Super- Mega- or Gigayachts!?

Superlative busting fun...but can I bring everyone back to a very basic definition?

That is hilarious. It is quite possible that we'll end up seeing these terms. After all, the media seems to coin our phrases for us...and they love to sexy up this industry as much as they can to astonish their audiences. The terminology of the digital age seems to have really worked for them to do this.

I'm new to the forum and must admit that I'm a little out of my league here regarding my knowledge of the technical side of the industry. I'm actually a former yacht stewardess (having worked on two megayachts, a 130 ft. and a 164 ft...back in 1999-2000, mind you)...I have remained connected to the industry in various ways of the years, and at the moment, I am facing a deadline on a book I am writing on how to get a job as a steward/ess on luxury megayachts.

I've been perusing this forum lately to research some of the industry definitions I am including in the manuscript. I am hopeful I can call on everyone's expertise here to help me clear up a rather confusing issue - that which pertains to the subject of this thread: the guidelines used to distinguish between luxury yachts, megayachts, superyachts, gigayachts (and we'll stop there for now!).

My first question goes back to the very basics: what would everyone here say is even the standard definition of a yacht...That is, just a plain yacht, before it even gets into the luxury yacht range?

It's obviously a vessel used for pleasure cruising or racing, we know it can be power, sail, or both, and then what --- with the introduction of the charter market, can we even use the distinguishing characteristic of it being a "noncommericial" vessel to define a yacht??? And to get around that, would you call it "privately used" (that's going back to what someone said about just one person footing the bill for the entire vessel as opposed to a cabin at a time)?

What I always thought to be the main characteristic of any yacht was that it was "privately owned" -- is that even the case anymore?

Regarding length, I was under the impression that boats in the range of 10-20 or 22 ft (3-6.7 m) were not yachts, but rather, "runabouts" or terms such as that.

From there, a 20-60ft (6.1-18.3 m) boat was also not necessarily a yacht to me yet, but rather, a cabin cruiser. Now, that's in regards to the motorboats. But what about for sail?

Going off that question, I suppose the main question it all boils down to is this:
At what point does a boat become a yacht in terms of length? Is it from 60 ft (18.3 m) and up? Or do we actually call boats in the 20-60 ft (6.1-18.3 m) range yachts? If so, at one point (40 ft?)?



Above 60ft., we are definitely talking yachts. I've no doubt there. But at what point do we draw the line between a luxury yacht and just a yacht?

I wouldn't think that the determination would be made based on length alone...I've heard a lot of people that I've interviewed for this book say "70 ft. and up is a luxury yacht"... But I ask, are there not yachts out there between 60-70 ft. that, based on design, finish, quality, etc, truly deserve to be called "luxury yachts"? On that same basis, are that not yachts between 70 and 80ft (21-24m) that do not qualify as "luxury"?

I know it seems incredibly nit picky to be trying to define it so strictly. It's been interesting for me though, in interviewing industry experts and researching the topic quite thoroughly, that the industry does not seem to be able to agree on any of these points. The entire debate has been enough to make my head spin. Quite honestly, I'm become involved with so many similar discussions as of late, that I'd like to be able to settle it as best as I can...especially before I go putting anything in print.

Alas, we get to one of my favorites: are they megayachts or superyachts, and at what point do they become either?

I am quite convinced based on interviews that megayacht and superyacht are used interchangeably to mean any of these privately owned/used vessels over 80 ft (24 meters)...I know that for some, 100 ft. seems more like it now that yachts are getting bigger...but, the latest stats I've seen from several industry publications have included the 80-100 ft. range in the megayacht/superyacht categories.

I saw earlier in this thread that someone identified megayachts and superyachts to actually be different categories: the megayachts ranging from 100-149 ft. and the superyachts ranging from 150-299 feet. I can see where that might make sense; however, I'm sticking with the fact that they can be used completely interchangeably, and that they refer to yachts over 80ft., or 24 meters.

I enjoyed the comment someone else made (I apologize for not recalling who, but I read the entire thread and forgot to make a note before replying) about the craftsmanship and quality having something to do with the decision to qualify a vessel in these catagories, and I think that makes a lot of sense from the perspective of distinguishing them for the new breed of the yacht-cruise hybrids.

As for gigayachts, when I first heard it, I thought, "oh no, there goes the media again." I've seen so many articles and references since, and it looks like that term is here to stay. So people here seem to say 300 ft. and up is a gigayacht?...That sounds about right to me. Although, with the launch of M/Y Platinum, it seems that range should be taken up to begin at more like 350 ft. to allow for what is to come next.

Ulimately, who knows...we may need to add in the Terras and the Petas.

Any comments or additions to this debate are gladly welcomed and appreciated! I have several appointments this coming week with industry publication editors, and I hope to come up with the best definitions that I can to keep from having to just say, "oh, well, it's subjective" in my book. But I could use input to help "check" the information/answers I receive.

In the end, this industry has sailed under the radar as its own sort of "closed society" for some time... "a well-kept secret," as some call it...But, it seems as though it is a well-kept secret even from itself ("we just kind of made it up as we went along" one industry expert told me)... No one seems to be able to nail down these classifications and definitions with any certainty. With the industry growing, and the media attention coming on stonger than ever, I think it's important for these type of standard terms to be more concretely defined.

Please advise if you can help!
Thanks,
JP

P.S. And no, I'm not normally this hung up on details like this. When it comes to definitions that must go into print though, I want to be as accurate as I can...so the once obnoxiously detail-oriented megayacht stewardess within me comes out!

Thanks!

Thanks for that very helpful information! It does get awfully confusing, huh? That's interesting what you mention about the term "luxury yachts." That had popped into my own internal debate over the definitions when I saw someone in this thread mention "luxury yachts" and "superyachts" being the only two types to consider. I therefore got going on how the climb up the totem pole might actually work: at what point we go from boat to yacht to luxury yacht to super or megayacht to gigayacht. Again, your input is very helpful in helping me clear that up - and I really appreciate the 30 ft. sail and 40 ft. power point that you made. I understand that it's not scientific, but it makes sense. I am siding with megayachts over superyachts in the title and usage in my book (although, noting that superyachts is used interchangably with megayachts), and the reason for that is purely for aesthetics. It's my personal opinion, but I feel that "megayacht" captures the essence of these vessels better.

Too, and I bring this up mainly because I think it's interesting: from the little bit of search engine research that I've done (and based on the results from my publisher's same research), "megayacht" is the more commonly searched term on the Internet (but it comes up as two words: "mega yacht"); that is just in terms of comparing it to "superyacht" though (and "super yacht" is searched far more frequently than the term written as one word: "superyacht")...But the one that brings in the largest number of search engine hits is "luxury yacht" ... From a marketing perspective then, although not used frequently within the industry, that is what people outside the industry think of. So I guess it's just another "interchangeable" that I'll want to use for purposes of introducing the industry to potential interior crew candidates. Granted, there are far more important issues I need to be addressing with them than the basic terminology, but I just want to make sure I'm including accurate information.

Anyhow, enough of "fun with terminology" for the morning...Thanks again for your input, and also for the welcome to the site! There is definitely a wealth of information that exists here!
JP

Brilliant!

GREAT INFO! Thanks so much for that. My original title on the book was "How to Become a Steward/ess On a Luxury Superyacht" (seems redundant ... you don't really need "luxury" in there)...The original plan was also just to publish it in electronic format, as an eBook. However, when I had a Publisher contact me expressing interest in publishing the book in paperback, a lot changed -- including the use of Superyacht, and a lot of that was based on their research.

The market that I am going after is really going to need an education before I even get into the "how to" portion of the book. There are a lot of "how to work on cruise ship" books out there, and they can very well get away with just jumping right in to the "do a, then b, then c, then d, and voila!"...BUT, people know what they are getting into (or at least THINK they do ...I would actually agrue that some of those cruise liners are nothing more than sweatshops on the sea for a lot of the employees)...

But because the cruise line companies dump so much money into marketing and advertising themselves to the masses, nearly everyone out there has a pretty good impression of what an occupation on board a commercial cruise ship might be like...and worse off (if not sadly), they think it's the only option out there!

The yachting industry, on the other hand, is largely unheardof, especially in terms of the jobs one can have on board. With all of the new builds that will be launching in the next 2-3 years, the industry is really heading for crisis mode when it comes to crew shortages...and from what I'm gathering, finding qualified engineers and interior staff (especially American interior staff for yachts that have to hire U.S. citizens), is really going to be incredibly challenging, if it isn't already.

So, I am almost running this like a massive PR campaign - trying to get the word out, educate, and THEN give the "how to." As far as I'm concerned, it's about stealing from the pool of job candidates that go for the cruise ship jobs...I also just spent a year living in Denver, Colorado, and there are TONS of potential yacht crew types working in the posh ski resorts in places like Vail, Aspen, and Steamboat...They just don't know about the opportunity that is out there to work in the fabulous world of Superyachts/Megayachts/Gigayachts, what have you.

BUT, because I have to grab their attention with a title, given that my book is going to be my big "showpiece" that's out there to start spreading the word (unlike my eBook, for which I can rely on internet marketing to drive people to my website), I have to convey a lot with a few carefully chosen words. In fact, my Publisher is actually pushing me to call the book: "Confessions of a Yacht Stewardess: Everything You Need to Know to Get A Job on a Luxury Megayacht." I was adamantly opposed to that title at first because I did not what to give a false impression that this is a "tell all tale" about my time serving the rich and famous on the high seas. However, from a marketing perspective, I can certainly see their point. People will pick it up off the shelves (if it makes it to any), or click on the Amazon.com link, etc. out of intrigue to see what this is all about.

So, regarding the use of Superyacht vs Megayacht, I think the other point the Publisher wanted to make was that they thought the more sensational sounding "Megayacht" would capture more attention - regardless of any preceding lead title.

My title is actually due to the Publisher next week, as well as my back cover marketing copy and the cover design ideas...so if anyone reading this is feeling particularly creative, feel free to throw some titles at me ...And again, what they really want is a clever leading title, with the "how to become" part following up as a subtitle. We've played around with everything from "Aloat With a Silver Tray: How to Become..." and on down the line. But too, deciding upon using Super or Mega has been part of that debate.

I do like that definition of a Superyacht, and I see that being what the industry is probably more accustomed to the thinking and using...but since I have to talk to 18-35 women (and men too) and capture their attention in a mere title, I have to side on what I think (and what my publisher thinks even more) has the better ring to it.

This book will most likely become a series of books. I have plans to write the "become a deckhand" version in late fall...and, after learning of how desperate the qualified Engineer pool has become (only to get worse as all these more high-tech Superyachts keep getting churned out), I feel that that deserves some attention too.

At the end of the day, this crew shortage affects the entire industry. I saw someone on this thread, or maybe it was another, mentioned how the crew can make or break an owner/guest, or charterer's experience on board...I 100% agree with that...and imagine what it will be like if there are not enough qualified crew out there to fill the positions?

The entire industry stands to suffer in the coming years as the lack of trained and qualified crew leads to disgruntled owners and charter guests.

Anyway - I got way off track there...sorry about that. I'm pretty absorbed in it all at the moment.

I LOVE the information that you've armed me with; in fact, I may go and get that book and perhaps quote it in my own. Afterall, while I may need to use Megayacht to capture attention and get people to open the book, I need to educate them once inside...and that's a very interesting explanation on the use and meaning of the term Superyacht that you've just provided me (the best I've been given, actually!)...

Thanks again!
JP

Did somebody mention "runabouts"?

That term covers quite a bit of territory. Basically open cockpit boats, or at least boats where the cockpit space exceeds the cabin space. I don't know of any upper length limit. They can be a lot more than 20' -

http://www.cobaltboats.com/model_line/282/intro282.php

Riva and Wally sport some enormous runabouts!
Kelly Cook