Monaco Yacht Show 2014: the best new boats and concepts
The superyacht market shows no sign of abating, with no end to the appetites of the more nautically-minded super-rich. For as the harbours and moorings at the 2014 Monaco Yacht Show illustrated beyond doubt, boats are getting bigger. The celebrated boat show was also boasting its largest ever event, with over 500 exhibitors lining up their wares and some 115 superyachts moored in the harbour. The big debuts were all bespoke builds loaned by reclusive customers with the hope of generating even more orders, and there was a clutch of ever wilder concept designs seeking a shipyard and a client determined to make their mark on the high seas. The rest of us will have to keep checking the charter market or hope for that special invite to get on board.
Pictured: Heesen's 70m 'Kometa' yacht
Heesen Kometa
Heesen's 70m 'Kometa' is an all-aluminium super-yacht combining very generous accommodation with a swift top speed of 30 knots. The boat will be headed for a career in warmer climes to allow guests to make the most of the expansive deck space.
Aston Martin Yachting
Unveiled with panache in the private gaming chambers of the Casino, with a holographic presentation that swooped and dived around its elegant form, the 'AMY' 120' (Aston Martin Yachting) was one of the show's stars, even if it was only a concept.
Aston Martin Yachting
The British sports car manufacturer's collaboration with respected designer Jean-Jacques Costes has resulted in an elegant twin-hulled design that promises space, performance and the same levels of craft and customisation familiar to Aston Martin owners the world over.
Riva 122 Mythos
For most of us, the name Riva still evokes the golden age of wooden-hulled Aquaramas, all captain's caps and Riviera sunsets. The new 122 Mythos should dispel that image with the firm's largest aluminium-hulled boat to date, sleek, modern and swift.
Sunseeker 155 Yacht
British manufacturer Sunseeker is a mainstay in Monaco's harbour. In recent years the yard has ventured into ever-larger boats and the 155 Yacht is the current flagship; a monumental cruiser with a 4,000 nm range and space for 10 guests.
Sunseeker 155 Yacht
The first build features Art Deco-esque layouts and designs by Holmes Interiors, but future customers can venture into ever more adventurous territory.
Feadship ROCK.IT
Created by Sinot Yacht Design and the in-house office of De Voogt Naval Architects, the ROCK.IT is the latest vessel from Feadship, the yard that built Steve Jobs' posthumous Philippe Starck-styled megayacht. The historic Dutch builder has a reputation for high technology, and the ROCK.IT features one of the most sophisticated autopilot systems on the seas.
Blohm + Voss BV80
The BV80 is a new flagship for the esteemed German shipyard Blohm + Voss, pitched at the kind of yacht buyer who wants an on-deck swimming pool and fire pit.
Blohm + Voss BV80
These old school features are fitted into an especially elegant hull.
Project L3 by BMT Nigel Gee
This 85m long concept design transforms the yacht into a floating pleasure world, complete with a full array of subsidiary speedboats, tenders and even a seaplane.
Project L3 by BMT Nigel Gee
More Tracy Island than St Tropez, designer firm BMT Nigel Gee is hoping for a toy-loving billionaire to bring 'Project L3' to life.
Yacht Club de Monaco
2014 was also the debut year for a piece of dockside design. Norman Foster's new Yacht Club de Monaco is unashamedly nautical in its inspiration, a slender structure with a louvered façade, flybridge-imitating roof deck and details inspired by the very best boats.
Yacht Club de Monaco
Foster has form in the arena - his studio has designed a couple of boats in the past.
Riva Aquarama Lounge
Riva has landed its name on the door of the top floor lounge of Foster's new Yacht Club de Monaco building.
Riva Aquarama Lounge
Created in collaboration with Ferretti and evoking the chrome and wood aesthetic of their classic chase boats, the Aquarama Lounge is a home from home for the yachting set.