What makes a yacht the most expensive yacht in the world? These luxury yachts are more like hotels of the sea than any normal fishing boat or sailing vessel. They feature incredible amenities and over-the-top interiors, as well as toys galore. If you want to know some of what goes into the most expensive yachts in the world, who owns them, and what makes them so special, let’s look at nine of the most expensive of all.

9. The Dubai – $400 Million

  • Owner: Shek Mohammed of Dubai
  • Size: 532 feet
  • Built: 2006
  • Builder: Platinum Yachts
  • Crew: 88
  • Passengers: 48

The Prince of Brunei commissioned this yacht and then put it on hold. The designer sold the design plans, which were then picked up by the government of Dubai, where it was upgraded to a royal yacht. It has room for a crew of 88 and 24 passengers across seven decks. That also includes room for a movie theater, a pool, helipads, and more.

8. Flying Fox – $400 Million

  • Owner: Dmitry Kamenshchik
  • Size: 446 feet
  • Built: 2019
  • Builder: Lurssen
  • Crew: 54
  • Passengers: 22

Flying Fox has been called the most expensive superyacht available for charter in the world. Celebrities like Jay Z and Beyonce have been seen on board, and the vessel costs a staggering $4 million per week just to operate. At 446 feet in length, it has no shortage of amenities, including heated marble floors on the pool deck and a massive spa pool that can go from steam bath to icy plunge in just 10 minutes.

7. The Serene – $444 Million 

  • Owner: Mohammad bin Saiman
  • Size: 439 feet
  • Built: 2011
  • Builder: Fincantieri
  • Crew: 62
  • Passengers: 24

With seven decks, the Serene was the largest yacht built in Italy at the time of its construction back in 2011. This one features an enclosed winter garden that can be used as a dining room, a swimming pool, a tender garage that can hold a mini-sub, and a pair of helipads, a standard feature for these mega yachts.

6. The Topaz/Motor Yacht A+ – $527 Million 

  • Owner: Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
  • Size: 482 feet
  • Built: 2012
  • Builder: Lurssen
  • Crew: 79
  • Passengers: 52

Formerly the Topaz, the Motor Yacht A+ was launched back in 2012. It features dual helicopter landing pads, a large jacuzzi, a pool, a cinema, and a gym. It has a total length of 482 feet, making it one of the largest yachts in the world as well. Not to be confused with Motor Yacht A, a smaller yacht owned by a Russian billionaire

5. The Al Said – $600 Million 

  • Owner: The Sultan of Oman
  • Size: 508 feet
  • Built: 2008
  • Builder: Lurssen
  • Crew: 174
  • Passengers: 70

At 508 feet, the Al Said was first launched back in 2008 and purchased by the Sultan of Oman. You can find a lot of the typical megayacht stuff here, but this one has the unique addition of a concert hall that can hold an entire 50-piece orchestra. 

4. The Azzam – $600 Million

  • Owner: The family of former owner Sheik Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan
  • Size: 590 feet
  • Built: 2013
  • Builder: Lurssen
  • Crew: 60
  • Passengers: 36

Also the largest yacht in the world at just shy of 600 feet, the Azzam can travel at 30 knots which is pretty impressive for its size. It’s not your average fishing boat. It also has a missile defense system in case anyone decides to try to attack it at sea.

Up to 36 guests and 60 crew can be accommodated at one time. Unlike some yachts with all of their features and amenities well publicized, the Azzam keeps a secret much of what it has going on a secret. There are no interior photos, and no one knows what amenities it includes, but it’s safe to assume they must be pretty impressive.

3. Solaris – $600 Million

  • Owner: Roman Abramovich
  • Size: 459 feet
  • Built: 2021
  • Builder: Lloyd Werft
  • Crew: 60
  • Passengers: 36 guests

Another yacht owned by Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, the cost of the Solaris has been quoted as high as $610 million in some places. She measures an impressive 461 feet and reportedly has a crew of 60. Thirty-six guests can enjoy a beach club, a helipad, and multiple swimming pools, all on a vessel designed to have a reduced carbon imprint.

2. The Dilbar – $800 Million

  • Owner: Alisher Usmanov
  • Size: 512 feet
  • Built: 2016
  • Builder: Luerssen
  • Crew: 84
  • Passengers: 36 passengers

Set out to sea in 2016, the Dilbar weighs nearly 16,000 tons and, at 512 feet, it’s also incredibly long though it doesn’t take the title from Azzam. Of that 512 feet, an entire 82 feet is devoted to a massive swimming pool. As with many similar yachts, it has dual helipads, a cinema, and room for dozens of people and crew.  In 2022, the yacht was impounded because Usmanov, the owner, is a Russian businessman and oligarch. It’s not clear where the vessel is now. 

1. The $1.5 Billion Eclipse*

  • Owner: Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich
  • Size: 533 feet
  • Built: 2010
  • Builder: Blohm + Voss
  • Crew: Up to 96
  • Passengers: Up to 36 guests

As you can imagine, the Eclipse has a lot going for it. The reason the price has an asterisk next to it is that it’s believed the original cost was in the neighborhood of $600 million, but a refit added many additional features and amenities to bring it up to the unconfirmed $1.5 billion price tag. 

What kind of amenities can increase the price of a yacht that much? Let’s take a look at some of the standouts. 

  • Not one but two helipads for all your helicopter needs
  • A mini-submarine with room for three passengers that can reach a depth of 160 feet.
  • Three launch boats
  • An entire movie theater in the bow of the ship just for crew
  • 24 guest cabins have a 6-foot home cinema screen, a spa, a jacuzzi, and their own security systems
  • A 5,000-square-foot master suite
  • A missile detection system that also includes its own missile launchers
  • Armor plating + bulletproof glass
  • Two swimming pools
  • The boat has an anti-paparazzi feature that detects the electronic sensors that digital cameras use. It then deploys lasers to target the camera. The laser obscures the image so that it becomes overexposed and useless. 

Other features of the Eclipse include:

  • The maximum speed is 25 knots with a cruising speed of around 22 knots.
  • It can carry one million liters, meaning it has a range of around 6,000 nautical miles at 21 knots before finding a port where it can refuel. 
  • In addition to the massive storage space for fuel, it can also hold almost 150,000 liters of fresh water on board, which is helpful with all those jacuzzis. 
  • As of September 2022, it was still registered in Bermuda with a $438 million value. That said, it’s believed that the extensive upgrades to the boat during a 2015 refit have increased its value to that $1.5 billion mark. 
  • There are unconfirmed rumors that upkeep for the yacht clocks in at a staggering $60 million per year. 

The $4.8 Billion History Supreme Hoax

History Supreme is the name of the alleged most expensive yacht in the world which comes with a $4.8 billion price tag. Most sites on the internet will tell you that this is the most expensive yacht in the world but it’s also not true. 

According to reports, History Supreme was created by a man named Stuart Hughes who, in the vessel’s design, incorporated 100,000 kg of gold and precious metals, or about 220,000 pounds. Everything metal on the boat is gold or platinum, even the bottom of the boat and the anchor. 

There’s some speculation that the alleged owner is billionaire Robert Kuok, but his fortune is around $12 billion so dropping nearly half of his entire bank account on a boat that he then kept hidden from the world is a little suspicious.

There are literally no technical specs for the yacht available anywhere, which is pretty suspicious if you’re the kind of person who wants to know how this vessel works with all the extra stuff stuck to it. Platinum yachts aren’t a thing, even in the luxurious superyacht world, and the most expensive private yachts usually have high-value amenities, not just needless weight in precious metal.

The Truth of The Baia One Hundred Yacht

Italian yacht makers Baia produced luxurious yachts including the luxury yacht called the Baia One Hundred back in 2008. This was the model of boat shown in the History Supreme yacht photos. But the Baia has a displacement of 80 tons. So how could it handle 220,000 lbs of added gold? That’s an extra 110 tons. 

In a final crushing blow to the idea of the History Supreme, the sales director from Baia said the photos, the same ones in our article here, originally came from their website and were simply doctored. They are not new photos of a gold and platinum-covered boat, just photoshopped versions of the older model that they produced.

The Bottom Line

Despite what many websites may tell you, the world’s most expensive yacht is the Eclipse, which comes with a $1.5 billion price tag. The History Supreme, often touted as the most expensive yacht ever, seems to just be a hoax that won’t die. There’s no evidence it was really built but there is a lot of evidence that it’s fake given the altered photos and the physics of how a boat with that much gold would even work. 

The true most expensive yachts in the world are massive and luxurious. Their owners spare no expense not just in size but features. Precious metals, rare woods, and more go into every element. Numerous pools, helipads, and a slew of toys often round out the costs.