The 67th Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) took place in Florida from 28 October to 1 November. During those days the Italian yard Benetti sold two Motopanfilo superyachts: the third hull of the newest Motopanfilo 45M, due at the end of 2028, and the 15th hull of the Motopanfilo 37M, due in summer 2027. Westport unveiled the 52-metre Westport 172 Endeavour on the opening evening. Pearl, Hatteras and Princess Yachts had world premieres on the water, and Ferretti Group's new CEO, Stassi Anastassov, shared his view on how European yards can best sell yachts in the US.
The show spread over six venues. BOATPro, BOAT International's database, counted 193 superyachts on 28 October. The biggest yacht was Oceanco's 92.8-metre Draak, which came after the Monaco Yacht Show in September and a fresh refit. Yachts in the brokerage fleet were asking about €1.43 billion between them. Most of the superyachts at the show were 24 to 40 metres long. Before opening, the organisers expected more than 100,000 visitors, around 1,000 exhibitors, over 1,300 boats and more than 50 boat debuts.
The week opened during exceptionally high king tides, which, CBS Miami reported, had been flooding streets for four days by the time the show opened, and according to BOAT International the last day ended with a storm rolling in over South Florida.
Benetti sells two Motopanfilos, Westport unveils a 52-metre yacht
Benetti Motopanfilo 45M and 37M
Benetti had the Oasis 40M and Oasis 34M models at Pier Sixty-Six. On 27 October Benetti announced the sale of the third Motopanfilo 45M, made with the broker Kora Marine. She will be the first of the series with a blue hull. It is a project, sold, with delivery at the end of 2028. The exterior is by the British studio RWD, which picked up Designer of the Year at the ISS awards that same week.
The next day Royal Yacht International, acting for the buyer, announced the sale of hull 15 of the Motopanfilo 37M. This one is already in build, for delivery in summer 2027. Tommaso Chiabra, CEO of Royal Yacht International, called it "our second new-build project with Benetti this month". According to BOATPro, Benetti has 39 superyacht projects in work.
| Motopanfilo 45M | Motopanfilo 37M | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 45.6 m (third hull) | 36.91 m |
| Beam | 9.1 m | 7.8 m |
| Hull | steel, aluminium superstructure | GRP |
| Guests | 10 in five cabins | 11 in five cabins |
| Top speed | 15 knots | 18 knots |
| Range | 4,100 miles at 10 knots | 3,800 miles at 11 knots |
| Delivery | end of 2028 | summer 2027 |
The 37M figures come from Allied Yachting's sales listing for the same hull. Benetti has not disclosed the 45M's engines.
Westport 172 Endeavour
Westport unveiled the 172 Endeavour on the first evening. It is a new project based on an existing hull; construction has not started. The yard currently has the 41-metre Westport 4103 in build, due in 2027. Westport is selling the 52-metre design on speed: 25 knots flat out, "around twice the pace of a typical explorer", according to the yard, and 19 knots cruising.
The extended aft main deck carries a 12-metre tender, and a beach club at the waterline holds more tenders and gear. "Many customers are wanting to take a large tender out to the fishing grounds, and they're towing them. The idea was to make this safer and more efficient," said Daryl Wakefield, president of Westport Yachts. The exterior is by MW Yacht Design, and the hull comes from an existing mould that has produced 15 boats. Engines, range and guest numbers have not been named.
Premieres from Pearl, Hatteras, Princess Yachts and Oyster
Pearl 100 Hybrid
Pearl unveiled the first Pearl 100 Hybrid at Bahia Mar on 30 October. She is on the water, sold, and has finished sea trials. The 29.43-metre yacht has an exterior by Dixon Yacht Design and an interior by Kelly Hoppen. The hybrid system comes as standard: two 2,000 hp MAN diesels plus two electric motors, on two shafts. Iain Smallridge, managing director of Pearl Yachts, explained the first benefit as "silent electric running, allowing owners to make short journeys – from a marina like this to a restaurant and back, for example – purely on electric power". The batteries also run the onboard systems for 10 to 12 hours, he said.
Hatteras 77
Hatteras had its new 77 flybridge sportfisher on the water for a world premiere. It is the brand's first new model under White River Marine Group. It was first announced in 2024 as the Chub Cay 77. Dealer Kusler Yachts lists a 6.63-metre beam and engines from the 1,825 hp Cat C32A up to the 2,635 hp MTU 16V. In 2024 the yard was projecting more than 40 knots.
Princess Yachts C48 Open and X90
Princess Yachts brought eight boats. The C48 Open, hull one, went on show afloat at Bahia Mar for its world premiere on 28 October. It is the first model in the new C Class and the yard's first outboard boat: 14.91 metres, three 600 hp Mercury Verado V12s and a stepped hull by Michael Peters. Princess calls it its fastest model. "She achieved over 50 knots, and her handling and agility were exceptional," said CEO Will Green.
The 27.1-metre X90 made its world debut in Cannes and in Florida it was a US premiere. Green said the yard built it to fill the gap between the Princess 80 and 95.
Oyster P60
Oyster presented the P60, its first power catamaran for ocean passages, on 29 October. It is a concept, with no build, orders or delivery date announced. Berret Racoupeau Yacht Design drew the 19.42-metre boat, which is meant to cover up to 3,500 miles at 8 knots. It sits alongside Oyster's sailing C60 catamaran. CEO Stefan Zimmermann Zschocke expects some buyers to work from on board: "Thanks to Starlink, you can now work almost anywhere, so people are spending a lot of time on board. And because of this, they want space and stability."
What did Ferretti Group's new CEO say about the US market?
Anastassov took over Ferretti Group in May, replacing Alberto Galassi; before that he was president and CEO of Duracell. On 28 October, at the Ferretti Group America showroom, he talked mostly about the US. "No country is delivering more billionaires than the US," he said. In his view the industry is losing share with these buyers, many of them new to boats, and owning a yacht has to get simpler. "We need to be better at adapting to the US market," he said. By this Anastassov means designing yachts for shallow waters and building day boats for short trips out to sea.
"I don't want technology that is cutting-edge today, I want the tech that will be cutting-edge in 2030." On pricing: "I hate discounts." And: "Discounting should be used as a psychological tool, not a marketing tool."
He gave no figures. The group's nine-month results, presented to analysts on 27 October:
| Ferretti Group, nine months of 2026 | Value | Year on year |
|---|---|---|
| Order intake | €664.9m | −13.8% |
| Revenue | €888.6m | +0.2% |
| Net profit | €49.9m | €61.0m a year earlier |
| Net order backlog | €571.4m | −28.1% |
According to the group's release, orders from the Americas fell 42.2%, to €115.0m from €199.0m; on the analyst call, as transcribed by Investing.com, Anastassov put it at about 40%. In Fort Lauderdale the group had eight yachts, with two premieres for the Americas, the Ferretti Yachts 720 and the wallywhy100, plus Riva and Pershing models. A week earlier Ferretti had set out plans to build yachts of up to 100 metres in Ancona.
ISS award, the FIAT Topolino presentation and other show events
ISS Design Awards 2026
The International Superyacht Society held its awards gala at the Broward Center on 28 October. Yacht of the Year went to the 118.8-metre Breakthrough, built by Feadship, which also took the Motor 3,000+ GT category. Designer of the Year went to RWD, the studio that drew the exterior of Breakthrough and the Motopanfilo 45M.
Sanlorenzo and FIAT: a one-off Topolino
On the evening of 28 October, FIAT showed a one-off electric Topolino made with Sanlorenzo on board a Sanlorenzo SX100. Its floor is marine wood modelled on Sanlorenzo's teak decks. The standard Topolino went on sale in the US in 2026, from $13,995 (about €12,570) before delivery charges. FIAT has not said what will happen to the one-off.
Also on show
- Viking had four world premieres afloat: the new Viking 70 Convertible, the 64 and 50 Sport Coupe and the Valhalla 46 Sport Yacht.
- Azimut brought a 2026-built Grande 30 Metri as its US debut, and AB Yachts the 28.5-metre AB95 Goldeneye.
- Mulder presented the Mulder 122 in the Superyacht Village. The first hull is in build in Zoeterwoude and already sold.
Cover photo: Mulder Shipyard. Source: BOAT International, BOATPro, YachtBuyer, Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, CBS Miami, Marine Industry News, Allied Yachting, Pearl Yachts, Kusler Yachts, Princess Yachts, Oyster Yachts, Ferretti Group, Investing.com, FIAT, International Superyacht Society, Megayacht News.
