Herb Chambers is an American businessman and a billionaire known for his massive New England and East coast auto dealership empire, the Herb Chambers Companies. His net worth is believed to be somewhere close to $2 billion and, as a man who clearly likes fancy cars and other luxurious things, he spared no expense when it came to buying his own personal yacht back in 2019. The vessel was built by yacht makers Abeking Rasmussen and designed by Winch Design. It quickly became a famous, award winning new yacht thanks to its complicated naval architecture and sleek superyacht design.

What is Herb Chambers Yacht Called?

Chambers chose to call his yacht Excellence which, all things being equal, is certainly an appropriate name for this luxury vessel. Captain Ray Shore, who has been Chambers’ yacht captain for 30 years, is the man behind the wheel. We’ll get into some of what we know about its impressive features and amenities soon that really show off why it deserves the title. 

How Much Did Herb Chambers’ Yacht Cost?

Excellence is rumored to have set Herb Chambers back a whopping $120 million. No wonder Excellence is in the name. That’s not close to the most expensive yacht in the world, but it does put the yacht in the top 30 most expensive in the world. On top of the base cost that Chambers spent to take this vessel home there’s also the annual running cost. Most of us don’t consider this when we think about yacht expenses but the cost of running a superyacht can be absolutely staggering. It’s estimated that, when you account for fuel as well as operating costs like paying the crew, food and other necessities on board, Chambers is spending between $5 million and $12 million per year. 

What Does it Cost To Charter Excellent?

Chambers has made Excellence available for charter and, in fact, he has had several previous yachts also called Excellence. Some of these yachts, of which there have been six, can be chartered as well though most of them have since been renamed. As you might expect, the vessel does not come cheap by any means. If you’re interested, a week will cost $1,150,000, which is one of the most expensive charters you’re likely to find anywhere.

Chambers has gone on record saying having the boat available for charter is important to him because it just costs too much to keep it running. He likes owning it but he doesn’t like paying for it and, really, you can’t fault him for his reasoning. He says, for him, that’s where he finds value in it. It’s worth something to own if he can have it chartered out and make the cost of running it back, which is good business. 

How Big is Herb Chambers Yacht Excellence?

Excellence definitely falls under the realm of superyachts. It clocks in at a very impressive 80 meters which works out to about 263 feet in length. That means it’s quite a bit larger than your average yacht, though still a good deal smaller than the mega yachts owned by the likes of Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates.

The largest yachts in the world are, in some cases, twice as big as Chambers’ yacht so it’s by no means the biggest out there. Still, for an individual yacht, this 263-foot monster with a 47.4 foot draft and a gross tonnage of 2,115 tons is by no means small.

The yacht is designed to accommodate up to 14 passengers (though some sources claim 12, despite their being seven cabins) as well as 20 crew (but, again, some sources say 22, though there seem to be just 10 crew cabins).

What is the Cruising Speed of Herb Chambers Yacht?

Despite its size, the Excellence still has a pretty standard cruising speed of around 14 knots. It’s powered by a pair of twin 2,029hp MTU (12V 4000 M65R) diesel engines that can get it up to a top speed of 17 knots. Based on that, Excellence has a range of up to 6,300 nautical miles thanks to her 150,000 liter fuel tanks at cruising speed.

What’s the Interior of Herb Chambers Excellence Yacht Like?

One of the most unique and easily recognizable features of Excellence is the bow. Unlike your average vessel, Excellence is sporting a reverse bow and elongated hull which gives the boat the visual appearance of being upside down in the water, at least at the front. Beyond that, there’s also an extremely hard to miss triple-height glass atrium in the center of the yacht. As you can imagine, this enormous glass centerpiece allows the interior to be flooded with natural light while also allowing for amazing views of the outside from all over the vessel.

Throughout the vessel you’ll find much more glass as well as ample marble and Italian leather. There’s also wood accents of sycamore, burr, limed oak, blue ombre and birdseye maple to give it natural and opulent touches.

The top deck of the yacht is actually the private owner’s suite so it features not just the master bedroom suite but a number of other private amenities. To the aft is a sun deck lounging area only accessible to the owner and invited guests. Head forward and you’ll find your private terrace There’s also access to a private deck jacuzzi as well to ensure that, if you want, you can spend your time in luxury fully away from all the other guests.

The entire, luxury master suite also features floor to ceiling mirrored glass. That allows those inside to have a beautiful 180-degree view of the ocean and surroundings while also being obscured from anyone else looking in. In terms of size, at one point this mirror glass wall rises to a height of 6 whole meters or about 18 feet. 

Above the owner’s deck you’ll find a large sun lounging area with another jacuzzi. However, if you want to make the most of your time relaxing in the water then head to the main deck where there’s an entire swimming pool which also features a swim up bar. 

For most guests, the main deck is where they are spending most of their time. There are 6 double guest cabins located there plus a lot more. A lounge and dining area can manage the full complement of guests plus extras who may be hanging out for a party. In addition there is a fully appointed gym as well as a spa and sauna for use.

Elsewhere on the main deck, guests can enjoy a movie in the cinema space. If it’s a nice day and guests want to head out for fun on the water then heading down below deck is where you want to be.

A large beach club space has a terrace so you can really get out to lounge or enjoy the water. The garage is packed with more toys than you’d think possible. Check out this list of what’s available on board.

  • One 9.8m/32’2″ Hogdon limousine tender, for when you want to head ashore in style
  • Two standard tenders
  • An Angeboat RS 200 two-person sailing dinghy
  • A trampoline
  • An inflatable platform
  • An aquapark
  • A pair of sea kayaks
  • A pair of sea bobs
  • A pair of Yamaha VX cruiser waverunners
  • A training center that can actually teach you how to ride waverunners
  • Four stand up paddle boards
  • Wakeboards
  • Kneeboards
  • Water skis
  • Inflatable, towable toys
  • Gear for both snorkeling and scuba diving

The Bottom Line

Billionaire Herb Chambers owns the yacht known as Excellence, which is actually one of six yachts he’s owned that all bore the same name. The vessel is believed to have cost him $120 million in 2019 and has an annual running cost of between $5 million and $12 million. To offset those costs, Chambers charters the yacht which costs over $1 million per week for those interested.

One of the most distinguishing and recognizable features of the superyacht Excellence is the reverse bow. The superyacht owner wanted this so it would be clearly different from his previous boat. It also has some of the largest windows you’ll ever see on a yacht, reaching nearly 20 feet in some places.  

Excellence has room for about 20 crew and 14 guests, though these numbers seem to vary. It features a swimming pool, two Jacuzzis and a number of toys.