Yacht Ace Is Just the Beginning for Conrad Shipyard: Megayacht News Onboard

On a wintry February day in 2021, the largest-ever yacht in build in Poland moved into her outfitting hall. It was a strange dichotomy: a frozen, snow-covered backdrop for a vessel intent on pursuing sun and sandy shores. However, the project was no contradiction for Conrad Shipyard. The yacht Ace, which made her global debut at the warm and sunny 2023 Monaco Yacht Show, where we got aboard, is the latest step in the Gdansk-based builder’s quest to be more competitive among top superyacht builders.

Conrad Shipyard has been staking its claim over the past 20 years. It’s the yacht-building arm of a large commercial shipyard, Marine Projects. When Marine Projects landed a yacht contract in 2001, the management team quickly realized a dedicated division with different skills was warranted. But, Conrad Shipyard still draws on Marine Projects’ know-how, dating to 1989, with steel, aluminum, composites, engineering, and more. The city of Gdansk is a long-time shipbuilding center as well. In fact, the site where Conrad Shipyard operates has seen vessel construction as far back as the 1940s.

Its multi-faceted expertise attracted the owner of the yacht Ace, who commissioned the 145-footer (44-meter) as a custom project. The owner had chartered extensively over several years before deciding to build. Although Ace bears some similarities to a smaller Conrad project, the 131-foot (40-meter) Viatoris from 2018, she is fully her owner’s vision. She’s further an international collaboration, with Reymond Langton Design, Diana Yacht Design, and M2Atelier all contributing.

m2atelier handled interior design for the yacht Ace

From her plumb bow to her engineering, Ace ticks many of the boxes that power-megayacht buyers prioritize today. For instance, she embraces volume, just shy of 500 gross tons—ample for her LOA. With Lloyd’s classification and MCA certification, she’s capable of transatlantic crossings, too. Cruising speed is a leisurely 11 knots, mindful that the journey is as important as the final destination.

In terms of creature comforts, full-height windows and mirrored overhead sections complement Ace’s volume. A library-like area welcomes guests from the aft deck into the saloon, while four VIP staterooms below decks lull them to sleep. Alfresco amenities, meanwhile, include a beach club with a shower on the swim platform, and a sundeck capable of catering to everyone from day into night. Specifically, it has sunning space, a hot tub (with tiles made from recycled TV screens), and a bar.

Given its experience with the yacht Ace, Conrad Shipyard identified yet another opportunity. It used the basic framework of the yacht to create a semi-custom series. The first buyers will see their project splash in April, with the buyers of the subsequent two hulls taking delivery in 2025 and 2026, respectively.

Conrad’s not done yet, either. Mikołaj Król, the chairman and CEO of the yard, says the goal is to delivery two yachts each year. Plus, it can extend the shed where Ace saw construction for 164-foot (50-meter) megayachts. It actually can build as large as 328 feet (100 meters), though it won’t reconfigure or add sheds unless customers sign contracts. An architect himself, Król adds that the yard prides itself on doing full specifications for all of its projects as well.