiors, which are the handiwork of British firm H2 Yacht Design, have more deluxe design touches than you can shake a stick at, including Swarovski crystal accents, mother-of-pearl surfaces and Turkish marble detailing.
Best Ecological Design and Operation Innovation + Best Naval Architecture – Displacement Motor Yachts: Home
The winner in not just one but two categories in this year's Boat International Awards, the exquisitely-designed, ultra fuel-efficient Home by Heesen Yachts was made for the eco-minded billionaire, who would need to cough up $48.9 million (£34.5m) to get hold of one.
Best Ecological Design and Operation Innovation + Best Naval Architecture – Displacement Motor Yachts: Home
The 50-metre displacement vessel, which is designed to cruise for long distances at a leisurely speed, is extra lightweight, exceptionally aerodynamic and has a hybrid electric engine, making it the ultimate eco-friendly superyacht.
Best Naval Design + Best Exterior Styling – Sailing Yachts: Ngoni
Another double winner, the 58.2-metre Ngoni sailing yacht bowled over the judges with its innovative design. The $50 million (£35.3m) superyacht, which is nicknamed 'The Beast', was designed by Dubois Naval Architects and built by Royal Huisman for British oil baron Tony Buckingham.
Best Naval Design + Best Exterior Styling – Sailing Yachts: Ngoni
Buckingham was after something edgy and innovative and the Ngoni fulfils the brief, and then some – its wonderfully undulating aluminium hull and curved-glass enclosed cabin really do have the wow factor.
Best Lifestyle Feature Design: Aviva
Yachtbuilders go out of their way to include the most jaw-dropping lifestyle features in their creations, and in this year's competition, one feature impressed the judges no end: the full-sized padel tennis court on Abeking & Rasmussen's 98.4-metre Aviva superyacht.
Best Lifestyle Feature Design: Aviva
The designers have managed to fit in the cavernous court and leave ample space besides on the $150 million (£105.5m) superyacht, which belongs to British-born businessman Joe Lewis, the owner of Tottenham Hotspur football club.
Best General Arrangement and Deck Design + Best Interior Design – Motor Yachts 1,000 GT And Above: Faith
Yet another double winner, the 96.6-metre Faith was applauded for its perfect layout, fabulous deck areas and peerless interiors. The $200 million (£140.1m) superyacht is a collaboration between Feadship, RWD and Chahan Interior Design.
Best General Arrangement and Deck Design + Best Interior Design – Motor Yachts 1,000 GT And Above: Faith
The interior, which is all about showcasing the views, features a multitude of large windows, neutral furnishings and warm wood panelling, and has a smart, contemporary feel, without being cold and clinical.
Best Exterior Styling – Motor Yachts 45m and Above: Jubilee
Oceanco's enormous Jubilee landed the award for the best-looking extra-large superyacht. The 110-metre stunner, which is thought to be priced at upwards of $340 million (£239.3m), boasts a layered deck design that is truly unique.
Best Exterior Styling – Motor Yachts 45m and Above: Jubilee
The Boat International judging panel particularly admired the way the exterior design firm Lobanov created a kind of trompe-l'œil effect with the curvy deck, which is likely to influence future superyacht design.
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