Superyacht Guide to FLIBS 2024

With one week to go before the annual Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS), floating docks are going in place, and exhibitors are getting ready. As of press time, about 160 yachts of 78 feet (25 meters) and larger are expected in the water, too. That means you have a lot to see from October 30 to November 3. We put together this superyacht guide to FLIBS 2024 to help you narrow down your list of visits. Rather than focus on the biggest of the big, as many articles do, we include a broad size range. Arranged alphabetically by yacht name, the list additionally includes who the exhibitor is, since many are with brokers. Particularly important for some of you, we also mention which yachts are making their U.S. or global debuts.

What better way to start a superyacht guide to FLIBS than with a first for the show? Benetti has never previously exhibited a Diamond 44M series project at the event, so Abbentures² is significant for that reason. Hull number six in the series, she launched in August 2023. Highlights include accommodations for 10 amid four decks, which include a sundeck of upwards of 1,098 square feet (102 square meters).

Over the past 17 years, Amadeus has completed multiple journeys worldwide, including to remote regions. Few yachts therefore have put as many nautical miles under their hulls as she has. A total of 14 people in the owners’ party can stay aboard. Several staterooms are on the main deck, as is a cinema. Don’t miss the owner’s deck gym, with an attached sauna. The yacht is in the Burgess display at FLIBS.

No superyacht guide to FLIBS is complete without making special note of the largest yacht on display. This year, it’s Amaryllis. She’s worth your time for far more than that, though. This Abeking & Rasmussen delivery from 2011 hasn’t cruised much, so between that, regular maintenance, and a refit within the past year, she’s in stunning condition. Especially stunning is the interior, a combination of Art Deco and Art Nouveau designs. All but one of the five guest staterooms are on the main deck, too. The master suite, meanwhile, sits on a private deck. Amaryllis is with Merle Wood & Associates.

One of the many Damen Yachting support yachts, Axis can carry a flotilla of watertoys. In fact, she has space not just for significant tenders, but also a personal sub. She also has a heli hangar. Plus, if you’re one to invite along a crowd for cruises, Axis can accommodate four guests, along with her own captain and seven crewmembers. For the past several years, she’s been part of the Allen Exploration fleet. With the Bahamian government, she’s helped search for, recover, and document historic period shipwrecks. Find her in the Edmiston display.

Despite our superyacht guide to FLIBS showcasing some extraordinary projects, Double Haven arguably is one you simply cannot miss. Remarkably, the 30-year-old megayacht has never been in a boat show. Instead, she has been incredibly private from day one. In fact, her original owners lived onboard for weeks at a time. This helps explain the apartment-like master suite, with a balcony and private lounge. Furthermore, it explains a 30-percent higher fuel capacity than the norm for her size range, permitting practically non-stop half-year cruising. The new Feadship Resale division has her at the Hall of Fame Marina.

Fresh off her European debut, the first modell in the Infynito range makes her American debut. The project shakes up not only the shipyard’s tradition, but also typical yacht design across the industry. The aptly named All-Season Terrace, at the bow, is a lounge unlike any other. It features a cozy seating area, a hot tub, louvered glass panels overhead, and a lowering window connecting it to the country kitchen inside. The Infynito 90 is in the Ferretti Group display.

Color and creativity reign aboard King Benji. A Dunya Yachts delivery just this year, she incorporates reclaimed woods, bamboo, and an abundance of other natural décor materials. Each deck takes you on a journey as well, through the water and tropical locations. She’s making her American debut at the show. IYC will have her in its display.

The Mangusta Oceano 44 series takes alfresco living to a new level. The skylounge is a good example, with three sides of opening glass. This adds 624 square feet (58 square meters) of open-air space to the 431 square feet (40 square meters) of lounging area. You’ll also appreciate a skylight in the master suite, which happens to be the glass bottom of the pool just above. Mangusta is exhibiting the series for the first time at a U.S. show.

Making her unusual among megayachts of her LOA, this series-built project has a steel hull. Despite what that usually means, she actually has a Bahamas-friendly draft. She’s hull number two in the series (number one pictured), available for $16.9 million. Highlights include a main-deck, full-beam master suite and transatlantic range at 9 knots. See both Moonen and IYC representatives for a tour at IYC’s display at the boat show.

Pearl Yachts chose FLIBS for the global premiere of the Pearl 82. Iain Smallridge, Pearl Yachts’ founder and managing director, says she embodies “our dedication to pushing the limits of yacht design.” For instance, she’s the only model of her size stowing a Williams SportJet 395 tender and a PWC in a garage. She also has five staterooms, one being an on-deck master—quite unusual for her LOA. 

Super social and super chic, this is her owners’ second yacht with Hargrave Custom Yachts. Since they recently took delivery of a third—and have a fourth under construction as well—she’s for sale. The galley is kitted out as a chef’s dream, including for those of you who like to cook yourselves. The overall décor is soothingly sophisticated, beautiful without being too precious. Check her out at the Hargrave Custom Yachts display.

This is one of the larger models in Sanlorenzo’s Asymmetric line, where the main deck is full beam on just one side. The SL120A series actually debuted at FLIBS in 2022, so consider this year a successful return engagement. If you go aboard, you can stand at a picture-window-like expanse of glass to port in the saloon and feel as if you’re suspended above the water. Sanlorenzo itself has her in its display, along with smaller megayacht models in the Asymmetric series.

With six staterooms, Unbridled is available for both charter and sale. Exhibiting in Northrop & Johnson’s display, she’s a Trinity who underwent a full interior redo in 2015 and refit in 2019. Her master suite has an adjacent convertible cabin, while her opulent salon is ideal for entertaining. Charter guests especially will love her armada of toys. She has kayaks, waterskis, an inflatable banana, SUPs, snorkeling and dive gear, plus deep-sea fishing gear.

Celebrating it 60^th anniversary this year, Viking is taking the Viking 82 to FLIBS as a global premiere. Of course, she’s a powerful fishing machine, with a 229-square-foot (21.3-square-meter) cockpit. The 82 appearing at the show is an 82 Convertible, so she has an open bridge. If you like having more interior space, an Enclosed Bridge version is also available.

Besides booking yacht tours, you can enjoy the Windward VIP Club, which has relocated to the Hall of Fame Marina. Special luxury-sponsor activations will take place here, besides it featuring daily cocktails and gourmet food. You’ll further find more designers at the enlarged Designers Pavilion at the Superyacht Village exhibits. The Village, at the Pier South section of Pier Sixty-Six Hotel & Marina, also includes several superyacht builders and brokers, as usual.

Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show flibs.com