I know it’s been bothering me for a while, and I’m sure it’s been keeping you up at night…

Why are there no superyachts for Millennials?

After all, there’s a list of the world’s richest Millennials so there are obviously folks who escaped the gig economy and can afford one.

Well, you can rest easy after this read, because yacht builders have been thinking the same thing.

Last year, at the Monaco Yacht Show, yacht builders were already reshaping their plans to account for Millennial needs.

The new generation of superyachts on the market for first-time buyers are geared towards those who aren’t interested in material possessions, reports CNN.

Okay, I was a good sport for the first part of this article, but seriously? If you aren’t into material possessions, why are you buying a superyacht? It’s not your average ‘retail therapy’ buy.

“New owners are more into experiences over things,” Rainer Behne, chairman of BehneMar Yachting Consultancy, told CNN. “This is not the generation that wants to buy, buy, buy,” adds Abeer Alshaali, executive management officer of boat maker Gulf Craft. “It’s the generation that wants to go out in the world and see what there is to find.”

Oh right – the “#wanderlust” generation. This is making sense now.

So where does that leave high-end ship builders? Enter the “explorer” superyacht. Think Ernest Shackleton, but with a Cordon Bleu-trained chef at hand. Alshaali describes long-range engines, solar panels for additional power and hybrid hulls “that can withstand any kind of storm.”

Growing demand for long-distance, durable luxury vessels is steering the industry into new waters. “People are looking towards their boats to mimic what they’re seeing in other places — whether it’s in real estate or in cars,” she adds. “Innovation and technology, sustainability; all sorts of new materials.”

The yacht that seems to capture all of this was shown off at the Dubai International Boat Show 2019.

Introducing the 345-foot concept yacht, the Esquel, as imagined by Dutch company Oceanco (above).

The Esquel’s cruising range of 7,000 nautical miles could take its crew roughly a third of the circumference of the world before needing to make port. With a business hub for remote working, chandelier-finished master suite and fire pit in the lounge, it’s not spartan accommodation.

Oceanco say there’s convertible space for laboratories, suggesting the vessel could be utilized by marine biologists. In the company brochure, Oceanco also say it’s “ideal for couples or friends who want to take a ‘gap year’ from their everyday routine.”

On your “gap year” you can enjoy the 500 square metres set aside purely for toys, like snowmobiles, jet skis, a helicopter and submarine.

“These days people are … looking for a place where they can relax,” explains superyacht specialist Ken Hickling, namechecking the Cloudbreak, a 238-foot vessel used by its owner as a base for heli-skiing in Chile, as an example.

…”I don’t think it’s just a millennial thing; I think it’s an overall cultural change, where people are saying ‘maybe my grandfather’s generation worked from 8am until 10pm and never enjoyed anything in their life — and we don’t want to do that anymore.”

Good thing grandad left all the cash behind.

[source:cnn]