Pearl 82 Yacht Impresses With Big Thinking: Megayacht News Onboard

When’s the last time you saw a main-deck master suite with a private access to an alfresco area aboard a yacht smaller than 120 feet (36.5 meters)? More to the point, when have you ever heard of this arrangement on an entry-level megayacht? The Pearl 82 yacht series features not only this, but also much more that will pleasantly surprise you. Pearl Yachts isn’t exaggerating when it says the series introduces never-before-seen features to her size category.

The 83-foot (25-meter) raised-pilothouse project comes, as usual, from Pearl Yachts’ collaboration with Bill Dixon Yacht Design for styling and naval architecture. Together, they wanted to redefine “small” superyachts as being big on amenities. A main-deck owners’ suite on its own would have been sufficient. However, a sliding door opposite the bed, up three steps, as part of a veritable wall of glass truly sets the suite apart. The alfresco lounge is cozy and eminently private, thanks to the high bow.

Privacy doesn’t mean isolated, though. Wisely, the Pearl 82 yacht has steps to each side connecting the area to the foredeck lounge perched just above it. On the flying bridge, it has space for the full owners’ party of 10 to sprawl out on sunbeds, with raising backs. With a separate seating area and foldable tables, too, this lounge further caters to lunches at anchor and cocktails at sunset.

Although foredeck lounges are nothing new, flexible aft decks on entry-level superyachts certainly are. In fact, the main aft deck on a wide variety of large private yachts is essentially forgotten space, bearing the same design for decades. Dixon Yacht Design and Pearl Yachts came up with not just one new configuration, but a choice between two unusual arrangements. In the Riviera design—aboard the Pearl 82 yacht premiering at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show last October—aft-facing sunbeds/lounges dominate the space. They nestle against forward-facing settees with tables, and the full area gains more space from folding bulkheads. The alternate arrangement, Veranda, incorporates seating that pivots to let you enjoy the views no matter the situation.

Just as the Pearl 82 yacht has these outside choices, the series offers three interior package choices. The aptly named Indulgence package characterized model at the Fort Lauderdale show. (Luxury and Modern are the other choices, with the intricate details setting them apart from one another.) Entertaining clearly is a priority, considering a bar that is as much a design element as it is a place to relax takes prominence adjacent to the dining area. Kelly Hoppen devised the three and will collaborate with owners to tailor them the way they wish.

This extends to the four guest staterooms below decks as well. Once again, it’s quite unusual for a yacht of this size to accommodate this many friends and family. Even with the cabins, there’s enough space for a tender garage containing a Williams SportJet 395 tender (13 feet/2.95 meters) plus a PWC. Nearly all competing models in this space reserve room on the flying bridge for toys.

Pearl Yachts still gives clients some comfort in familiarity. Regardless of which of the three power packages they choose, they can expect spirited performance. The optional twin 2,000-hp MANs were aboard the boat-show model. They and the other optional package, 1,800-hp MANs, permit a reported 32-knot max speed. Ever-so-slightly slower speeds come from the standard 1,650-hp MANs.

Builders and designers don’t need to throw away all the rules in reinventing common model sizes. But, it’s nice to see that the Pearl 82 yacht series challenge what’s been conventional thinking for a bit too long.

Dixon Yacht Design dixonyachtdesign.com

Kelly Hoppen Interiors kellyhoppeninteriors.com

Pearl Yachts pearlyachts.com