MAJESTY YACHTS 175: MAKING HISTORY

The 2016 European boat show season was a memorable one for Gulf Craft. Not only did the (then) flagship Majesty 155 make its debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival, but it was on the sundeck of that very yacht, just a few weeks later at the Monaco Yacht Show that the Majesty 175 project was announced.

I remember being there with the rest of the world’s superyacht press and none of us at the time had any idea what Gulf Craft’s chairman, Mohammed Al Shaali, and the then CEO, Erwin Bamps were going to reveal. To say we were shocked was an understatement. The Umm Al Quwain shipyard was going to build the world’s largest composite production superyacht, a huge project, but Mohammed Al Shaali was confident and relaxed: “Gulf Craft has grown and evolved with its customers – we identified the milestones that lie ahead and set out to realise them. Yet we did this while simultaneously listening to our clients, learning from them along the way, and using these insights as to the source of inspiration behind each one of our creations.

“Our aim is to continue redefining superyacht production using advanced composites to a size once thought impossible, all the while creating bespoke cruising experiences for our customers. Our ceaseless determination has led to this very moment, one where research and development meet megayacht design.”

Gatto has understandably put an emphasis on substantial lounging and entertainment areas.

EXTERIOR DESIGN

All those years of design, development, and hard work led to the Majesty 175’s official launch at Dubai Harbour on May the 22nd. His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Sports Council unveiled the 56-metre superyacht and while he was touring the decks, we got our first glimpse of the completed exterior.

Cristiano Gatto was tasked with creating the Majesty’s look and having styled yachts for Isa, Heesen, Canados, and Astondoa, the 175 was always going to have bold lines mixed with strong detailing. The Italian designer has incorporated a sporting, silver hull with a towering, white superstructure that is sharply raked aft in a singular line from the ceiling of the upper deck to the bottom of the transom. The substantial tinted glazing finishes off the distinguished look, with Gatto’s sophisticated style continuing in the Majesty’s interior.

INTERIOR DESIGN

With an interior volume of 780 Gross Tonnes to play with, Gatto has understandably put an emphasis on substantial lounging and entertainment areas, making the most of the 175’s open spaces and tall ceilings. This is best seen in the 175’s main salon, a huge, sophisticated area featuring a lounge and dining space finished in luxurious woods and soft-touch textures. Forward to the main salon are the VIP cabins, which means the Owner gets an entire upper deck all to himself.

The Majesty’s smart layout has been designed to accommodate 14 guests in 7 lavish staterooms with a crew of up to 10 members.

Up here, the Owner has the luxury of his own private suite that looks out over the forward pool and sun pads, with a lounge and dining areas aft. The captain benefits from the commanding views of the bridge deck, a large area that also has a lounge aft.

The lower deck features a large beach club aft, with the garage and engine room forward with the guest cabin amidships.

PERFORMANCE

With Gatto taking care of the design, it was down to Massimo Gregory of Yankee Delta Studio to make the 175 perform as good as she looks. Two MTU 12V 4000 M63 turbo diesel produces 1,500kW each giving the superyacht a top speed of 17 knots and a cruise speed of 14 knots. The range is a generous 4,000 nautical miles at 10 knots, courtesy of Gregory’s efficient hull design.

THE SEA TRIAL

After launch, the Majesty 175 was put through a series of sea trials by Captain Patricia Caswell, Gulf Craft’s Quality Control Manager. The 780 gross ton superyacht proved her worth, showing impressive maneuverability, hull strength, speed and seakeeping. “We are excited to have taken this beauty out to sea,” commented Captain Caswell. “She has performed brilliantly on her first sea trial covering multiple factors, including the engines at full speed, the generators and fin stabilisers as well as the navigation and telecommunication systems.”

THE SHIPYARD

The world’s largest composite production superyacht was created and built at Gulf Craft’s 462,000 sq ft facility in Umm Al Quwain by a team of dedicated, world-class designers and craftsmen. Just to put the size of the shipyard into perspective, the 175 was built alongside Gulf Craft’s Silvercraft and Oryx boats, the Nomad explorers and other models in the flagship Majesty Yahcts range.

CONCLUSION

The Majesty 175 has come a long way since its concept model was unveiled at the 2016 Monaco Yacht Show. Years of dedication and passion followed, leading to its launch event at Dubai Harbour, which was organised in partnership with the Dubai Department of Tourism & Commerce Marketing. More than just a superyacht, the Majesty 175 represents the vision, commitment, and potential of the UAE itself.