{"id":425539,"date":"2026-10-12T13:35:37","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T13:35:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/425539\/"},"modified":"2026-10-12T13:35:37","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T13:35:37","slug":"2026-fort-lauderdale-international-boat-show-superyachts-with-a-story-to-tell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/425539\/","title":{"rendered":"2026 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show: Superyachts With a Story to Tell"},"content":{"rendered":"

From owners\u2019 personal priorities to unexpected engineering choices, many yachts offer compelling reasons to take a closer look. What did the owners want to do differently? What problem did the designer or shipyard solve? What does this superyacht enable that buyers might not expect? Each of the yachts below, all exhibiting at the 2026 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show starting October 28, answer these questions in their own ways.<\/p>\n

\"Oceanco<\/p>\n

Draak, by Oceanco: Reinvention via Refit<\/p>\n

The yacht Draak is more than a support yacht to a fellow megayacht. She\u2019s further far more than the largest yacht in the show, at 304\u20196\u201d (92.8 meters). Draak is a sweeping redesign and re-engineer of a now-12-year-old custom yacht, Oceanco\u2019s famed Equanimity. She looks and operates utterly nothing like the original launch, which is the whole idea. Gabe Newell, the American gaming entrepreneur and yachting enthusiast who also owns the superyacht Leviathan<\/a>, primarily wanted her to be a dive-support platform and home for extra guests and crew. Retractable swim steps, hefty dive-tender launch and retrieval systems, and an immersive dining area with a chef\u2019s \u201clab\u201d are among the amenities. Oceanco will have Draak in its own display.<\/p>\n

\"Burger<\/p>\n

Northland, by Burger: The Globetrotter That Kept Going<\/p>\n

The cockpit aboard this 103\u20196\u201d (31.5-meter) is one hint that Northland\u2019s owner does things differently. Since she saw delivery nine years ago, this yacht Northland has put more blue water under her hull than most other megayachts. In fact, in her first year and a half alone, she covered nearly 10,000 miles. Her maiden voyage was remarkable, too, from Burger Boat Company\u2019s Great Lakes yard to the Bahamas. Nova Scotia, Norway, Tahiti, and more countries have followed since then. Fittingly, the art throughout her warm interior tells the tales of what she was intended to do. Gilman Yachts will have Northland in its exhibit space.<\/p>\n

\"Pearl<\/p>\n

Pearl 100 Hybrid: Electric Propulsion in a Small Superyacht<\/p>\n

This is the flagship of the Pearl Yachts fleet, and its first hybrid, too. The Pearl 100 Hybrid\u2019s electric motors are for full cruising or repositioning. Design-wise, she has some unprecedented features for her 97-foot (29.4-meter) LOA. Notably, the main-deck master suite leads out to a private alfresco area. Yet another surprise, steps take the owners directly up to the primary alfresco lounge, on the flying bridge. There\u2019s also a choice of three interior packages, each of which strives for a level of luxury not usually seen in this size. Pearl Yachts chose the Fort Lauderdale show for the project\u2019s international debut.<\/p>\n

\"yacht<\/p>\n

Norma Jean, by Palmer Johnson: A Superyacht for Good<\/p>\n

If you pass by the IYC display, you won\u2019t be able to miss the yacht Norma Jean. Super sleek and super modern, she drove a bidding war for a week\u2019s charter that benefitted the ocean-conservation non-profit Oceana. Norma Jean is unquestionably a superyacht for good<\/a>, further attending fundraisers for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Broward County regularly. As much as her owner enjoys cruising aboard for family trips, his charitable tendencies take a high priority.<\/p>\n

\"Erik<\/p>\n

Scintilla Maris, by Damen: An Adventure Yacht With a Soul<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve written extensively about Scintilla Maris, which started life as a North Sea trawler. A two-year transformation turned her into a super-rugged, super-capable yacht that has visited remote areas of Scotland. Her owner, Erik Vonk, would rather spend his days seeing white water come up over the decks than sit in a posh marina. He\u2019s ready to part with her, though. So, if challenging weather and true oceangoing capability get your pulse racing, Scintilla Maris will be in the Burgess display. She\u2019s also set for auction via Boathouse Auctions<\/a> in November, with no reserve.<\/p>\n

\"superyachtPHOTO: Tom van Oossanen<\/p>\n

Scout, by Royal Hakvoort: Jules Verne Meets Fritz Lang<\/p>\n

Extraordinarily, the owners of Scout drew inspiration from disparate things. Specifically, they\u2019re Jules Verne\u2019s fictional submarine Nautilus, Fritz Lang\u2019s movie Metropolis, Ian Fleming\u2019s various villains\u2019 lairs, and Warner Brothers\u2019 Looney Tunes. Off the wall? Yes\u2014but the owners and their designers at H2 Yacht Design say it works, playfully. From the four guest staterooms on the main deck to the owners\u2019 deck above, each area has its own personality. So does the styling, mimicking a repurposed commercial vessel. The owners built the 209-foot (63.72-meter), ice-classed megayacht to cruise anywhere and everywhere with their dogs. Visit her at Fraser Yachts\u2019 display.<\/p>\n

\"yacht<\/p>\n

ViviRae II, by Nordhavn: 24,000+ Nautical Miles in 9 Years<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve always loved to go to places where most people won\u2019t go,\u201d says VivieRae II\u2019s owner, Bob Giles. He\u2019s not exaggerating, either. He was aboard for this Nordhavn 96\u2019s maiden voyage, a 3,000-nautical-mile journey from China to Bali. Name a country, and chances are high he and his yacht have been to it. The United States, Costa Rica, Panama, Australia, Fiji, Thailand, and Indonesia are just starters. With accommodations for 10, she clearly wasn\u2019t intended to stay at the dock. She\u2019s for sale, with Autograph Yacht Group.<\/p>\n

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