Superyachts and So Much More
Francis Design is a company of luxury yacht naval architects Martin Francis of London. The company is one of the foremost successful luxury yacht design studios in the world. Francis has been designing the ultimate luxury yachts for more than 25 years around the world; first in France, then near Nice, and now back in the UK since 2002. Martin Francis claims to have the pleasure of working with a better design team now than he has ever had the opportunity to work with in the past. When Francis Designs is commissioned for a project, according to Martin Francis, the buyer gets only the best.
And the buyer quite possibly also gets the biggest. Francis Designs newest projects consist of a cruise ship for Celebrity Cruise Lines, and two megayachts large enough to house over 40 crew members plus more family than anyone would ever want to be at sea with. The superyachts are smart and classic in design and offer the very best of space and accommodations in the industry. Along with cruising yachts and commercial cruise ships, Francis Designs offers sailing yachts, exploring yachts, and small craft to include tender and speed boats.
Martin Francis, after doing many fittings on classic yachts, believes that the new luxury yacht customers are looking for a classic look with the technology of today. This is what Francis Design can offer.
One of the newest designs coming from Francis Designs is the Sigma, aka SF 99, aka A. The name had changed from Sigma to SF 99 during the design and/or construction phase, but the buyer changed the name to A. A is a 387 foot massive megayacht that is currently going through sea trials. A accommodates 14 guests with an owner’s suite and six guest suites. She also has room to sleep 42 crew members. She will cruise at 19.5 knots or 23 knots at full speed, which is rather fast for a vessel of this size. A is, of course, equipped with all of the most up to date safety and navigational equipment, as well as three elevators and a helipad on the forward main deck. This yacht is so significant that it is being compared to the Maltese Falcon and is drawing paparazzi-ish onlookers.
The Crystal Ball is another recent project by Francis Design, which was slated to launch in 2007, but no details have been released to date. This superyacht is a futuristic design that will be contemporary for years to come, and is quite possibly the largest motor yacht in the world.
Francis Design is not new to designing superyachts, and you won’t find many being offered for sale by owner, either. Many yacht owners start small and upgrade over time. With a Francis Design yacht, the owners have probably upgraded to the top of their class and no further upgrading is needed. You can, however, find a few Francis Design superyachts for charter.
In Monaco and Athens you will see the 1984 Achilles cruising around. This superyacht is nearly 175 feet and accommodates 13 guests and 13 crew. She was completely refitted recently and is in top condition. The cost to charter this ‘old lady of the sea’, as she is called, is $215,000 USD per week. The Buzzy B is a sailing yacht that measures 88.59 feet and accommodates eight guests in four cabins. She was completely rebuilt except her hull and mast in 2003. Buzzy B can be chartered to sail the Mediterranean for just EUR 24,000 to 30,000 per week.
There are some smaller Francis Design yachts for sale, but the general consensus is that if you are going to own a Francis Design, you are going to own a superyacht or more.
