10 Best Motor Yacht Brands
The best motor yacht brands deliver reliability, functionality, and most importantly, luxury.
If you’ve been shopping around for a motor yacht you probably know there’s a huge range in quality even for such a big-ticket purchase. And naturally, this is a purchase you want to make only after examining all the options and carefully considering which motor yacht would be best for you and your family. We certainly can’t make that decision for you, but we can help you get started down the road with some top picks in the category. Don’t sign on any dotted lines until you’ve checked out these top contenders.
- Cruisers Yachts
- Delta Powerboats
- Hunt Yachts
- Ocean Alexander
- Outer Reef
- Palm Beach
- Prestige
- Riviera
- Sabre
- Schaefer
Cruisers Yachts
While Cruisers Yachts does offer flybridge models, it’s best known for the Cantius series of sedan motor yachts which set the bar for interior lighting decades ago when Cruisers shocked the boating world with its atrium-like cabin design. Today the Cantius is offered in four sizes from 42 to 60. These motor yachts feature chic modern interiors which are flooded with natural light and provide 360-degree visibility from the helmdeck, an open aft cockpit, and sporty performance delivered by pod drives.
See Cruisers Yachts motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
Delta Powerboats
Though their lineup includes open dayboats down to the 26’ range, the core of the Delta Powerboats lineup consists of motor yachts from 33’ to 88’. All qualify as high performance for the motor yacht world, with several of the smaller models able to top 50 mph and even the 88 capable of hitting speeds in the mid-40s. All also have a very modern look, with angular lines and raked windshields. Based in Stockholm, Sweden, Delta also boasts quite a history of innovation including building the first carbon fiber production boat in the world, the Delta 54.
See Delta Powerboats motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
Hunt Yachts
Hunt Yachts has quite a history, beginning with the development of the deep-V hullform by Raymond Hunt back in 1960. Today their line includes four motor yachts, the 56, 63, 68, and 76. All but the 56 (which is a sedan-style motor yacht) have flying bridges, open aft cockpits, and a traditional downeast look to them. Hunt motor yachts have a well-deserved reputation for not only being luxurious inside, but also featuring fantastic joinery work with glowing varnished interiors, gorgeous exterior brightwork, and gleaming polished stainless-steel fittings.
See Hunt Yachts motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
Ocean Alexander
If you want a yacht that treads into superyacht territory, Ocean Alexander is likely to pop up on your radar. With a model line beginning at 88’ and topping 117’ these motor yachts are all impressive, to say the least. Expect to see features like huge tender garages, enough private cabins to serve the extended family plus crew, and even the possibility of integrating a hot tub into the bow. Building since 1978, Ocean Alexander builds on a semi-custom basis and owners can choose between layout options, interior décor and design, and receive regular updates and photographs throughout the construction process.
See Ocean Alexander motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
Outer Reef
Outer Reef builds a huge range of motor yachts stretching from 55’ all the way to 115’. While there’s a great deal of diversity in this lineup, the builder is best known for its Classic Series cockpit motor yachts. Interior design is semicustom to the owner’s taste and construction techniques include vacuum infusion. These motor yachts are designed for long-distance cruising, often with performance similar to that of a trawler and expansive range capabilities. In fact, many of these are boats with transoceanic capabilities, Ocean Category A standards, and a maximum range measured in thousands of miles.
See Outer Reef motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
Palm Beach
There are nine different models in the Palm Beach lineup, ranging from 42’ to 70’. These are a mix of sedan and flybridge boats, which are sleek and curvaceous. The performance lives up to the sporty lines, too, and most can cruise at over 30 mph. The GT60, powered with a pair of Volvo IPS 1350s, can break the 45-mph mark. Weight is minimized with high-tech construction including the use of e-glass, closed-cell foam core, unidirectional and multiaxial carbon fiber, and vacuum infusion. On the design side, Palm Beach takes pains to ensure a low center of gravity and engineered rigidity in the boat’s structure.
See Palm Beach motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
Prestige
Prestige prides itself on building family yachts ideal for cruising, with a model line spanning from 40’ to 70’. These include coupe and flybridge styles, as well as a power catamaran (the M48). Interiors are designed to be modern and luxurious but not ostentatious, and several exterior features include modular transforming designs with shape-shifting furniture capable of fulfilling more than one mission. Prestige is part of Groupe Beneteau, one of the largest boat builders in the world, and as such benefits from companywide perks like access to the Seanapps remote monitoring system and app.
See Prestige motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
Riviera
Australian builder Riviera calls itself the “largest luxury yacht building facility in the Southern Hemisphere.” Their extensive lineup includes sedan, flybridge, and enclosed flybridge models plus the Belize line of sedan and flybridge motor yachts, and ranges from the 395 SUV to the 78 Motor Yacht. Construction touches include digital knitting and CNC-cut timber, color-coded plumbing and wiring runs, and the use of premium New Zealand leathers. Unlike many builders, prior to delivery Riviera sea trials every boat for four to six hours with an engineer, electrician, and engine manufacturer’s representative aboard, to ensure a trouble-free delivery.
See Riviera motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
Sabre
Boaters searching for classic looks and modern performance will quickly run across Sabre, a Maine-built brand which has been building since 1970. The Sabre line starts out at 38’ and ranges up to 58’, and includes salon and flybridge models all designed in the Downeast tradition. Construction is cutting edge with vacuum infusion, and includes constant monitoring with a 600-point inspection to ensure perfection in the build process and in the final product. A standout feature of their entire line is a large, open aft cockpit with plenty of seating for outdoor entertainment.
See Sabre motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
Schaefer
Applying high-tech construction including resin infusion and a 5-axis CNC milling machine, Schaefer is the largest yacht manufacturer in Brazil. They pride themselves on being vertically integrated and keeping upholstery and woodworking in-house, allowing for complete quality control. The Schaefer lineup includes a pair of open dayboats with the motor yacht range beginning at 40’ and running up to 81’. Boats over 51’ are flybridge models, while smaller offerings in the lineup are a mix of flybridge motor yachts and salon-style boats.
See Schaefer motor yachts for sale on boats.com.
The motor yacht market is quite vast, and finding your perfect boat is never an easy task. We’d dare say, however, that any of the brands on our list would make a motor yacht owner happy. Very, very happy, indeed.
