SHOW BOATS
Just a few million bucks will buy you a floating mansion complete with movie theater, gym, and maybe even a disco for boogie nights on the high seas.

By Edward Schmidt Jr.

When the garage is full of Bentleys and Benzs, the private jet is safely parked in a nearby hangar, and the homes are fully furnished and appointed with precious artworks, what’s the next reward for high achievers?

How about a superyacht?

Visit Monte Carlo, Palm Beach, or Newport, and you’ll discover more of these big boats — yachts 80 feet and longer — than ever before. Immense in size and dripping
in luxurious amenities, these mobile, seaworthy mansions are increasingly becoming the toy of choice for people who want to live the sweet life on water as well as terra firma. There are approximately 7,000 in use worldwide, up from 4,000 only a decade ago. If you’re in the market for one, chances are, it will come from Italy, the market leader, followed by the United States, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, and New Zealand.

One of the best places on the planet to shop for these pricey vessels is the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, the world’s largest, with more than $2 billion worth of superyachts, yachts, cabin cruisers, and high-performance boats. During the five-day event, Fort Lauderdale’s Intercoastal Waterway displays more than 200 glamorous and expensive superyachts — priced from $1 million to $130 million. For the potential buyer, aspiring buyer, or dreamer, there is no better spot to walk the docks and see the world’s most astonishing collection of superyachts in one setting. Open to the public, the show encompasses Bahia Mar Yachting Center, Fort Lauderdale Grande Hotel & Yacht Club, Hyatt Pier Sixty-Six, Hall of Fame Marina, Las Olas Marina, and the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center.

Stroll the docks and you’ll see a melting pot of blazer-clad industry movers and shakers; yacht brokers busily text messaging on their BlackBerrys; inquisitive, wealthy prospective buyers; and smiling, Top-Sider-wearing ship captains. The top yacht builders and designers congregate under a 60,000-square-foot, air-conditioned tent to showcase the newest innovative advances in design and style. Companies from France, Germany, Italy, the U.K., New Zealand, the Netherlands, Australia, and the U.S. display high-performance fixtures and fittings for superyachts. A cursory glance of displays reveals a lineup of respected yacht builders such as Trinity Yachts (Mississippi), Lürssen Yachts (Germany), and Amels (Netherlands).

Photography by Klaus Jordan.