One cost $500 million and is so tall a historic bridge had to be partially dismantled to let it pass. Another needs a second boat just to carry its helicopter. The most expensive billionaire yachts, from #7 to #1. #1 cost $645 million — and runs on hydrogen.
If a private jet is a flying mansion, a superyacht is a floating kingdom. The world's billionaires spend hundreds of millions — sometimes more than on any house — on vessels with pools, theaters, spas, helipads, and crews of dozens of people.
And the shocking detail: the purchase price is just the beginning. Maintaining one of these giants costs tens of millions a year — Jeff Bezos's Koru spends about $25 million a year on operation alone, the equivalent of buying a New York penthouse every year.
Let's get to the most expensive billionaire yachts, from #7 to #1. And #1 cost $645 million and made history as the first hydrogen-powered one.
#7 — Mark Zuckerberg's Launchpad: about $300 million
Opening the list, the Launchpad, owned by Mark Zuckerberg — a 387-foot (118-meter) motor yacht delivered recently, powered by four MTU engines with a combined 23,400 horsepower.
It's the "traditional" billionaire superyacht: huge, powerful, diesel-driven. Zuckerberg took the classic route — unlike other billionaires on the list who bet on bolder concepts. It's worth about $300 million.
The next one belongs to a legendary film director. 👇
#6 — Steven Spielberg's Seven Seas: a ~110-meter superyacht
Legendary filmmaker Steven Spielberg owns the Seven Seas, a superyacht of about 357 feet (109 meters) built by the same shipyard as the Koru (Oceanco, of the Netherlands).
It's proof that the superyacht club isn't only for tech or oil magnates — Hollywood sails it too. The Oceanco shipyard, curiously, is owned by another billionaire, and built several of the largest yachts in the world.
The next one needs a second boat just for the helicopter.
#5 — Bezos's support boat Abeona: $75 million
Here's a detail that sounds like a joke, but it's real. Bezos's Koru (coming up in the top) has a problem: because it's a sailing yacht, it's nearly impossible to land a helicopter on the mast-filled deck. The billionaire solution? Buy a second boat just for that.
The Abeona, named after the Roman goddess of travelers, is a 250-foot support boat that cost $75 million — the largest "shadow boat" ever built by Damen Yachting. It carries the helicopter (which Bezos's fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, loves to use), jet skis, speedboats, and the extra crew. A boat to serve the other boat.