Sea Club 53 Yacht Is a Superyacht Version of a Chaseboat

A helicopter, a personal sub, a 42-foot (13-meter) guest tender, and two sailing catamarans are months from stowing aboard the Sea Club 53 yacht. They aren’t the only things going aboard, either. Her owner, who just celebrated the official launch at Alia Yachts’ shipyard in Turkey, has a lot more in mind, in fact.

Despite looking like a traditional superyacht, this 174-footer (53-meter) is anything but. Firstly, and primarily, her owner intends to carry a complement of toys. Besides the ones just mentioned, the Sea Club 53 yacht has space for two PWCs, two dinghies, dive gear, and a host of even more watersports equipment. Secondly, just two guest staterooms are aboard. Essentially, her owner wanted the simultaneous sensibilities of a chaseboat and a large luxury yacht. Between well-appointed relaxation areas and expansive alfresco space for small and big parties alike, guests should be pretty pleased. Azure Yacht Design & Naval Architecture incorporated all of the wishlist items into the design.

If it all sounds like a tall order, it is. The project “has been an ambitiously rapid build,” according to Alia Yachts’ president, Gökhan Çelik. He credits the owner’s representatives from Technical Marine UK for helping her reach this point in just over two years. Part of the fast pace stems from simultaneous construction of the hull, superstructure, and heli deck. The three joined together late in 2022. That heli deck is certified, too, not a touch-and-go area.

To put the Sea Club 53 yacht into better perspective, consider some numbers. A full 538 square feet (50 square meters) on the lower deck is strictly for toy stowage, for instance. This sits adjacent to a watersports center—with the dive gear, among other things. Additionally, inflatable climbing and sliding toys, which are among 20 modular water-park units, stow in their own kits. Ultimately, it will be impossible to be bored, since the units can mix and match in multiple ways.

Even with all of this, a 26-foot (8-meter) crew tender fits aboard as well. Finally, and equally important from a regulatory standpoint, the megayacht’s volume is sub-500 gross tons.

With sea trials expected to confirm a 15-knot top end, “the launch of project Sea Club marks the start of a whole new concept in the yachting industry,” says Onne Logger of Azure Yacht Design & Naval Architecture.