Cannes Yachting Festival 2023 preview: 24 of the best new boats to track down
Next month’s Cannes Yachting Festival will see hundreds of motoryachts and speedboats converge on the Cote d’Azur – we pick out 24 that are truly unmissable…
Of all the events in the marine calendar, Cannes Yachting Festival is arguably the pinnacle. As Europe’s biggest on-water boat show, there is nowhere else where you can quickly compare the latest offerings from the world’s biggest manufacturers.
However, with that sheer scale comes a problem – how do you manage to fit all those boats into your itinerary? Well that’s where MBY comes in…
We’ve picked through the vast line-up to select the new boats that should be at the very top of your list. New additions are still expected, so keep checking back for more in the coming weeks.
Best new boats at Cannes Yachting Festival 2023
Apreamare Gozzo 35 Speedster
Apreamare’s appealingly tubby designs based on traditional Sorrento fishing boats have always looked like heavy, stolid displacement craft, but beneath the waterline their hard-chine, medium-V underwater shapes, with a long planing run extending beneath the aft platform, have offered sprightly handling and a surprising turn of speed.
And now that huge outboard engines seem to be the go-to power source for anything under about 40 feet, they can offer serious performance too.
Based on the existing Gozzo 35 design, the new Gozzo 35 Speedster model comes as standard with two Mercury V10s bolted to the stern, which not only give a 42-knot top speed, but more importantly offer a useful cruising range of 300 nautical miles or so at 30 knots.
Read more about the Apreamare Gozzo 35 Speedster
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In spite of its volume, this 96ft superyacht will hit 24-knots
Arcadia A96
The newest member of Arcadia’s A line, the Arcadia A96 is a custom yacht not just in terms of its style, features, equipment and fit-out but also in terms of its contemporary approach.
Spurred by changing appetites in a post-Covid world, Arcadia has put peace of mind and mental wellbeing at the very core of its A96 design.
In essence, this superyacht has been conceived as a restorative sanctuary that enables you to get yourself back in shape and the layout very much reflects that.
Sliding glass panels on the main and upper decks enable you to open up the side and aft bulkheads, creating vast open-air spaces and inviting in the sounds and smells of the sea.
Read more about the Arcadia A96
Azimut Magellano 60
Although the new Azimut Magellano 60 is the smallest model in the line, the DNA of this fourth boat is unmistakable.
Designed in collaboration with Ken Freivokh, there’s a linear, fuss-free elegance to the Azimut Magellano 60 that looks quite modest and classical. It features unbroken wraparound glass, long hull windows and a set of parallel teak louvres on the aft pilothouse pillars. And there’s plenty of overlap in application as well as appearance.
Created for owners who love long voyages, the new 60 is built on Azimut’s second-generation dual-mode hull – a semi-planing hull with a vertical bow, which claims to deliver significantly reduced fuel consumption at cruising speeds than comparable shaft-driven flybridge cruisers.
And those long-distance credentials are backed up on board with an interior optimised for comfortable cruising. Down below, the full-beam owner’s suite sidesteps avant garde edginess in favour of warm restful tones and softly textured fabrics.
Read more about the Azimut Magellano 60
Beneteau Antares 12
The latest incarnation of this popular family flybridge cruiser has a practical three-cabin, two-heads layout down below, a spacious deck saloon with a converting sofa – so you can sleep eight – and three outdoor relaxation areas.
On-deck features include a fold-down bulwark on the starboard side of the cockpit for a welcome bit of extra space, an adjustable backrest on the foredeck sunpad, and a smart asymmetric superstructure design to provide a nice wide side deck along the starboard side to link the cockpit with the bow seating area.
There is also a three-part folding cockpit door to completely open up the saloon, while flybridge has forward-facing seats for three, along with a good-size U-shaped sofa with table.
Downstairs, the owner’s cabin in the bows has an ensuite head, while the two guest cabins lie amidships, tucked under the saloon sole, sharing the day head and shower compartment on the starboard side. The port guest cabin has permanent twin berths, while the one to starboard has a single that converts to a double.
Read more about the Beneteau Antares 12
The BGM75 features exterior styling from Zuccon International
Bluegame BGM75
Bluegame is keen to stress that its debut motor cat is not so much a part of the multihull market as the pioneer for a parallel category. In fact, as parent company, Sanlorenzo, puts it, the BGM75 is “first and foremost a luxurious, beautiful motor yacht that ‘by chance’ has not one hull but two”.
And when you look at the design, you can see what they mean. The key here is the modest beam. At 26ft 7in, it measures just over a third of the overall length, which falls somewhere between that of a cat and a monohull.
At a stroke, that helps sidestep the traditional squared-off boxiness of the classical catamaran – and when you also factor in the new boat’s forward taper, it actually bears an uncanny resemblance to the established BGX70 and BG72.
Read more about the Bluegame BGM75
Centounonavi Vespro
Centounonavi is a new name, but one that comes with plenty of heritage – co-founder and naval architect Marco Arnaboldi is the son of Angelo, a renowned designer and boatbuilder and the man behind custom boatbuilder AB Yachts.
Centounonavi (literally ‘one hundred and one boats’) is based in the epicentre of Italian boatbuilding, Viareggio. The company’s first model is a slick-looking 55-footer with plenty of horsepower and an eye-watering top speed.
But it’s no mere mindless muscleboat, according to its creators: waterjet drives are less likely than conventional propellers to make sushi out of passing marine creatures, while much of the PVC cores used in its lightweight construction, along with other, unspecified aspects of the build, are sourced from recycled materials.
Also, an efficient hull design means that at its extraordinary cruising speed of 50 knots it burns “only” eight litres of diesel per mile.
Read more about the Centounonavi Vespro
The new R+ looks like a coupé-equipped evolution of the established R6
Evo R+
With its enclosed coupé structure, the new R+ might seem like a departure for day boating specialist, Evo, but this latest Valerio Rivellini design feels very much like an evolution of the brand’s established R6.
The custom aft platform, designed for Evo Yachts by Besenzoni, is a central part of that. You can lift it up for easy embarkation from an elevated pontoon, lower it to water level for a larger beach area, or drop it beneath the waterline for watersports or tender use.
The Evo R+ will also feature a convertible dinette with a transverse wet bar aft and a raised island sunbed forward, as well as weekending accommodation for four people in two double berths.
Greenline 58 Fly
Greenline’s 58 Fly is finally ready to hit the water, and it’s particularly vital for the Slovenian yard because it’s the perfect size to bridge the gap between the 48 Fly and the flagship 68 Ocean Class.
As you would expect, it follows Greenline’s proven formula, with its ability to collect and store electrical energy from the sun, from shore power and (in hybrid form) from the diesel engines.
But it also exhibits a range of modern design touches that will go down very well with visitors to the show. In line with the latest trends, the cockpit seating faces across the beam rather than forward, enabling you to retain a view through a glass balustrade.
Leopard 40PC
Having enjoyed a lot of success with its award-winning 46PC and 53PC models, Leopard is set to introduce a new, more accessible boat to its power cat fleet. And despite the fact
that smaller, shorter cats are more sensitive to weight and trim, the leisure potential of the new boat looks impressive.
In addition to a pair of ensuite port doubles, the lower decks feature an open-plan owner’s cabin to starboard, with a forward bathroom, a central dressing area and excellent natural light through those big hull windows.
Up on the main deck, ahead of the beamy cockpit, the aft end of the saloon is split into a large L-shaped port galley and a starboard fridge and storage unit. The companionway runs between them, taking you forward to a brilliantly sociable helm, with a big port lounge, great all-round views and easy access to the foredeck sun loungers through the forward saloon door.
Leopard also talks about “the largest flybridge ever seen on a 40-footer” – but while that might sound a bit far-fetched, there’s no doubting the space that such a massive beam creates.
Marex 440
Originally introduced as the 420 but since renamed to better express its length and volume, Marex’s new flagship cruiser looks like a really impressive boat. At the aft end, a secure enclosed cockpit with an all-weather canopy system enables you to shut out the elements for year-round use.
When specced with cockpit bar stools, an enormous C-shaped galley at the aft end of the saloon helps keep the inside and outside spaces beautifully integrated too. In ‘Scandinavia’ rather than ‘Gourmet Cruiser’ form, there is also the option of a smaller starboard galley, plus a larger port dining area for extra indoor seating but in all cases, the 440 is designed to deliver the cruising experience of a much bigger boat.
To that end, you get integrated aft-facing box seats at the swim platform for summer fun. You get a two- or three-cabin layout, each with two bathrooms. You get easy side deck access for the skipper. And in terms of propulsion, you can pick between D6 440s with sterndrives, D6 480s with IPS drives or D6 480s with V drives.
Pershing GTX116
Pershing launched its most radical new boat in years back in February and it will be getting its global debut at Cannes before heading onto the Monaco show. The Pershing GTX116 is best classified as a sportfly, although the futuristic styling and unusual layout suggest a crossover label may be more appropriate…
The Pershing GTX116 certainly has a very different look to the 50-knot sportscruisers we’re used to seeing from Pershing, with a near vertical windscreen positioned much further forward than usual and a snub-nosed bow like the flagship Pershing 140.
The stern is also quite different with a trio of terraces that cascade down to sea level culminating in a pair of transom doors that swing up and out to create a beach club effect. This cab-forward design frees up space for a much more even split between indoor and outdoor entertaining zones.
Read more about the Pershing GTX116
Prestige M8
While Prestige’s M48 certainly addressed the public’s appetite for space, stability and efficiency, this second entry in the twin-hulled M line takes the game to an entirely different level. Called the M8 for its ability to deliver the space of an 85-footer on a 65ft platform, the new boat is rammed full of high-end flourishes and striking design ideas.
The saloon, for instance, uses asymmetrical furniture to add interest, variety and intimacy and it works superbly well. There’s a central aft serving hatch with sliding doors on both sides. There’s a sculptural glass flybridge stairwell that enables light to flood through elegant geometric surfaces.
Opposite that, the main deck day heads is ingeniously concealed behind mirrors and accessed from the starboard side deck. And as if to illustrate how steady and refined the M8 experience can be, there’s a hi-fi turntable on the sideboard between the dining area and the aft lounge.
There are of course lots of lounging and dining spaces elsewhere too, not least in the aft cockpit and on the flybridge. But one of the very best places to enjoy a drink is at the forepeak, where a sunken seating area creates a wonderfully secure and sheltered zone with wonderful sea views.
The new Princess Y80 is based on the X80’s hull but swaps the enclosed upper deck for a big open flybridge
Princess Y80
Enjoying its world premiere in Cannes will be a fourth entry in Princess’s Y Line range of flybridge motor yachts – and if the award-winning Y72, Y85 and Y95 are all about space, luxury and custom-friendly options, the new Y80 looks certain to follow suit.
It adopts a classically understated style, which closely echoes the established Y Class formula, with a continuous window line and an ‘S’ shaped hardtop connecting the flybridge to the main deck.
Outdoor entertaining also remains a priority and to help with that, there are three alternative cockpit designs: a traditional U-shaped dining layout with extra storage; a central cockpit table with seating for eight; and Princess’s ultra-slick ‘Infinity Cockpit’ arrangement.
Read more about the Princess Y80
Practicality is ramped up with a T-top, suspension seats, a bow tent and a 500-litre tank
RAND Roamer 28
The closely guarded Rand Roamer 28 is designed to marry the brand’s trademark style, sustainability and simplicity with genuine adventure boat credentials.
To that end, it uses a stainless steel and hardened glass T-top with a carbon-fibre roof and full-closing canvases to enable proper four-season protection.
The Rand Roamer 28 also comes with a 144W solar panel on the roof, plus a 500-litre fuel tank for long-distance cruising.
There’s a big roof rack for all your toys plus a toilet in the console and an aft seat that can be turned into a full wet bar with sink and cooker.
Read more about the RAND Roamer 28
The jauntily named Riva 82 Diva is all about big outdoor day spaces
Riva 82 Diva
Riva’s latest yacht, the Riva 82 Diva, is designed to deliver “endless outdoor space.” It attempts that by means of a stern beach club with drop-down terraces that increase the width by 3m. Forward of that, the raised cockpit with its “sea-view” sofa design, encompasses a further 35m² of outdoor space.
And up on the flybridge, another 40m² enables each living area to enjoy its own distinct zone, with a lounge aft, a sunbathing area forward and an extra lounge with dinette and bar in the centre.
The saloon takes a similar approach to zonal arrangements, putting the lower living space and the raised dining area on different levels to help delineate each region without physically separating them.
Read more about the Riva 82 Diva
Sanlorenzo SX100
Where Sanlorenzo’s SP110 showed the influence of radical Bluegame design thinking in its low aft saloon and two-storey atrium, the new SX100 goes the whole hog with bold superstructure styling that is clearly another conscious homage to its sister Sanlorenzo brand.
A two-decker with several layout options, including a three- or four-cabin lower-deck layout, the Sanlorenzo SX100 retains the SP110’s superb stern arrangement, where you descend from the broad cockpit into a low-level space that can be fitted out as either a secluded, waterline saloon or as a master suite.
In either case, the bulwarks fold down to let light in from the sides as well as aft.
Ascend via the other cockpit companionway and you find yourself up on the main deck, with its spacious midships seating area and the option of a spectacular cabin forward, which could serve as either a VIP or master, or a bright open-plan dining area with excellent views on three sides.
Read more about the Sanlorenzo SX100
Saxdor 400 GTO
Finnish powerboat builder, Saxdor, is set to unveil a new flagship for its range of sporting weekenders. And having already captured the public’s imagination with a
fleet of boats that has sold more than 1,000 units since 2019, the Saxdor 400 GTO looks set to take things to a fresh level.
As you would expect, the new boat is built on an upscaled version of the 320 hull with twin steps, a plumb bow and a sleek adventure aesthetic. As you might also expect, it’s designed for use with a twin outboard rig and constructed with vacuum infusion techniques for reduced weight and improved running efficiency.
The extra scale also looks well used for a good size of forward double cabin with standing headroom in excess of 6ft, plus a separate bathroom and an optional midships double.
But it’s the layout of the cockpit that really makes a splash. Instead of sacrificing space to walkaround side decks, Saxdor has pushed the furniture and hard top out across the full beam of the boat and added a door in the port corner of the windscreen to give access to the foredeck lounge.
Fold-down balconies on both sides that stretch all the way forward to the back of the helm seats come as standard and help turn the cockpit into an even bigger sheltered outdoor party zone in a matter of seconds.
Read more about the Saxdor 400 GTO
The improved Silent 62 is based on the successful 60 model
Silent 62
Austrian shipyard, Silent Yachts, has taken its best-selling Silent 60, added 2ft and replaced the traditional flybridge with a larger, more practical third deck. Designed to combine the “superyacht flair” of Silent’s 80ft flagship with the compact dimensions of the 60, that upper deck comes in three configurations – a closed skylounge, a closed owner´s suite or an open sky lounge (pictured).
That open variant features a U-shaped galley with bar, a central dining table for ten, lots of casual seating around the deck’s edge, and a huge raised sunbathing zone at the stern. With lightweight carbon-fibre construction and a cruise-friendly draft of just 1m, this eight-berth boat is designed to be operated with the utmost ease by just two people.
It comes with 42 solar panels rated to 17 kWp, alongside a 286 kWh battery bank and a choice of e-motors from 50-340kW. According to Silent, that should enable the 62 to cruise up to 100 miles per day on the sun alone, while also running your various onboard systems without recourse to a generator.
Sirena 48
Turkish yard, Sirena Marine, is set to introduce a new boat at the entry point to its award-winning fleet of liveaboard cruisers. Designed to enable a whole range of applications, from day boating and long weekends away to extended family cruises, the whole idea behind the new model is to transfer Sirena’s traditional big-boat versatility into a more compact package.
To that end, the 48, which actually measures 52ft 4in in length, provides a claimed 25% more usable volume than its competitors. If the vertical bow and windscreen help with that, so does the flybridge, which overhangs the side decks and aft cockpit, creating lots of space up top as well as extra shelter below.
Up on the flybridge, that space is divided into two parts: a huge forward sunbed that enables the helm to remain involved in the party; and a full-beam dining station aft with direct access to the transverse wet bar that butts up against the helm seats.
It’s quite a simplistic design but it makes good use of the space – and the main deck saloon adopts a similar approach. It’s arranged over two levels, with a sociable aft galley, a starboard helm with side door and a port lounge that stops a little short to generate extra volume below.
The deck layout is one of the most appealing we’ve seen on a boat this size
Solaris Power 52
Having launched two new smaller models in the wake of its original 48ft Open, Solaris Power is now working its way up the range, starting with this new Solaris Power 52 Open.
As with previous models, Solaris claims its tear-drop-shaped footprint – with a heavily flared vertical bow and deep vee aft sections – delivers an unusually dry, stable, comfortable ride while also creating more space above and below deck for guests.
We’ll have to wait for a sea trial to confirm the seakeeping claims but these early renderings certainly show a big, beamy cockpit with full walkaround decks leading to a generous foredeck lounge.
The designers have put the space to good use, giving owners the choice between three separate cockpit layouts. The first one features the usual pair of straight sofas facing each other across a teak dining table with a big outdoor galley forward.
Read more about the Solaris Power 52
Wally WHY150
Created in collaboration with Studio Vallicelli, the new Wally WHY150 uses a raised pilothouse design to create what it calls “unparalleled exterior spaces” – but that approach also has a very striking impact on the inside.
In the main deck saloon, floor-to-ceiling glass is paired with flush decking and more than 8ft of headroom to create a profound sense of openness and light.
The absence of a lower helm also frees up the space for a main deck owner’s cabin, which takes full advantage of the Wally WHY150’s elevated bow and wraparound glazing for 270-degree views from the bed.
That’s supplemented on the lower deck with either three guest cabins (a VIP, a double and a twin) or a pair of larger, more decadent VIP suites.
Read more about the Wally WHY150
This 50-knot adventure boat is the biggest and most versatile Wellcraft yet
Wellcraft 435
Coming hot on the heels of the adventure-ready Wellcraft 355, the new Wellcraft 435 is not just the biggest Wellcraft ever, but also the most versatile.
There’s plenty of space on the aft deck thanks to a large bathing platform and a cockpit with fold-down bulwarks on both sides, and the big foredeck lounge provides a handy alternative drinks venue.
With its plumb bow, forward raked windscreen, substantial freeboard and elevated all-round guardrails, there’s plenty of security here, as well as volume. And visibility looks good too, thanks to 360° glazing, plus a starboard side door and an overhead sunroof.
Read more about the Wellcraft 435
Windy 40 Camira RS
Windy’s 39 Camira was much admired during its seven-year production run so it’s no surprise to see the Camira name being resurrected at Cannes. The new 40 Camira RS will tread much the same path as the 39 but it will do so with uprated styling, a revamped helm, an open-plan lower deck and the option of outboard power.
In terms of deck layout, the port wet bar is replaced with an aft-facing chaise longue and the cockpit is made more practical thanks to an optional sunroof-equipped T-Top.
As the flagship of Windy’s sportscruiser line, you can still opt for a pair of 400hp or 440hp Volvo Penta D6s on sterndrives, but the Camira RS also comes with twin Yamaha 425 XTOs or triple Yamaha F300 petrol outboards for speeds in the region of 45 knots.
Things have changed down below too. While the single or twin mid cabin stays the same, a new open-plan layout sees the traditional forward cabin ousted in favour of a convertible U-shaped dinette with the option of a much larger galley to port.
Read more about the Windy 40 Camira RS
YOT 36 Powercat
French boatbuilder Catana has been in the business for more than 40 years, with 1,300 employees on five sites. The yard is best known for its sailing catamarans, and until now, by its own admission, its powercat models have tended to look like all the others but with the masts taken off.
Now with new designs and a new brand, the yard has decided to get serious about powercats. The redoubtable J&J Design has been entrusted with design and development of the new range.
The YOT 36 is a beamy, fast, two-cabin, two head sports cruising catamaran offered with a choice of V6 or V8 Mercury outboards that promise a top speed of 56 knots.
Read more about the YOT 36 Powercat
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