Inside AB Yachts’ stylish and speedy 34m model

There will always be a client who wants the fastest boat on the market, according to Roy Capasso, AB Yachts’ head of sales and “we will always be a leader in this niche”, he says. But in the last few years, the brand has been considering new ways to stand out in the marketplace.

Enter the 33.7-metre AB110. While being careful not to stray too far from its successful speed-oriented MO, AB Yachts has created a new addition to its fleet that packs in more length, more volume and crucially, a little bit more liveability. Archea Associati is responsible for both exterior and interior design, but the designers worked closely with the builder’s internal team on the design. The collaboration was a winning one, earning the yacht a Neptune for her category at the 2025 World Superyacht Awards.

The new model made its debut at the 2024 Cannes Yachting Festival and went on to appear at the Genoa Boat Show, which is where I pay it a visit. I arrive at Next Yacht Group, the parent company of AB Yachts, and wait patiently for my tour to begin, admiring a teak-clad, on-water lounge arrangement with built-in sofa seating on a superyacht just opposite the AB Yachts stand. It takes me a moment to realise that this is the boat I’ve come to see. I had been expecting the more traditional sloped transom and stubby swim platform that’s common on sport yachts, not this delightfully inviting lounge set-up.

AB Yachts has created a new addition to its fleet that packs in more length, more volume and crucially, a little more liveability

Looking at the yacht’s profile, you can see this modern evolution in the lines, as well. While older AB models have that aggressively sharp, bullet-shaped silhouette and a slicked-back windshield, the 110 has a relatively straight sheer with a raked windshield. The superstructure looks boxed-in as a result, and you can see almost straight through it because of the excess of glass that covers the main deck.

The galley area is a particular focal point on hull No 1, featuring a curved bar finished with ribbed panelling, a near-seamless countertop and a wood-topped segment for serving drinks. The bar “appears to float above the floor”, notes Alessandro de Pascalis, head of AB Yachts’ style and design office.

It’s “designed as a sculptural and airy element”, which is supported by a hidden teak stand. The bar and adjacent pantry unit hide “a fully equipped kitchen, complete with an induction hob, oven, ice maker, and dishwasher, all cleverly concealed to preserve the purity of the lines and the harmony of the surrounding environment,” de Pascalis explains.

Fine-tuning a yacht to be both spacious and sporty is invariably going to be a challenge, but the AB110 has an interesting mix of both features

The galley is “a piece of art”, says Capasso, installed as a showcase for what AB Yachts and its suppliers can achieve. But the feedback they got was that it commanded too much space, and future hulls will feature either a reduced galley size or will move the galley entirely below deck. The four-cabin configuration will stay the same in either scenario, but the VIP would end up being a touch smaller if the galley were relocated
to the lower deck.

Fine-tuning a yacht to be both spacious and sporty is invariably going to be a challenge, but the AB110 has an interesting mix of both features. Forward of the helm, you’ll find twin sets of steps to port and starboard that lead to the lower deck, and the depth of the stairwell lends the design a cathedral-like airiness.

The steps are gently curved and “cascade” down to a corridor with deep pile carpet that extends to all the cabins and gives the yacht a “feeling of cosiness”, says de Pascalis. Natural light streams in from a skylight overhead, and the glass windows on both sides of the saloon are full-height and can be slid open to make the saloon semi al fresco.

The water-level lounge and swim platform which so impressed me double as a hydraulic tender garage. It was built by Italian supplier Besenzoni, and at the touch of a button, the curved teak upper segment lifts up, the sofa folds in and there’s space for a tender of up to five metres. It’s a slick solution, says Piergiorgio Belardini, AB Yachts’ project management manager. “The installation is pretty simple, but the most captivating thing is how easy the tender launching and hauling operation [becomes],” he says.

There are, however, classic hallmarks of sport yachts evident on the AB110, as well. Geometrically shaped steps made of carbon fibre flank the aft deck and lead up to the sundeck, and the sharp lines of lighting bars carve out the lower deck corridor, the stairwells and the overheads. Lighting bars also underlight many of the fixed components throughout the yacht’s interior and they can change colour, too, for added ambience.

The AB110 is billed with a top speed of 43 knots, which isn’t quite the hair-raising 60 knots of her sisters, but it’s still remarkably fast for a near-34-metre. While efficiency isn’t usually something that goes hand in hand with speed, Capasso says that the lightweight construction and optimised hull have actually helped make the yacht less fuel- guzzling than you might expect.

The design teams had a “relentless focus on lightness”, says Belardini, coupled with “an obsessive attention to detail”, according to de Pascalis. The yacht being equipped with triple MAN engines helps, too. “Being fast does not mean to burn more fuel,” says Capasso. “Of course, at a certain speed you burn more fuel. But consider that you can just have one engine as a booster.”

The design teams had a relentless focus on lightness, coupled with an obsessive attention to detail

Essentially, this means that “the boat has a consumption that you can compare to [a] motor yacht of the same size [with two engines] that goes much slower.” Driveability and efficiency are also improved thanks to the use of waterjets – something that AB Yachts has been championing since the 1990s.

AB Yachts builds on spec, which demonstrates a good understanding of their clients. After all, anyone who feels the need to zip around at high speed probably won’t appreciate a long wait for a new yacht, and building on speculation means that a client’s lead time is greatly reduced. The first hull of the AB110 has already found an owner. A fast track for a fast boat - one that’s also well-configured for life in the slow lane.