High Life Afloat: Superduper Yachts

When Johnny Carson sought to escape gawkers and paparazzi on his fourth honeymoon, he and his new bride, Alexis Maas, chose to cruise the Mediterranean by chartering the regal Parts V, a $6.5 million, 147-ft. world- class motor yacht. When renowned Manhattan Jeweler Harry Winston wanted to lay some choice diamonds before J. Paul Getty Jr. and Henry Ford II down in Palm Beach, Fla., he decided to rent the Atlantique as a 131-ft. floating showcase. And when Magazine Mogul Malcolm Forbes wants to mix celebrities like Barbara Walters and Henry Kissinger with advertising tycoons, he lures them with the offer of an evening spin around Manhattan aboard the Highlander V, his 150-ft. seagoing palace. "It's worth the cost," maintains Forbes. "It has much more appeal than an evening of dinner and the theater."

No argument there. Besides the lavish ego strokes that luxury vessels bestow, today's yachts satisfy almost every whim imaginable. The sun deck cradles a hot tub that can accommodate eight people, while commodious staterooms boast VCRs and private baths with Jacuzzis. Instead of a grungy galley, the superyacht has a gleaming kitchen replete with microwaves, commercial-size freezers and stoves, and trash compactors. The bionic boats pack every aquatic toy: water skis, snorkling gear, diving equipment, Jet Skis and sailboards. To help while away foul weather, a free-flowing bar is at the ready, and libraries are stocked with videotapes as well as books, chess and backgammon games. Many decks have saunas, and in one vessel there is a piano with built-in heating elements to guard against warp.

America's yachting heyday was in the early 20th century, when wealthy industrialists competed in creating elaborate waterborne palaces. Over the years, buying, building and chartering of yachts remained small and select, and in the late '70s, business hit bottom. Today the number of American-owned jumbos, over 100 ft. from stem to stern, is increasing from 80 in 1986 to 129, with the launch of 49 new yachts now under construction. More remarkable is that 33 of these yachts will be products of U.S. yards, rather than foreign competitors. Jumbo yachts sport a hefty price tag, ranging from $6 million to $50 million, depending on size and fittings. Annual maintenance can run up to 10% of the yacht's cost.

Broward Motor Yachts in Fort Lauderdale leads the U.S. in building big boats, with twelve taking shape in the family-owned yards. Its new production plant will add more than 50 architects, skilled fitters and welders to its staff of 250. The yard's most celebrated product is the notorious Monkey Business, which helped drive Gary Hart's presidential campaign onto the rocks. Broward's most popular boat, however, is an 80-ft. starter, or "yuppie special," that sells for $2 million. The typical buyer is a fast tracker between 35 and 40 who yens for something more than an "off the peg" Hatteras 61-footer. "I just got a personal check in the mail for $1.3 million," says Ken Denison, vice president for new boat sales and construction. "The guy said it would be O.K. We looked into it, and it was. One of the things about this business is that we don't have to talk financing."