What Yachts would you suggest?

stevenpet · 02-16-2009, 03:13 PM

I’m almost done with all my research for preparing to own a yacht and liveaboard. All of you on Yacht Forums have been incredibly helpful, thanks! So, I thought it might be wise to ask those with a lot more experience than me, their opinions of what boat builders or even yachts-for-sale that I should be looking at.

Once I have a list of yachts to look at my next step would be to begin calling the brokers and checking out the boats.

Here are my lifestyle and work constraints for a yacht:

I’m single and I’m planning on living-aboard with my son, who’s 18. We will be the only liveaboards, however we will have frequent guests, many personal and many for business, from all parts of the world. Some people will stay on for up to a few weeks and in some locations we’ll need to host day events (parties) onboard with a lot of people (around 50+) onboard but we wouldn’t leave the dock.

[I’m thinking around 150’ to 170’ long. Sleeping for 12 guests and 12 crew.]

I want to look at boats this summer with my son and I would like to be settled in and under way by next fall or the winter of 2010.

I want something already built, or nearly complete with minimal modifications required.

For my job, I have to write a lot and spend most of my work day in front of a computer screen. It requires limited interruptions for long periods of time.

[Stabilizers are a must, as well as an owner’s office. I would prefer a larger owner’s office and private lounge than a full beam owner’s stateroom. Wireless network aboard so I can access the server from anywhere I’ll be camping out for my writing that day.]

I have to keep active and work out religiously to stay fit and reduce stress.

[An onboard gym is a must, as well as access to plenty of active things to do.]

I have a workaholic problem and have to be very careful to not let it get out of control. My son is great remedy for this. I must be careful that I don’t spend my time involved in running the yacht. Also, having plenty of fun things to do will also help me to keep more balance in my life. I want to minimize our time in port as much as possible. I would rather be out and about.

[I need a great captain with a great crew that can do everything without me. I need a long-range yacht that’s made for cruising, playing and adventuring rather than showing off in a sheltered harbor.]

Most work days I have to be in contact with my office staff and can easily do this with a high speed internet connection. So, I need a boat with…

[…a reliable power source, generators, and can host the fastest satellite internet connection available. I’m considering adding a second satellite internet connection for backup redundancy and to double the bandwidth onboard.]

About twice a month, anywhere from 3-5 days, I have meetings in different large cities all around the worlds. For example, I’ll visit several cities in France, then in Spain, then in England, etc. I have to be 100% at these meetings, so avoiding jet lag and long flights would greatly help. This is why a yacht would be perfect for me, since I can take my home with me and avoid many long exhausting flights and boring and lonely hotel rooms.

[This means I would put a helicopter to very good use, to be able to easily leave and return for my meetings. I also need a crew that can cut my hair, prep my clothes, dry clean my suites, etc.]

I really like the art deco look, and prefer more of a masculine interior design. A modern look is okay if it's not too sterile. I prefer my furnishings to be very comfortable than formal.

These are the yachts I’ve been considering right now.

Westport 163, Vango (Should I be concerned about the composite hull. If only it were carbon fiber instead of fiberglass.)
Benetti 170, Latinou (My favorite, but with no helicopter space.)
Christiansen 163, Casino Royale
Newport 50m, Project H (I can’t find any info on this yacht any more, did they stop building it?)
Sensation 173, Noble House (The only built a few large yachts, should I be concerned?)

What concerns or questions about the above yachts should I be asking the brokers? What other yachts can you suggest?

PropBet · 02-16-2009, 03:31 PM

Of your listed options, I would highly consider a Benetti or Christensen.
I'm more a fan on the Christensen.

AMG · 02-16-2009, 04:20 PM

The yacht brokers first question to you would be, - what kind of private jet do you have today?

NYCAP123 · 02-16-2009, 05:55 PM

Certain of those names I might drop but that's more a personal preference. I would contact the others and more so some of the northern european yards to see what builds are in progress that the buyers have or would like to be bought out of. Not unusual today. That would enable you to semi-custom build it to suit your needs, fit within you're time schedule and maybe save a few $'s.

stevenpet · 02-16-2009, 07:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AMG

The yacht brokers first question to you would be, - what kind of private jet do you have today?

LOL. I seriously considered dropping the yacht idea in favor of a jet, it would probably save me a lot of money.

But, where's the sense of adventure. Also, I have no idea where I want to live—and with a yacht I don't have to decide.

stevenpet · 02-16-2009, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PropBet

Of your listed options, I would highly consider a Benetti or Christensen.
I'm more a fan on the Christensen.

I really like the Christensen's too. Sadly my son hates the Casino Royale design—he thinks its way too gaudy, plus he hates James Bond films. (I don't think I've ever met anyone that hates James Bond films.)

We both LOVE the design of the Christensen 157, Barchetta, but sadly, it's not on the market.

hbyachtboy · 02-16-2009, 07:36 PM

Actually it is. Barchetta sold about 2 years ago a couple months after she was launched and was renamed Thirteen. I know the owner and the boat is in great condition. She is for sale right now with Ocean Independence.

Blair · 02-16-2009, 07:47 PM

You might want to have a look at the Burgess Yachts site and check out m/y T6 that was built for John Spencer in NZ. Won a significant superyacht award in 2008. The quality and engineering is as about as good as it gets I understand and is an archtypical long range adventure yacht with helicopter aboard that disappears into a below-deck hanger - along with the tenders etc. Interior is quite understated - oozes class and comfort in my humble view. A serious vessel designed to cope with all latitudes and oceans.

NYCAP123 · 02-16-2009, 08:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blair

You might want to have a look at the Burgess Yachts site and check out m/y T6 that was built for John Spencer in NZ. Won a significant superyacht award in 2008. The quality and engineering is as about as good as it gets I understand and is an archtypical long range adventure yacht with helicopter aboard that disappears into a below-deck hanger - along with the tenders etc. Interior is quite understated - oozes class and comfort in my humble view. A serious vessel designed to cope with all latitudes and oceans.

Actually, from what I've read it was not only built FOR Mr. Spencer it was built BY Mr. Spencer. It's a one-off.

YachtForums · 02-16-2009, 09:31 PM

Steven,

Of the yachts you listed, Christensen or Westport would be a winning hand. Not sure how many bets are on Vango, but you may have to ante-up for Casino Royale. Word is... a whale is at the table.

Blair · 02-16-2009, 09:49 PM

Yes, John Spencer had it built for him in his own yard (Flyteship) by a hand-picked team. Pretty handy sailor in his day as was his brother Peter (decs.). Between them they have owned a rather large number of very nice boats (and some very nice islands too). A vessel either owned would get the professional seafarers vote I'm sure - not sure about the hairdresser's opinion though.

HKT Horizon · 02-17-2009, 12:36 AM

Why don't you have a look at Horizon as well. They customize so it should meet most of your needs. I think their 130, 163, and expedition style 148 should be close to what you're looking for.

stevenpet · 02-17-2009, 01:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hbyachtboy

Actually it is. Barchetta sold about 2 years ago a couple months after she was launched and was renamed Thirteen. I know the owner and the boat is in great condition. She is for sale right now with Ocean Independence.

I just noticed it was on the market this afternoon. I recognized the dining room chairs. That’s one we really should go look at.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blair

You might want to have a look at the Burgess Yachts site and check out m/y T6…

I checked out the T6, it’s very nice. I really like the understated interior design. I found a few pics and all the basic stats, but I couldn’t find a general layout or any details and sadly nothing about its heli-hanger.

stevenpet · 02-17-2009, 02:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HKT Horizon

Why don't you have a look at Horizon as well. They customize so it should meet most of your needs. I think their 130, 163, and expedition style 148 should be close to what you're looking for.

I checked out the Horizon website at http://horizonyacht.com but I didn't see any expedition yachts or any over 130'.

I'm don't want to do a new build right now. I just don't see any Horizon's large enough on the market.

Blair · 02-17-2009, 04:17 PM

Regarding T6, the Burgess site is limited in its detail but obviously an enquiry would provide more. There was a bit of a rave about the hanger in the blurb by the judges for the Superyacht of the Year award it gained in 2008 but no detail of course.