Pearl Yachts Push into Superyacht Market

　　UK-based Pearl Yachts has revealed it will debut the Pearl 95, its new flagship yacht, at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September. The yacht is the first of four units to have been produced, with the first three already sold and the second unit well under construction.

　　The Pearl 95, with an exterior and naval architecture by Dixon Yacht Design and interior by Kelly Hoppen, is another step for the British brand in its quest to enter the superyacht market, competing with fellow British brands Princess and Sunseeker.

　　“We have three models currently and there are big differences in size and value of the boats and how they are used,” says managing director of Pearl Yachts, Iain Smallridge. “The [Pearl] 65 is more of a family run boat, whereas the [Pearl] 80 is a crewed boat that is intended for coastal waters such as Majorca and the South of France. The [Pearl] 95 is our first entry into the superyacht market at just under 30m.”

　　Smallridge goes on to explain that the remit for the new 29.2m yacht was to incorporate features usually found on 40m yachts, which are often more than double the price of a 30m yacht, into a vessel that is a quarter of the size. This has led to a yacht with four en suite guest cabins on the lower deck, two double and two twin, and a full beam owner’s suite forward on the main deck. “We’ve also been able to incorporate a foredeck lounge, which no-one else has managed to do on a boat of this size,” says Smallridge. “The raised pilothouse design normally means you forego this but we’ve managed to get a full beam master and the large foredeck lounge, which is fairly unique.”

　　Outside entertainment areas are not limited to the foredeck with the aft main deck and sundeck offering al fresco dining, with a Jacuzzi and sunpad included on the sundeck. An unusual feature in the form of three frosted glass panels aft of the Jacuzzi allows additional light to the aft seating area on the main deck. While on the lower deck, guests can enjoy a bar and fold down platforms that extend the bathing platform, while crew can go about their duties relatively unseen as the Pearl 95 provides separate access to crew accommodation on the lower deck forward via the galley – a layout that is more in line with larger yachts.

　　Smallridge sees Pearl Yachts’ primary market as the 60’ – 100’ range and has found that recent clients have been owners of other well-known production manufacturers. However, with Pearl Yachts' Xiamen facilities in China able to build up to 45m, he’s not ruling out the option of going bigger. “Once we’ve manufacturer several [Pearl] 95s there will be a natural progression for clients wanting to go up in size,” says Smallridge.

　　“We offer something different,” Smallridge continues in response to what Pearl Yachts offers over its competitors. “All yacht brands have their own styles but we build a quality yacht and offer excellent value for money and our designs are better than most of the British and Italian manufacturers. Our interior design is probably what we’ve become most known for with our Kelly Hoppen interiors, which really are spectacular.”

　　Pearl Yachts will promote all three models from its range at the Cannes Yachting Festival in September and have new designs on the drawing board that will be announced over the coming 12 months.