Francesca Marcez
Business Reporter
Amer
Superyachts are getting bigger and bigger as buyers want more space
Business is booming in the lavish world of superyachts, with Super Rich looking for a larger floating palace than ever before.
Paola Trifilo knows one or two things about superyachts. She and her husband have owned more than a dozen over the years.
An Italian couple who build their fortunes through law and run a global law firm that loves to sail around the world at the height of luxury.
Ms. Trifilo describes boats that are over 50m (164 feet) long, like floating in a five-star hotel. And she likes to get involved in the design process.
One of the criteria she argues is that the crew has ample kitchen space, allowing them to cook gourmet meals for up to 15 people.
Ms. Trifilo explains her reasoning: “If you’re used to eating well, not anywhere. [in the world] Is there enough restaurant? ”
She also says the size of the container is encouraging. “My boat allows me to sail whether I sail with a humpback whale or greet me from a fisherman in the Fiji Islands.
Paul Triphyllo
Superyacht owner Paola Trifilo likes to pilot the boat himself
But what is a superyacht? Although there is no official global classification, the industry website and magazine Boat International describe it as “a luxurious, privately owned yacht that is more than 24 meters long and professionally crew.”
According to the magazine, global sales boomed after Covid. They were all shut down during the pandemic as Super Rich suddenly couldn’t go to luxury hotels, so many switched to superyachts instead.
As a result, 1,024 new superyachts were built worldwide in 2022, with 25% jumps since 2021, and the highest ever. This increased to 1,203 in 2023, making it another new record.
“After people in the pandemic consider their superyachts a safe island, both themselves and relatives,” says Barbara Armerio, who co-owns Italian family-run superyacht builder Amer.
She added that the billionaires took even more care of their personal space and independence. “They requested bigger windows, more space outside and make it easier to touch the seawater.”
Boat International data also shows that the total number of superyachts built or ordered this year is expected to be just 1,138, but on average it’s getting bigger. So far, 61 boats have been made over 76m in length, rising from 55 in 2024.
And for the 46m to 60m grouping, the number increased from 159 to 175. Meanwhile, sales of the smallest superyachts drop from 321 to 286 between 24m and 27m.
“It’s clear that some of the new clients the industry discovered in Covid-19 are trading up,” Armerio said.
Stewart Campbell Chief Boat International editors say that superyacht people are “very smarter about designers and naval architects packing more volume into the hull, and owners are very smart about carrying more space.”
As a result, today’s superyachts have more and more everything from helipads to cinemas, gyms, beauty salons, and saunas.
Getty Images
Koru, a retro-style superyacht owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, is reportedly costing over $500 million to build
As you can imagine, the prices are very high. You can pay 36 million euros ($41 million, £30 million) for a new small boat. A 10 million long ship with all optional extras costs up to 295 million euros.
Half of all superyachts continue to be built in Italy, and now the yard is working at a boat length of 22,195m, or approximately 22km (13 miles). Türkiye is second in the list, followed by the Netherlands, the UK, Taiwan, Germany, the US and China.
In 2023, Italian shipbuilders won 8.3 billion euros from building a record-high superyacht.
Armerio says her shipyard “produces a small number of high-quality ‘superyachts’ a year.
She added that Italian yacht manufacturers like her are supported by a solid network of local artisans. “In Italy, you can find everything you need.”
Ms Almerio points out that if you need to order marble, you can drive to a Tuscan stone quarry from her company base on the coast of Liguria.
Barbara Almerio
Italian shipyard Barbara Almerio says buyers want more luxury
When it comes to billionaires and hundreds of millions of millionaires buying superyachts, Boat International says most are from the US. However, it points out that as the economies of those countries grow, they come from Türkiye, Indonesia and Mexico.
Meanwhile, sales to Russian buyers have declined due to sanctions on the country and its elite as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
If the appeal of the superyacht wasn’t immediately clear, Ms. Trifilo says that it will allow her to see the world and satisfy her wanderlust. And she likes to be in the boat control.
“My curiosity to explore new places pushes me to cruising the ocean while in the driver’s seat,” she says.
Ms. Trifilo adds that her crew will be “paid twice as much for what they are likely to make on the land because it is so important that they keep them happy. Our captain has been working for us for 22 years.”
