When George Chirakadze, president and CEO of Lazzara Yachts, applies his background as a nuclear physicist to yacht design, the result is a vessel engineered with a level of redundancy – and a respect for the harshness of the marine environment – that most builders overlook. The 30.5-metre UHV 100, delivered to her owner this summer, is the American brand's latest expression of a philosophy in which yachts are built to last for decades. In September, she won the Best Functionality award at the World Yachts Trophies 2026 in Cannes.
The nuclear mindset
"When you are dealing with anything nuclear – as an engineer, a physicist or a nuclear specialist – you learn to respect the technology and to respect redundancy: verification, checking and re-checking what you are doing," Chirakadze explains. "Because in nuclear, you don't have a second chance." This mindset has fundamentally shaped how Lazzara approaches yacht construction.
He continues: "In boating and yachting, what we are dealing with every day is a very, very harsh and unforgiving environment: salt water, sun, humidity and UV. Owners and crew often underestimate how difficult it is for a vessel to survive in those conditions. You need to respect the environment the boat is in, make sure that everything is done properly, and know what happens if something fails catastrophically. Connecting my earlier nuclear experience to boating and yachting has brought a completely different way of thinking, and a different respect for these vessels."
At the core of the UHV 100 is a build quality that exceeds conventional industry standards. Advanced epoxy E-glass composites and aviation-grade core materials are used throughout the hull and superstructure, delivering structural rigidity, a high strength-to-weight ratio and long-term durability. This is sustainability in its truest form: a yacht designed not only to perform today, but to retain her quality and value for years to come.
The yacht's patented, structurally integrated sea chest eliminates conventional through-hull penetrations, improving hull efficiency, redundancy and serviceability. Critical systems are fully redundant, hard piping is used throughout in place of flexible hoses, and "floating" floors and ceilings reduce noise and vibration. Even the foredeck Jacuzzi reflects intelligent engineering, with a dedicated freshwater system that filters and recirculates its own water.
"When you look at brand-new yachts, almost all of them look great. But after 5, 10, 15, 20 years, you start to realise how your yacht is different from somebody else's," Chirakadze says.
"Our yacht-building techniques are, in many ways, very different, because we are building a yacht to survive 20, 30, 50 years or even more. We need to remember that from the day the yacht is launched until the end of her life, she is vibrating every day. She is subjected to forces far harsher than anything a house or a car ever experiences. For a boat to survive that period of time, she needs to be really well built. If she isn't, it shows immediately in her quality and her performance."
Chirakadze stresses that building better requires not just expensive materials but sophisticated components that work together seamlessly. "When you integrate those products – from the exterior and interior to the stainless steel, the anchors and windlasses and everything else on board – they all need to work together and give the owner a good experience. That is very hard to achieve. At Lazzara, we focus on the components that make a difference."
Learning from real-world experience
Chirakadze's approach to research and development is grounded in first-hand experience. Over the years, he has personally owned numerous yachts of various sizes, built in Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Turkey, the United States and Taiwan.
"The best research and development, and the best place to look at new technology, is an existing boat," he says. "It is the boat that is already built: understanding what doesn't work on that boat, why it doesn't work, and what you would change as an owner to improve it."
He asks practical questions that shape Lazzara's design decisions. How do you reduce squeaking in the interior when the boat is underway? How do you prevent the engine room from becoming too hot or humid? How do you extend the lifespan of each component? How do you make the boat take care of the owner in the same way the owner takes care of it?
"We always try to get feedback from our clients," he adds. "We ask them what they like about our boats, what they don't, what they would improve and what they would recommend. That constant feedback helps us design and engineer a better boat. That is how our yachts stand out from the competition."
A passagemaker with home-like comfort
The "UHV" designation stands for ultra-high volume, a design philosophy that delivers expansive onboard space and an impressive presence on the water. Every inch of the UHV 100 is designed to maximise usable space, offering approximately 260 square metres of interior living area and 125 square metres of exterior deck space – a true home away from home.
Generous outdoor areas flow from the aft deck to the sundeck and the foredeck Jacuzzi lounge, offering plenty of spots for alfresco dining and sunbathing. The interior accommodates up to 10 guests in five suites: a master suite forward on the main deck, and three doubles and a twin on the lower deck. Each space has been carefully designed as a calm and private retreat, combining premium materials with a largely neutral colour palette ready for owners to personalise. There are separate quarters for five crew.
The UHV 100 also features Lazzara's signature lighting system, which is standard across all of the yard's models. What the yard calls "phantom lights" are concealed in small recesses within the yacht's structure rather than intruding on the design.
"What we wanted to do was make an ultra-high-volume yacht that had a lot of the comfort and luxury of much larger vessels, in a shorter length," Chirakadze explains. "A lot of people do not necessarily want more crew, a bigger boat and bigger bills for dockage, insurance, electricity – all of it."
The goal was to create an ultra-high-volume superyacht while maintaining seaworthiness and long-range capability: the UHV 100 has a range of 1,500–2,000 nautical miles. "I would call it a passagemaker," Chirakadze says. "This is a yacht that can go from one port to another, far away: the East or West Coast of the US, all of the Mediterranean, big parts of Asia, where you have long passages to get to a specific port. And while you are cruising, you have the same comfort as at home."
Visit Lazzara Yachts to learn more about the UHV 100.
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