The Transformer
Perhaps the greatest aspect of yacht sailing or the hunt to buy luxury yachts is that you don’t have to keep yourself practical. You can spend all the money in the world because this is a luxury purchase anyways. Perhaps that is where designer Julien Anglade decided to start when putting together his latest work, The Transformer. The Transformer yacht looks like something out of a James Bond movie. The design of the boat is distinctly shark like but its compact body is sleek more than animal. The big quirk in this design is that it expands with a series of clever levers in order to turn into a luxury mega yacht. The solar powered sails make this an eco friendly purchase and the transforming ability makes it the perfect capstone to any childhood dream come true.
Admiral X Force 145
At some point in time there has to be a changeover from luxury yacht to ocean cruise liner, but we aren’t sure where that line begins. The Admiral X Force 145, designed by the Italian Sea Group, surely pushes it to the limit. This luxury yacht showcases a pair of movie theaters, two different helipads, several gyms, and a multi level beach club with spa additions. Surely the need for a hotel reservation will go extinct if you are lucky enough to own, rent, or even just set foot on this gorgeous ship.
The Why
Aptly named, this yacht was designed by Wally Hermes and its immediate design has you questioning as to whether or not you would have been brave enough to design it. The Why looks more like a floating island than a yacht but it still has all of the fine accouterments that you would expect of either. With a rounded body that peaks into a fourth floor, the Why has broad deck space and plenty of luxury space. The tiered decks make it easy for you to forego having friends seek out hotel reservations and the size means that you can really pack people on. Tell your friends to get a cheap ticket for a cheap flight, because the Why is going to be their home away from home.
The Paper Boat
We’ll start off our list of exotic superyachts by looking at a concept that is relatively self contained: The Paper Boat. This yacht was designed with an almost Eastern aesthetic to. With sharp lines and modern usage of space, the Paper Boat plays off like a well crafted toy. However, the Paper Boat is huge once you step foot onto its deck. There are multiple lodging cabins, a bar, and extendable seagull like wings that spread out to help the boat cut through water even smoother. This is a modern and beautiful boat that would make you the center of attention anywhere you sailed it.
The Seagull
You’re going to quickly realize that we are suckers for energy efficiency and boundary pushing super yachts and The Seagull perfectly encapsulates both ideas. This yacht was designed by Novague and it puts a heavy emphasis on energy consumption and efficiency by way of its folding out solar panel wings. These panels fold out and depart from the ships body like a pair of wings on a Seagull. These wings are movable and they are mechanized in order to flap into position to find the maximum amount of light. The rest of the yacht is fairly composed and modern but the wings take it to the next level.
Project Gleam
Project Gleam comes to life by way of Nauta Yachts. This mega yacht sits at an incredible 541 feet in length and it has a cruising speed of 18 knots and a range of almost 7,000 sea miles. While this ship gleams like the stuff of Hollywood legend, it also employs a very real focus on optimization and efficiency. The Gleam has seven decks, a casino, a movie theater, 16 different sleeping quarters, and even a disco. You won’t find your time wasted on this efficient and energy aware ship.
Emax Excalibur
When luxury meets lifestyle the Emax Excalibur can be created. This ship was designed with speed and style rolled into one appealing package. The exoskeleton of this ship is a stunning black and it operates in order to pull energy from the sun. The Excalibur aims to be a carbon neutral yacht that utilizes hybrid technology in order to offset its energy requirements. This ship can go up to 30 knots but it also has the option to coast at 18 knots off of the energy gathered by the exterior energy skeleton.
The Flying Yacht
Concepts are great because you can toy with things that most people would just shake their head at. Yelken Octuri, a French designer, decided to push his superyacht to the limit when he designed the Flying Yacht. This yacht riffs on the original Wright Brothers flight designs by having broad, long limbed, wings that can extend when in flight. When in the ocean these same wings turn into sails when they are erected upright. Though this sounds crazier than any other yacht on our list, Octuri already has received several purchasing offers of the concept.
Lobanov Design Star
When we think of alien civilizations faring their own oceans with their own technology, designs like the Lobanov Design Star probably rise up in your mind. This superyacht takes a dramatic turn away from conventional yacht construction and its vision, employed by Lobanov Design and Nigel Gee, is nothing short of breathtaking. The Lobanov Design Star rises up like a pyramid out of the ocean and reaches a point in its middle before slowing down on either side. The yacht is run by eight generators and the pointed pyramid brings in solar energy to help power the boat. You have a pair of azimuth thrusters that keep the boat rotating, thus soaking in the maximum amount of sun. This glorious design is alien yet intrinsically human and we would love to spend time on any of its eight different decks.
Tofi
There is something special about a superyacht that is completely comfortable with its own size. Designer Hyun-Seok Kim fully embraced the idea of minimalism and simplicity with his work on the Tofi. The Tofi is a small yacht that is more similar to a house boat. Perhaps thanks to his upbringing in South Korea the designer decided to focus more on minimalist aesthetics with his design while taking advantage of all usable space. You have a gorgeous deck and bed out front that gives way to a glass enclosed statesroom with a bed and kitchen area. The pointed overhang above the deck has a ladder and the built in diving board gives you another way to get in and out of the ocean. While the Tofi won’t blow the doors off of any other yacht on its list, there is something deeply satisfying about its simplicity.
Belafonte
If your name is as majestic sounding as ‘Belafonte’ then you know you have a design worthy of use. It just os happens that this concept yacht was drummed up by designer Federico Fiorentino Belafonte and he put every inch of his majestic name into his design. This superyacht is specially focused on speed and beauty and it definitely shows it off in the details. The Belafonte was designed to emulate a sports car and you can definitely see that European sports car flavor in the bronze hue, pointed nose, and sleek body. The Belafonte is 164 feet long and can reach speeds up to 24 knots. Don’t worry, this isn’t a bare bones racing yacht. There is a skylounge, five different staterooms, and a $26.4 million price tag on this beauty if it ever ends up getting built. Federico claims that the ship can be fully built over a 2.5 year period so this design may not be too far into the future.
Project Magnitude
Bigger is always better, right? That had to have been the mindset behind designer Lukasz Opalinski when he sat down to begin work on his newest concept superyacht. Project Magnitude takes advantage of its conceptual size by giving the hypothetical yacht owner absolute control over everything that they could possibly need. This yacht comes with a private helipad that makes Stark Industries look amateur while also giving you all of the luxury that you’d expect from an ocean faring vessel created fully for your own conveniences: a luxury swimming pool, a boat large enough to traverse for your evening jogs, and all the fine dining and luxury relaxation accommodations you could imagine. More than anything, however, technology seems to be the forefront here. Project Magnitude is designed with a deck capable of being used to launch submarines. Actually, this ship is starting to look like a haven for a comic book super villain. Maybe we should scrap this design.