Yachting July 2025

INSPIRATION: IT CAN IGNITE A PASSION WE DIDN’T KNOW EXISTED. It drives us to learn new skills. To pursue a dream. ¶ When my dad’s family moved from East New York to Valley Stream, Long Island, he watched a neighbor build a boat in his garage. He helped build that boat and was rewarded by going out for rides. The kid from Brooklyn discovered life afloat, and the experience intrigued him. The embers of imagining a life spent on the water turned to a flame. ¶ Eventually, after years of multihour commutes and six-day workweeks, he pursued the dream of a boating lifestyle as a release valve. And he never looked back. Sunday was boat day. ¶ His early pursuits were almost exclusively piscatorial in nature, but he embraced and…

IN APRIL, HEESEN YACHTS announced that Dutch entrepreneur and yachting enthusiast Laurens Last had completed his acquisition of the shipyard. The plan is for strategic expansion in key international markets. “I am honored to take the ownership and ensure the brand continues to flourish for generations to come,” Last announced. ¶ It’s a significant undertaking, given the speed with which Heesen continues to sell and turn out new builds. So far this year alone, the yard announced the sale of the 180-foot Project Angelica and 164-foot Project Orion, delivery of the 180-foot yachts Solemates and Serena, and launch of the 180-foot Project Agnetha. ¶ According to Heesen, yachts in this size range have defied market downturns in other categories. Buyers, the yard says, “are increasingly drawn to vessels that are…

FRANS HEESEN WAS IN HIS 30S when he bought Striker Boats in the Dutch city of Oss. The year was 1978, and Heesen’s background wasn’t in ship-building. He came from high-tech plastics, and oh, did he have ideas. ¶ For the next decade, Heesen worked to establish his brand, and then, in 1988, everything changed. That’s the year Heesen Yachts launched Octopussy, a 143-footer built for John Staluppi that topped out at just over 53 knots. It was the fastest yacht in the world. ¶ Staluppi, in the documentary film Octopussy: The Yacht That Could Not Be Built, says Heesen accomplished what no other shipyard could, or would, do for him. Staluppi had built an empire of car dealerships, and while he says he knew he could never own the…

RIVA YACHTS has partnered with Exteta, an Italian outdoor furniture manufacturer, to create the co-branded Exteta x Riva collection of seating, upholstered furniture, tables and more. ¶ Materials and design elements used throughout the collection are exactly what aficionados of the Italian boats have come to expect: sapele mahogany, stainless steel, sculptural design, generous padding and an illusion of weightlessness. ¶ Two different armrests allow for versatility: padded with a slightly curved shape, or wood with a wide, elongated shape reminiscent of a Riva yacht. ¶ Note the level of table gloss in the photograph at left, also a nod to the kind of craftsmanship for which Riva’s vessels have long been known. The wireless stainless-steel lamp is designed to add subtle lighting either on board or in a home…

TECHNOHULL’S ALPHA 40 is a high-performance RIB that marries a deep-V Dynastream hull form with engineered tubes, a guest-friendly layout and a sleek carbon-fiber hardtop. Deck configurations can be customized, and spacious sun pads encourage lounging. While the Technohull Alpha 40 hops onto plane at just over 12 knots, the RIB can deliver considerably quicker speeds depending on its customizable powertrain. • Whom It’s For: Yacht owners seeking accommodations, comfort and lickety-split performance. • Picture This: It’s a gorgeous summer day in Edgartown, Massachusetts, and your partner wants to check out Brant Point Beach on Nantucket before hitting The Nautilus for dinner. The Technohull Alpha 40 makes short work of Nantucket Sound, and the crispy marinated calamari doesn’t disappoint. TECHNOHULL.COM…

YES, IT’S A GREAT THING to have a big boat that’s fully outfitted for fishing. The fighting chair in the cockpit. The nearby air-conditioned mezzanine seating. Crew standing at the ready with every kind of bait and lure imaginable. ¶ But then, there are those times—and yes, we all have experienced them—when the urge hits to take a break from all the hullabaloo that comes with fishing from the big boat. Sometimes, an angler wants to be alone with his wits, his gear and his prey. ¶ That’s why Kawasaki created the Jet Ski Ultra 160LX-S Angler. It’s designed for solo launches and retrievals, and to get into the kinds of fishing holes that the big boat can’t access. ¶ Just some of the fishing-centric features on the Jet Ski…