Best Superyachts of the Year by Boat International
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Best Superyachts of the Year by Boat International

Fifteen winners of the World Superyacht Awards 2020
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The fifteenth annual World Superyacht Awards ceremony, established by Boat International magazine, took place virtually this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The online broadcast of the 2019-2020 Best Superyacht Awards was held on the evening of November 13. A little spoiler: of the 15 awards, 3 each went to Feadship and Lürssen boats.

Motor yachts with semi-displacement or planing hulls and a capacity of up to 500 register tons

Length between 30 and 34.9 metres Custom Line IV Dreams

The winner of this nomination had to combine many things: a stylish exterior, a well-thought-out floor plan, a comfortable interior, innovative technical equipment, and finally a high quality of construction. The result of a secret ballot showed that out of 6 nominees the project by Ferretti Group (naval architecture), design studio FrancescoPaszkowski, best fits these requirements; and Paczkowski's colleague Margherita Casprini (interiors), the 32.8-metre Custom Line 106 IV Dreams.

The first member of the new Custom Line features modern outdoor seating on the sun deck and in the bow, as well as spacious, well-lit rooms. The line between indoors and outdoors is blurred by the wide sliding doors in the saloon and on the balcony in the master suite. Good habitability is ensured by the four guest cabins, each with its own bathroom.

The beach club of the model attracted particular attention from the judges.

The yard even patented the Dual-Mode Transom (DMT) foldaway transom that allows the space to be used as a floodable garage, diving platform and beach club at the same time.

In addition, the jury noted the cleverness of the crew quarters.

IV Dreams has a pair of MTU diesel engines, each rated at over 2,600 hp. They will enable the boat to reach a speed of 26 knots. When cruising at an average speed of 12 knots, the model can travel 1,050 nautical miles without refuelling. At a cruising speed of 22 knots, she will have enough fuel for 400 nautical miles.

Length of 35m and above - Overmarine Mangusta Gransport 45

Five boats were shortlisted in this category - three with traditional Semi-Displacement hulls and a pair of Fast Displacement models. The jury decided to assess them together because of their similar size, speed characteristics and engine power. It was difficult to choose a winner among them, but the 45.3-meter Mangusta Gransport 45 got slightly more votes than its competitors.

«One of the main advantages of this Alberto Mancini-designed modelis its economy mode».

Thanks to the naval architecture by Studio PLANA, the Mangusta Gransport 45 can travel a full 4,200 nautical miles at 11 knots.

This is more than enough for a transatlantic cruise. At the same time, the fuel consumption is only 10.9 liters per mile.

Besides, the jury also noted thoughtful use of every square meter on the spacious decks. Particularly the three-way aft beach club. The saloon on the main deck and the cabins are flooded with sunshine through large windows. In addition, the generous glazing gives an impression of even more spaciousness.

Displacement Motor Yachts

Capacity up to 499GT and ranging in length from 30m to 39.9m Profab Central Engineering The Beast

This nomination had the most colourful group of boats. There were three Explorers, a Hybrid and a production model composite with the same maximum speed and range. The 39m Explorer The Beast had the upper hand.

The camouflage paint «The Beast» might at first glance look like a military patrol boat, but in fact it is very practical for long-range expeditions. The owner insisted that it should look like this. It was also required that The Beast should be no longer than 40 meters and not bigger than 500GT (otherwise it would have been limited in her New Zealand home country).

It was also necessary to have a 13 meter 19-ton boat on board as the boat's owner is an avid fisherman.

The LOMOcean Design team has withstood all of these challenges and produced a yacht capable of meeting all of these requirements. The launching system of the fishing boat with two slewing cranes particularly impressed the jury.

Capacity up to 499 register tons and a length of 40 meters and more - Tankoa Yachts Bintador .

This 49.9-meter tri-decker with a sleek hull shape and contemporary styling was quickly confirmed as one of the 6 nominees. Her very practical layout, smart separation of guest and crew quarters and well-thought-out interior give the yacht a lot of points in the eyes of the judges.

A further plus point for Bintador is the economical use of fuel thanks to the optimised form of its hull, thanks to the work of Studio Francesco Rogantin. Without compromising on speed, the Bintador is powered by a pair of 1200 hp diesel engines, which are considerably more compact than the competition, and supplemented by 300 kW electric motors. The diesels will power Bintador up to 18 knots. In Hybrid mode, the yacht can travel 4,900 nautical miles at 10.5 knots.

500 to 999GT Capacity - Feadship Najiba

The competition for this category was fiercely fought out amongst three of the best Dutch shipyards. The sizes, performance and engine types were very similar. The more significant differences were in terms of hull width and overall tonnage. «Even so, the characteristics of the 58m Najiba are no less than phenomenal».

She has a top speed of 17 knots. In economy mode, at a cruising speed of 12 knots, she consumes only 137 litres of fuel per hour.

Despite the fact that Najiba has a wider hull than her competitors, her fuel consumption in cruising mode is almost 50% lower than theirs.

There's no denying that the hydrodynamic experts at Feadship De VoogtNaval Architects and Philippe Brianddid a fantastic job designing this boat!

The harmonious exterior by VitruviusYachts also caught the eye of the judges. The uninterrupted bulwarks are complemented by glass partitions, which become almost invisible when viewed from afar. The interior design by Claudio Cicconetti Architetto and Studio Liaigre from Paris is current and innovative. In addition the jury noted the superior quality of Najiba's construction.

Capacity 1000 to 1499 register tons - Benetti Metis

There were also only three nominees in this category. But contrary to the previous category you could see the favourite almost immediately. It is 63-meter custom Metis.

This Benetti not only has a modern exterior design by Giorgio M.Cassetta, but also a practical layout of all the outdoor spaces.

The designers even managed to harmoniously include an additional observation deck and a sports area on the uppermost deck, when the Metis was already under construction.

The interior design by Bannenberg& Rowell follows all the latest trends and, of course, the owner's needs. «Good visibility makes the picturesque scenery behind the windows an extension of the» interior.

Folding sides allow the beach club to be opened from three sides. Guests do not need to be near the tenders, which are stored in a separate garage at the bow of the main deck, below the helicopter landing area.

2,000 to 4,999 gross tonnage - Feadship Lady S

Choosing the best Feadship when you have such outstanding designs as the DreAMBoat , Excellence , Flying Fox, Lady S and Madsummer in one basket is no easy task. «Not surprisingly the result has been two nominations for displacement yachts of 2,000GT or more» instead of one. For boats of 5000GT and above it was decided to allocate a separate prize (about who got it, we'll tell a little later).

In«junior» the elegant and harmonious 93m Lady S won the same nomination. The luxurious interior on board is truly impressive. The two decks have hearths with live fires and the glass sliding doors are so large they are unmatched by any other yacht.

And what's more. This boat has literally been built around an IMAX movie theater. It's the first of its kind ever to be built in the yachting industry.

An additional special jury prize in this category went to the 95.3-meter LürssenMadsummer, which is able to cross the Atlantic and return without refuelling.

She can accommodate up to 20 guests in 10 cabins. They can enjoy a 12m swimming pool, film marathons (no IMAX, but still in a fully equipped cinema), parties on theThere is a large spa area next to the beach club, where you'll find both a hammam and an ice shower. The vivid interior design byLaura SessaRomboli with splashes of blue, red and orange is a kind of colour therapy for the guests and does not let them be sad for a second.

With a capacity of 5000 register tons and more - Lürssen Flying Fox

The 136-metre Flying Fox is the largest yacht to be launched in 2019. She has three times the tonnage of the other nominees in the category of 2,000 register tons and above. This is also why the jury has created a separate nomination specifically for this Lürssen. It would simply be unfair to compare her with the others.

On board, you will find a 12-metre pool perpendicular to the hull on the main deck. To ensure that sea rocking would not cause waves in the pool that could cause water to spill onto the deck, Lürssen created a computer model of the Flying Fox.

The initial fears proved to be true, and the design was further refined until the problem was solved. In factory tests the pool behaved perfectly.

Other points of attraction on board are the 22-person dining room, the conservatory that takes up two decks, the lounge that overlooks this greenhouse and, again, the two-level spa of 400 square meters equipped with the world's first shipboard cryosauna.

Other nominations

Refit - Lürssen Oasis

In addition to the Lürssen Oasis Refit Awards the judges were unanimous in their determination to award the best refit. The judges almost unanimously awarded the prize to the redesigned interior on the 2006-built 59.4-meter Oasis. The new design was developed by the Italian studio FM Architettura d'Interni in cooperation with the captain and other crew members.

Before taking her first summer cruise with her new owner's large family on board, Oasis underwent a six-month refit of the sun deck, guest staterooms and living areas to make them more versatile and contemporary in their lifestyles.

The jury commended the extent of the changes and the quality of the work carried out. The refit was really well planned and, thanks to that, everything was done in a very short time.

Refit - Herreshoff Vagrant

One of the two sailing yachts that won an award this year was the 40m Vagrant, which was completely rebuilt at the Royal Huisman yard. She was first launched in the USA in 1913 and has been in build for over 22 months. She had arrived at the yard in such a sorry state that it was not safe to let her enter the yard on her own.

All the rivets and screws had to be replaced during the refit to ensure the hull would not leak in future. The engine room, the wiring and the pipes were also reworked. But the woodwork was carefully restored. More modern sailing equipment by DykstraNaval Architects & Rondal has simplified the controls on Vagrant. She can now set sail with a smaller crew.

The jury's special prize in this category went to ElsfletherWerft AG Magna Grecia, a 63.8m motor yacht built in1986.

The Navinco shipyard and Francesco Paszkowski Design studio had over 2 years not only updated the exterior and interior of the yacht, but also re-engineered her hydrodynamic features. On board the tri-deck Magna Grecia 12 guests will find a cinema room combined with a bar that can also be used as a dining area. A spacious owner's study on the main deck features a library and exquisite Hermes furniture.

Support Vessels - Astilleros Armon Hodor

More superyachts means more support boats. The construction of support vessels has reached such a volume that it is already possible to nominate a separate prize for them. And that's what the organizers of the World Superyachts Awards did, although the judges chose the winners from only two nominees.

66.2-meter Hodor - catamaran. Her top speed of 22.5 knots allowed her to not only keep pace with the main yacht but to overtake it with a high probability. Thus, by the time the owner and his guests arrive at the venue, any of the five tenders (the largest is a 17-metre, nine-metre, four-metre) will have been completed, and the boat will be at the disposal of the owner and his guests.- 17-meter), nine jet skis, four ATVs, a pair of off-road vehicles, two dirt bikes and two Laser dinghies stored aboard the Hodor will be ready for immediate use.

The list of equipment that the Hodor is capable of carrying can also be supplemented by a bathyscaphe. A separate garage will be located on the main deck.

A helicopter landing pad is also available on the bridge deck for the dimensions and weight of a 10 seater Airbus H145 helicopter

Grand Prix

Motor Yacht of the Year - Feadship Pi

This year's Best Motor Yacht of the Year award went to the 77.3m Feadship Pi, which in the recent past was also known as the Syzygy 818. The prize was not the largest boat with the largest budget and not the one with the highest budget that was judged by the jury. A secret ballot revealed that Pi got its award far ahead of the competition. It should be noted that the yacht won not only «grand prize» but also the award in nomination for displacement motor yachts from 1500 to 1999 registrations.

The title» Pi deserves its title «yacht of the year due to the harmonious and minimalistic design of both exterior and interior developed by Scandinavian designer Jarkko Jämsén and studio Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design. The jury particularly praised the floor-to-ceiling height windows which were installed without the use of middle cross bars in the frame. This ensures the view outside the window in the main salon is not obstructed. The complex shape of the glass with bidirectional curvature reduces its reflectivity. In this way the windows are less glarey.

Sailboat of the Year - Baltic Yachts Canova

Out of 4 new yachts nominated at the World Superyacht Awards only the 43.3m Canova received an award.«The yacht received both the» award and the grand prize. One can hardly be surprised. What else could lie in store for the world's first foiling-equipped superyacht?

The innovative retractable 9m foiling system was developed by Baltic Yachts in collaboration withGordon Kay of Infiniti Performance Yachts. Also involved were «America's Cup Engineers» from BAR Technologies who are working with the British INEOS Team.

The foils play the role of dynamic stabilizers and allow an increase in the maximum speed of the sailboat by 5-20%.

The Canova's layout also has its own features. For example the crew cabins are situated aft and not in the bow. On the one hand, it makes crew accommodation more comfortable. On the other hand, the crew members are always as close as possible to both the engine room and the main navigation area. The two helm stations on deck are placed so that the helmsman can steer comfortably from a standing position or from his seat on the gunwale. The chartplotter pivoting screen is also well adapted for both positions.

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