More Than a Party Boat: Rise of the Day Boats
Jeanneau, Sunseeker, Galeon, Fairline, Sunreef and Swan are among a diverse range of builders who have recently entered the luxury day boat market, which has grown rapidly in the Med and Florida. But will such boats also prove popular in Asia?
With over 250,000 boats around the world, Jeanneau has a client database that most other builders can only dream about. Part of the Groupe Beneteau collection of yacht brands, the French shipyard doesnāt create new series on a whim. Its Cap Camarat range of open outboard models marked its 40th anniversary last year.
Its Leader series started in 1985, yet this line of open inboards has been discontinued to make way for Jeanneauās new DB Yachts range of day boats, which started with the DB/43 last year and has been bolstered by the DB/37 that debuted at Boot Dusseldorf in January. DB stands for day boat and was also the name used for a series of day boats Jeanneau launched in the early 1980s.
Day boats are nothing new. Vincent Piel, Jeanneauās Powerboat Product Marketing Manager, says āevery boat can be a day boatā. However, the luxury or premium day boat ā open designs with large aft decks dedicated to social entertaining ā has risen dramatically in recent years, led most notably by Scandinavian, Dutch and Italian brands such as Fjord, VanDutch and Wajer.
When Jeanneau premiered its DB/37 at Boot in Hall 5, dedicated to “superboats”, neighbours included Pardo, Invictus, Frauscher, Solaris Power and Sacs Tecnorib, while the likes of Nimbus, Axopar, Brabus Marine and Saxdor were in Hall 4 for “motor boats”.
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For Paul Blanc, Jeanneauās Brand Director, the premium day boat market is here to stay and reflects a notable change in the market.
āFor us, the clear trend in the market is that people are increasingly using their boats as day boats, whatever the size, whatever their budgets. Whatever the size of boat you can afford, the trend is that youāre going to go out for one day, come back to land and play, and go for dinner in the marina,ā says Blanc, who spent 16 years in Asia including 10 as Jeanneauās Asia-Pacific Sales Director.
āThat means that people have a different need than they used to have. The traditional express cruiser is a boat thatās great for a family to go island hopping and spend a week or two cruising, but that sort of usage is disappearing.
āInstead, people want a big entertainment platform with a lot of space. They go out to an island for the day, they go there fast, they go there in style, then they come back. That really is the trend and thatās why we found the market for the Leader series was slowly decreasing.ā
In contrast to some other famous brands moving into the luxury day boat sector, Jeanneau is reaching upwards for clients in terms of budget. The DB/43 is Jeanneauās most expensive motor boat, even pricier than the far more voluminous Merry Fisher 1295 Fly, yet Blancās confidence seems well founded. The new flagship has already sold out well over a yearās worth of production, which is a significant achievement when you can produce an average of one unit per week.
āThis new trend of day boating includes a lot of clients who come with significant budgets, so we can offer a more premium product. These clients with big budgets may decide they donāt need a big flybridge boat anymore and prefer to downsize to a sports boat or a luxury day boat, or just have another boat,ā Blanc says.
āOf course, the DB/37 is significantly more affordable, so the potential for sales is even greater and will potentially appeal to a much greater spectrum of clients.ā
With luxury day boats often seen as party platforms for groups of friends enjoying the summer season, Blanc has previously stated that Jeanneauās aim was to bring āa bit more rationality to a market segment thatās not the most rational, because itās party boats before anything elseā.
Jeanneau has a long history of producing family-friendly boats and Blanc says the DB models differentiate themselves from competitors by offering versatility and accommodation suitable for extended trips.
āWeāre trying to bring an offer in the luxury day boat segment thatās still quite rational because we offer an interior capable of taking you for a week of cruising. With DB, we have a sexy design with a good entertainment platform, but offering you a bit of rationality in that market. Thatās why we say itās āmore than you expectā. It can do much more than you think.ā
Flybridges to Day Boats
In contrast to Jeanneau, a luxury day boat is at the smaller end of some builderās portfolios. Italian builder Azimut caters to the sector with its Verve 42 and 47 open-style outboard cruisers, primarily targeted at the US market. British yard Fairline moved into the open sector with the high-speed F/Line 33 in 2019, adding an outboard version in 2020.
Galeon launched its Grand Touring Outboards series in early 2021 by debuting the 325 GTO through US dealer MarineMax before adding the 375 GTO last year.
Sunseeker is also among major brands entering the luxury day boat segment and started this year by unveiling the Superhawk 55, arguably the most dramatic world premiere at Boot Dusseldorf.
The British shipyard, whose core business is flybridge motor yachts, revived the name of Sunseekerās high-performance Superhawk series that spanned over a decade from the mid-1990s, but has created a model in fitting with todayās demand for useable deck space, flexibility and comfortable accommodation.
Sean Robertson, Sunseekerās long-serving Sales & Marketing Director, says: āAt this size range, the luxury day boat is the biggest growth sector. Day boats have changed and theyāre attracting everybody from existing owners coming up through the range to people new to boating.
āTheyāve almost become watersports platforms. Whether youāre going to the restaurant, swimming, wakeboarding, using the tender or Seabobs, whether itās with family or a group of, friends, its primary use is as a watersports base. People are realising what they can do with this type of boat ā go places quickly, enjoy your watersports, but also have a cruise for four or five days when you want to.ā
Robertson says Sunseeker has benefited from observing the recent growth of the sector and tracking other models, āseeing what works and what doesnātā. It also appears to have joined the market at just the right time, judging by early sales of the Superhawk 55.
Demand has been so overwhelming that the Poole shipyard has dedicated its Willis Way facility solely to the production of the Superhawk 55, with an anticipated output of 35-40 units a year. Itās an impressive early return for the brandās new “entry model”, especially as itās still priced in a similar ball park to the Manhattan 55 flybridge and Predator 55 EVO cruiser.
āItās important for us to have new clients coming in, although buyers arenāt just coming from other brands. Weāre also getting people who have larger yachts, Sunseeker or otherwise, viewing it as a second boat. The demand for the Superhawk 55 seems to be coming from all angles,ā Robertson says.
āObviously, our Manhattan range works well for flybridge models, but this type of open layout [on the Superhawk 55] is what many people are now buying as first-time boats. Itās for clients looking to make that next step up, still focused on that day boat space and entertainment concept, plus with the comfortable saloon and cabins below. I think weāve got a good balance with this model.ā
Catamaran, Sailing Yacht Builders
The market is even attracting catamaran and sailing yacht builders. Sunreef is renowned for its increasingly large and luxurious flybridge sailing and power catamarans, as well as its new Eco range of solar-electric versions, announcing two orders for its 140ft-long 43M Eco sailing cat.
Back in 2018, the Polish builder debuted the 40 Open Sunreef Power at the Dubai International Boat Show before taking the model to the Singapore Yacht Show and Cannes Yachting Festival. However, it may have been a few years too early.
Demand has been far greater for the 55 Open Sunreef Power, whose sales soared soon after its design was announced at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show last October. Sunreef has since announced a 45 model, before announcing that itās developing a full Ultima series, with two bigger models to come.
Even Swan, one of the worldās most famous sailing yacht builders, moved into the open day boat sector by launching its first-ever motor yacht, the 43ft Shadow, in 2021, a full 54 years since the brand was founded in Finland. At this yearās edition of Boot, the Swan Shadow was among the “superboats” on display in Hall 5.
Nautor Swan says at least 15 units have been sold and delivered in Europe, US and Asia, while the Finnish builder is now expanding its motor yacht range with the Overshadow, which will premiere at Cannes in September.
Roy Capasso, Commercial Director of Nautor Swanās motor yacht division, said: āWe developed the motor yacht division with Swan Shadow because the yard wanted to broaden the range of vessels to offer to our clients.
āShe was born as a shadow boat for superyachts but quickly gained an own identity as a weekender or tender for a waterfront house, as she meets the needs of every owner with her customisation possibilities. She was born to fill the void of a multi-purpose yacht of 43ft.ā
Day Boats for Asia
In contrast to the Med and Florida, the market in Asia has long shown a preference for flybridge models with extensive air-conditioned indoor areas. However, Capasso believes the Swan Shadow and other open day boats can make headway in this region, stating that an air-conditioning system can be set up in the cockpit, if requested.
āWe truly believe Swan Shadow will be successful in Asia as itās the perfect way to reach every destination in complete comfort,ā he says. āHer customisation possibilities allow every customer to choose the version they want, including a long hard top with sun awning and bimini that offer complete coverage from the sun.ā
Wally is also among one of the worldās most renowned builders of luxury sailing yachts and superyachts, which it has built since 1994, before moving into the open motor yacht market with its first wallytender in 2001. The brandās tagline, “20 Years Ahead”, again appears appropriate considering the popularity of such models in the last few years.
In its new era under Ferretti Group, Wally released the wallytender48 in 2019 and added the wallytender43 in late 2020, with each model followed by an outboard version that debuted in the US market. Asiaās first wallytender43 was sold by Hong Seh Yachting and delivered to Singapore early last year before the second unit in the region arrived in Hong Kong in the summer.
Meanwhile, the iconic brand publicly debuted the wallypower58 at last yearās Venice Boat Show before the model made its US debut at the Miami International Boat Show this February. The wallypower58x outboard version then had its world premiere at the Palm Beach International Boat Show late March.
Della Pearce, Director of Hong Seh Yachting, the exclusive Singapore dealer for Ferretti Group brands Ferretti Yachts, Riva and Pershing, believes open day boats do have a future in Asia despite the traditional preference for flybridge designs plus a remarkable number of new clients who can choose a superyacht as their first boat.
āThe market has experienced a growth in 24m-plus motor yachts in the last few years, but weāve also seen a rising interest in the luxury day boat sector,ā says Pearce, who is also Director of Hong Seh Marine, which represents brands including Sunreef.
āThereās an increasing variety of water toys such as Seabobs, e-foils, jet surfboards and others that boat owners are interested in, so thereās a need for a more spacious platform to accommodate these.ā
As noted by leading builders moving into the sector, there also appears a market for luxury day boats as a second yacht, providing greater ease for quick and easy trips to destinations yet with the option of staying for several days.
āWeāre seeing owners investing in luxury day boats to complement their larger motor yachts, as they can be a shuttle boat between shore or marinas, as well as a support boat for some to transport the toys and even provisions in some cases,ā Pearce says.
āInterior areas and comfort are also important on these boats, along with the flexibility to entertain and cater for large groups, as seen in some new models like the Wallytenders and upcoming 55 Open Sunreef Power.ā
Blanc is also convinced that thereās a market for such boats in Asia because despite the impressive average size of luxury motor yachts in marinas in Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand and the regionās other key yachting hubs, the primary use of such boats is day cruises.
āI think day boats are suitable for Asian markets because thatās typically the usage, as owners have always focused more on day boating rather than long-time cruising, even more so than in Europe and the US,ā Blanc says.
āAlso, the boating is very social, not as family oriented. Itās often corporate entertaining or with a lot of friends, with 12-15 people on board, which is ideal for these premium day boats with these nice entertainment areas and large cockpits with opening terraces.ā
This article first appeared on Yacht Style.
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