Insane huge sailboat built by Russian billionaire

[avb3]

I just can't imagine a boat this size with a crew of 54, and a room inside the main mast.

Some extremes just should not be reached.

Russian billionaire Andrey Melnichenko builds Sailing Yacht A to be world's biggest yacht* | Daily Mail Online


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[oldragbaggers]

All that money....why couldn't he design something that was actually attractive?

It definitely has some awesome features, and it is impressive in a "OMG that's BIG" kind of way, but beautiful it's not.

[carstenb]

Don't forget

The one with the most toys when they die - wins

[roverhi]

It's his money, maybe, he can do what he wants with it. FWIW, the name 'A' is the first letter of his wife's name. She of course is an ex model who looks way better than the boat. His other yacht, a motor vessel also named 'A' was anchored off our shore for a while last year. It is also a monster and very spacey looking with its wave piercing bow and overpoweriing top side.

[MarinerJo]

Wow! At least it's a mono

[neilpride]

In one Word, Ugly!!!!

[Melekai]

I put a photo of his tiny yacht, A, under "photos", "power boats" on this forum

[Stumble]

Ick.

Its his money and he can spend it however he wants, but it looks like someone jammed a couple of masts onto a reasonably ugly power boat.

[Steadman Uhlich]

I thought the Maltese Falcon was huge!

While this boat is bigger, I like the look of the Maltese Falcon much more (looks more like a sailboat) as this one looks like a big inflated motor yacht with some stumpy masts and sails added on.

It is noteworthy the masts are Free Standing Masts.

Comparing the two:

"468 feet long and has masts taller than Big Ben's tower
Mr Melnichenko invested €400 million (£292 million) to build the vessel

It will dwarf other famous super-yachts like The Maltese Falcon, which is 298ft (88 metres) and weighs 1,367 tons.

By comparison, Sailing Yacht A will weigh 14,224 tons."

Here are a few interesting facts about the "cost of ownership" of a boat this big:

"From Russian oligarchs to Middle Eastern royalty to Hollywood producers, it takes a certain type of person to own a superyacht - crucially, they must be super rich.

Andrey Milnichenko has invested $451 million into his new vessel Sailing Yacht A.

However, the initial cost is only part of owning such a luxurious vessel.

For wealthy owners like Roman Abramovich and UAE president Khalifa Al Nahyan, owners of two of the costliest private vessels in the world, the costs associated with keeping such big boats on the water are staggering.

Insurance company Towergate estimates that 10 per cent of the initial value of a superyacht goes on operating costs.

For Chelsea Football Club owner Abramovich's Eclipse, a 162.5m vessel with a missile defence system that cost the billionaire an astronomical $500milion (£332), that means $50m (£33m) a year.

The standard fuel usage for a 71m yacht is 500 litres an hour, meaning an average of $400,000 (£265m) is spent on petrol every year per vessel.

The Value Added Tax (VAT) works out at 15-25 per cent of the vessel's value while docking costs are an average $350,000 (£232,000) and $240,000 (£159,000) the standard for insurance sees the costs soar.

Add to that the expected $1million (£664,000) per year for maintenance and repairs and the wages for an average $1.4m (£930,000) for an on-board crew - which can range from less than 20 to 154 staff on the Sultan of Oman's mysterious Al Said superyacht - and it's a significant outlay. "

[Franziska]

That's what happens when industrial/furniture designers think they can do everything.

Shame the styling part was not left to someone knowledgeable.

Of course, if the goal is achieved by the fact that one talks about it they won already.

And yes, I do not like A either...

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[Group9]

Originally Posted by oldragbaggers

All that money....why couldn't he design something that was actually attractive?

.

I think the operative word for why that didn't happen is "Russian".

[avb3]

With a 26 ft keel, don't expect to see much of it off the west coast of Florida.

Or close to many Caribbean Islands either.

[micah719]

How many skeletons in those lockers? He who dies with the most toys......is dead.

[Seymore]

Jealousy will get you nowhere, guys.

[korrigan]

http://www.weather.com/series/extrem...-by-rogue-wave

Pardon me do you have any Grey Poupon?