Eight Innovative Yachts That Are Making Waves in the Marine Industry

Scooping the top spot for largest DynaRig sailing yacht in the world, Black Pearl is designed by Nuvolari Lenard (assisted by Villate Design). A tri-deck sailing yacht, she boasts three revolutionary 70m DynaRig carbon masts and a sailing system designed by Dykstra Naval Architects. What’s more impressive is that all 2,900sqm of her black, highly distinctive sails can be set in a rapid seven minutes, and all at the push of a button. Her hybrid propulsion system, and other environmental onboard systems, such as waste heat recovery, propel her among a new generation of environmentally sustainable and highly efficient vessels.

Launching at the Monaco Yacht Show this year, Bold is the epitome of pure industrial chic design. Built by Australian yard SilverYachts, and developed in collaboration with designer Espen Øino, Bold is the shipyard’s largest project to date. An all-aluminium cruiser Bold is the very epitome of a fast world explorer vessel. The main deck aft has been designed as the ultimate helipad, with folding handrails and bulwarks to accommodate a helicopter with a D value of 13, such as an AW109. A 12-tonne aft deck crane also allows the launch and retrieval of a vast array of tenders and toys. And a 3,000-litre heli-fuel storage tank means Bold’s adventure-driven owner can, and surely will, take this new generation hull platform to the ends of the Earth.

A 164-foot fast-displacement hull form with hybrid propulsion, Home was the world’s first yacht of her kind when launched in 2017. Pairing comfort with efficiency, and capable of silent cruising, she demonstrates the progressive capabilities of Dutch pioneering naval architects Van Oossanen, and Dutch shipbuilder Heesen Yachts. The iconic fast-displacement hull form provides superior efficiency, slicing through water with ease. When paired with Heesen’s hybrid propulsion and Home’s distinctive chiselled vertical bow, the result is a near silent, fuel-efficient cruising experience.

The mighty motor yacht Jubilee, built by Dutch shipyard Oceanco, has scooped multiple design accolades since her 2017 launch. For her Moscow-born exterior designer Igor Lobanov, she represents the need to always have faith in your own vision. Topping both length and volume records in the Netherlands at the time of her launch, Jubilee’s layered double decks—the very thing that originally put so many people off the concept—are, for Lobanov, the key to the yacht’s success. “When you’re travelling on a small tender it gives the scale of a bigger yacht, but as you get closer to Jubilee you realise her actual size. That’s what we wanted to achieve. We wanted it to be a design trick.” The illusion has been created with smoked glass panels between the decks that run the length of the superstructure and areas of teak decking inaccessible to guests, but which from a distance look like genuine deck spaces. Perfection.

Renowned for a truly striking exterior before she had even hit water, Artefact is the latest launch from German shipyard Nobiskrug. Designed by Gregory C Marshall, she boasts an extensive use of both structural and decorative glass, and includes a number of new technological and engineering features to minimise its environmental impact. These include a large battery storage system which allows the boat to operate without internal combustion engines for a limited time. The biggest-volume 262-foot superyacht in the world, she is also among the first superyachts to meet IMO Tier III emissions regulations and features an innovative diesel-electric propulsion system developed with electric motor manufacturer ABB.

A silent, solar-electric powered yacht, Silent-Yachts’ oceangoing catamaran can be yours for around £1.25 million . With both propulsion and household powered by the sun (meaning no generators are required to run the lights, air conditioning, etc.), and with electric propulsion available when required, the 56-foot catamaran has unlimited range, no noise or fumes, minimal vibration and is virtually maintenance-free. It’s smooth and serene cruising at its best where both the environment and owner’s enjoyment come first.

Derived from the mind of starchitect Phillipe Starck in response to the owner’s brief for a “21st century pirate galleon”, SY A remains an undeniable talking point two years on from her 2017 launch. A is a vessel with innovation at its core. Technically a sail-assisted motor yacht, she is built by German shipyard Nobiskrug, and owned by Russian billionaire industrialist and philanthropist Andrey Melnichenko. Her free-standing carbon masts are the tallest yet built; her propulsion comes via a hybrid, variable speed powertrain; and she is said to feature an underwater viewing lounge nestled in her keel box.

Costing over £16 million to build when launched in 2012, this custom-built transatlantic trimaran—owned by shipping magnate Antony Marden—has cruised the seven seas for seven years, turning heads everywhere she goes. Adastra’s space age design comes from the boards of British studio Shuttleworth Design and was built in China by McConaghy Boats. Her speedy and light-weight hull is made from a super-strong e-glass/Kevlar foam sandwich, while her superstructure is made up of carbon fiber with a lightweight Nomex honeycomb core. Currently for sale, she provides the rare opportunity to own a yacht with “amazing seaworthiness” and looks like nothing else out there right now.