Growing market: Ever more rich people want mega-yachts costing up to $50m (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

Mega-yacht maker pushes out the boat
By Jorn Madslien
Business reporter, BBC News, Viareggio, Italy

After years of running his own business, Paolo Vitelli has decided to commission his own yacht.

"I want to create my own monument," the 60-year-old Italian entrepreneur says as he gazes across the sprawling ship building yard, where a massive crane is getting ready to lower yet another multi-storey motor yacht into the harbour's choppy waters.

Mr Vitelli has chosen a relatively modest yacht; a 103 feet long Azimut sports yacht, with a list price of 7m euros ($10m £5m).
***
As one of the world's biggest players in the fast-growing market for hyper-luxurious motor-yachts, its multi-storey crafts can cost as much as $50m (£25m) and stretch from 24 metres to 85 metres in length.

And yes, they are metres - the world's wealthy all know that feet will not do when describing seriously large yachts.
***
more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6932823.stm

Nice to see some people in this world still have plenty of "disposable" income.

[Sabriel]

1. Good thing I got my order in before demand pushed up the price.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to buy an island in the South Pacific....

[Wiley50]

8. Already Living On Mine

It's a 9-meter (28 ft) sailing yacht I bought pre-owned

on ebay two years ago for $2500

It's wonderful to have your home all paid for in this economy

[Occulus]

13. show us a picture

I am honestly curious. If you were to hug the coast, such a boat- I hesitate to call something so small a 'ship'- could get you places.

I'm guessing your boat can't handle the open ocean, but you could surely get to Cuba, or elsewhere close.

Cuba is pretty. It looks like a very nice place to live.

ON EDIT: $2500??? I paid that for my TV.

...$2500? You're serious, right?

[lumberjack_jeff]

2. The only growing segment of the boating industry is this one.

I live a few miles from a megayacht builder. They do all their sales 201 miles offshore with briefcases full of cash to avoid paying state sales tax.

Fuckers. I hate 'em.

[eppur_se_muova]

3. I'm guessing that's briefcases full of euros ...

or will be soon.

[sailor65]

5. Then you should love this

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/oops/15-million-yacht-plunges-nose+first-into-the-ocean-289834.php

I think this yacht was heading for Dubai. Two crewmen went with it but they were ok. In the first image, you can see one of them hanging on near the transom.

[lumberjack_jeff]

6. Heh heh heh. $1.5m is small change, but yeah. I do like that. n/t

[lonestarnot]

4. Good. Send them on a yacht race during hurricane season.

[BrotherBuzz]

7. The late Steve Fossett's monster catamaran is for sail, and at a bargain-box fixer-upper price.

CHEYENNE FOR SALE
Record-breaking catamaran for sale. Dismasted March 2005, now at Belgrano
Naval Base, Argentina. Lost mast, mainsail, solent, staysail, plus broken
compression tube. Successfully compete again with new updated rig, or
resell for profit. Appraised $3.5 million in December 2004. Priced as is at
$650,000. Contact owner rep: [e-mail] or 1-312-786-5057.

This is a big boat and it is FAST! She overtook us a couple of years ago off of Baja, about fifty miles south of Magdalena Bay. She just put us to shame. I heard later she made port in Mazatlan before we even rounded the cape and put into Cabo San Lucus.

[SoCalDem]

9. I feel sorry for the poor darlings..

It must be such a challenge, having all that money. It must be difficult finding innovative ways to spend it all.. There's probably a genius out there somewhere, inventing new ways for them to spend their money..


Maybe :

Chocoloate coated Benjamins..with a hint of 24K gold sprinkles?

Or my recent idea for Designer Ice Cubes..

New business opportunities for the new century.. What's your Big Idea?

A new service is born..

DESIGNER ICE CUBES Delivery service.. ..

A uniformed delivery-person, clad in a tux, of course ...in a Limo. .. Only the very best for our clientele...Individually wrapped, personal sized ice cubes..right to your doorstep. :)

Ice Cubes can be "branded" with your favorite brand.. Cartier..Gucci... Tiffany...Mercedes... Rolls Royce...the family coat of arms..


For a limited time only, $29.99 per dozen :)

Don't EVEN ask how we make them.. It's an old family secret recipe..handed down for generations..

(can be tinted to match your decor..for an extra $2.50 per cube)

Company Name?

The Iceman Cometh..of course

[TahitiNut]

10. Behold the Azimut 103S sports yacht

http://www.superyachttimes.com/editorial/3/article/id/310

[A HERETIC I AM]

11. That could be a tender for Paul Allen's "Octopus"

Damned thing is as big as a Navy Destroyer.

[BadgerLaw2010]

17. That boat looks awesome. Me want.

[Odin2005]

20. The decadence of that thing makes me want to puke.

:puke:

[DFW]

12. Hey, if you have more money than you know what to do with

Just fill your gas tank at any German gas station.

That could put a dent in the net worth of any Saudi oil sheikh.

[Union Thug]

14. Yeah, well there are thousands of starving people all over the world..

that could put a gazillion dollars to good work, instead of building floating fortresses for the frightened classist of this country.

When the revolution comes, that boat won't do you a bit of good. Its off to Davy Jones locker for all of them!

[Karenina]

15. STINKPOTTERS!!!

[Buns_of_Fire]

16. I can remember when the rule-of-thumb was $1000/foot

So when is someone going to come up with the Hummer-on-Water equivalent? Post-outfitted with .50-cal machine guns for us soon-to-be pirates?

Avast, ye scurvy dogs! Heave to and render yer booty! :evilgrin:

[MrScorpio]

18. Where's James Bond when you need him to blow these fuckers up?

He has a license to kill, let him use it

[Atman]

19. And they'll run on SMILES and Butterfly flutters!

When you measure a craft's movement by number of gallons-per-hour, you can see that these people are really quite concerned about the world's oil reserves.

.