The largest megayacht being built in China, Illusion, now has an owner. Pride Mega Yachts says the partially finished Illusion will be delivered in October 2015.
Construction on the 288’7” (88-meter) yacht started in 2011. The shipyard was then known as Raffles and went through rebranding along the way. Even with previous megayacht experience, the builder had an ambitious project on its hands. Gross tonnage for Illusion is just over 3,600, for example. She also rises six decks high and has a 51’8” (15.8-meter) beam. Furthermore, Illusion features a Rolls Royce diesel-electric propulsion package. Azimuthing propellers and a Dynamic Positioning system complement it. The megayacht should hit a top end of 17 knots and cruise at 14 knots.
As mentioned, Raffles rebranded during construction. First, it changed names to Pryde Yachts. This resulted from new owners taking over the shipyard in early 2013. The management team wanted a distinct brand, and therefore decided that “Pryde” was a good play on words. It reflected both pride of achievement and pride of location, the latter being Yantai, China. A few months later, however, the management team changed the brand name yet again, though subtly. It selected the more straightforward name Pride Mega Yachts.
Despite all of these changes, the team involved in Illusion is the same as from the start. Azure Naval Architects, is responsible for naval architecture, while RMD Marine is the stylist. Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design came aboard to handle interior design. Pride Mega Yachts promoted the project for sale at last year’s Monaco Yacht Show at its stand.
Unfortunately, the shipyard has not indicated whether the buyer is keeping the originally planned decor. Sinot Exclusive Yacht Design selected several Asian-themed elements, for example. Regardless, the owner is apparently an experienced yachtsman. As you’d expect, there will be plenty of joinery, stonework, and even metalwork. Illusion can accommodate an owner’s party of 14.
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