How Gen Z will shape the future of superyacht design

A new generation of younger, entrepreneurial yacht owners is challenging traditional ideas of luxury, prioritising experiences, flexibility, sustainability and well-being over status. Tristan Rutherford speaks to shipyards, designers and industry experts about how their changing expectations could transform superyacht design, ownership and life on board by 2036.

Gen Z, Zoomers, Centennials – call them what you will. The rising generation, now roughly 13 to 29 years old, looks set to reshape the luxury landscape more profoundly than any before it. Many are entrepreneurs, digital natives and early wealth creators. And their tastes – shaped as much by culture and tech as by tradition – are poised to radically transform the way superyachts are designed.

Giovanna Vitelli is already preparing for it. As president of Azimut|Benetti, the world’s largest yacht manufacturer, Vitelli and her marketing team have been looking beyond yachting to fashion, hospitality and luxury influencers to better understand this emerging clientele. “When I consider the new generation,” says Vitelli, “I’m talking about owners who are completely different from the past, with a totally different mindset.”

Much of that difference lies in how this cohort views luxury. While Generation X and Millennials often see it as a way to signal success, ultra-high-net-worth behaviour expert Professor Dr Phil Klaus of the specialist UHNWI bureau Lexden Luxe says Gen Z approaches it very differently.

For them, owning a yacht is not about status but about the experiences it unlocks. Centennials consistently prioritise experiences over possessions, with 65 per cent ranking travel as their top aspiration, according to Booking.com. “The question isn’t, ‘What does this yacht say about me?’” Klaus explains, “but ‘What can this yacht help me experience with the people I care about?’”

Industry leaders are already spotting this new clientele. The shipyards and designers interviewed for this article note that the rapid growth of global businesses is producing a younger cohort of superyacht buyers than previously forecast. According to Forbes’ 2026 World Billionaires List, a record 35 people became billionaires before hitting 30. 

While they account for just one percent of the world’s 3,428 billionaires, their share has increased by 0.4 percentage points since 2025. The youngest billionaire, aged just 22, built their fortune through an AI recruitment startup.

In the next decade – just two build cycles – analysts predict that entrepreneurs in their twenties will enter the billionaire ranks in greater numbers.

“We’ve got more young buyers coming through from tech-related businesses,” confirms Will Green, CEO of Princess Yachts. According to research by Bank of America, Zoomers will become the planet’s largest, wealthiest and highest-spending generation by 2035.

The coming wealth transfer will accelerate that transition. According to UBS’s Global Wealth Report, an unprecedented $83 trillion (£64tn) of assets will pass to the next generation over the next two decades. “I’m selling yachts to the adult children of established clients,” confirms broker Chris Cecil-Wright. “I see those trillions of dollars out there, ready to be moved on.”

What this new cohort does not want, however, is complexity. “I hear it from every single owner I speak to,” says Professor Klaus. “Owning a boat is complicated – almost like running another business.” The only design that truly matters, he argues, is the one that enables the most meaningful experiences with family and friends. Or, as Vitelli puts it: “The new generation wants all the experience without the headaches.”

As this handover unfolds, female ownership is also expected to rise sharply, reinforcing this more experiential approach to luxury. Studies show that women tend to prioritise refinement and artisanship in luxury purchases, while men more often emphasise exclusivity and status.

These new female owners are not just inheriting wealth, they are also part of a generation of highly entrepreneurial wealth creators. A study by Small Business Saturday UK and American Express found that 71 per cent of Zoomers say they are open to starting their own business, compared with just 27 per cent of 45 to 54-year-olds. “In 10 years, we’ll see many young female tech entrepreneurs who have just sold their businesses for $10 billion,” predicts Cecil-Wright. “That demographic is extraordinary – and brilliant.”

This raises the question facing today’s shipyards and owners: what kind of yacht will this young, entrepreneurial and experience-driven generation demand a decade from now?

The future will take many forms, shaped by advances in technology. Yet as much as engineering will influence yacht design, consumer pressure will be equally powerful.

For this new generation of yacht owners, sustainability will no longer be “optional”.  The race is already on to make yachts as efficient as possible, with shipyards exploring a myriad of options.

At Feadship’s Studio De Voogt, the money’s on an ultra-efficient fuel-cell yacht powered by methanol, hydrogen or e-MGO, a low-carbon marine fuel alternative. “Battery technology has already improved enough to provide sufficient capacity for 200- to 300-nautical-mile trips,” says senior specialist Bram Jongepier. By 2036, that range could be far greater.

Renewable energy is set to play an increasingly important role, not just in supplying energy-hungry hotel loads but, some believe, eventually contributing to propulsion. Among the technologies attracting interest are next-generation perovskite solar cells – ultra-light photovoltaic materials that could potentially be sprayed or printed onto surfaces, opening the door to energy-generating hulls and superstructures. 

“Maybe solar paint will allow us to generate energy from every square millimetre of the yacht,” says Nicolas Lapp, CTO and co-founder of Sunreef Yachts. Combined with new wing-sail technology under development, he believes his vessels could achieve near-infinite range using renewable energy sooner than many expect.

Technology aside, experts believe the biggest force shaping superyacht design by 2036 will be the changing ways owners use their yachts.

Younger owners are staying on board far longer, notes designer Stefano Vafiadis. “Two or three months per year is entirely normal,” he says. “They also treat their time on board as a working vacation, detoxing after business and  social commitments.”

As a result, offices and conference facilities will become standard features. Designer Espen Øino has clients who already spend more than six months per year on their yachts. One vessel envisaged by Øino will double as a company headquarters, with corporate guest accommodation built into the plan.

Such projects are possible because of the huge recent improvements in connectivity. “I crossed the Atlantic two weeks ago on one of my boats, [staying] in communication mid-Atlantic with Starlink,” says Øino. Yihharn Liu, a 33-year-old project manager at Winch Design, says this is now taken for granted by his peers. “The younger generation basically treats it as default.”

By 2036, health and wellness will no longer be confined to the gym or spa – it will shape the entire onboard experience, influencing everything from fresh, nutrient-rich menus to adjustable lighting designed to support circadian rhythms. AI will optimise temperature, humidity, lighting and sound automatically, creating a perfect atmosphere without a crew member needing to lift a finger.

The new obsession will be longevity. “People tend to want a much more active lifestyle than 20 years ago,” says Michael Breman, sales director at Lürssen Yachts. Some of the yard’s forthcoming projects include forward spaces designed for sports such as padel and basketball, and their engineers are exploring ways to simulate the health benefits associated with high-altitude living by pressurising cabins on board.

But shouldn’t a young entrepreneur be sipping Moët rather than biohacking inside a hyperbaric chamber? Not according to Jenk Oz, a 20-year-old Gen Z strategist. “After Covid-19, we were massively socially boxed in, and that really hurt our mental health,” Oz explains. For Gen Z, he says, focusing on their well-being gives them a sense of control.

The next generation of owners will also be particularly conscious of how interiors support health and well-being, notes Liu from Winch Design. The studio recently launched the 44-metre Cantiere delle Marche motor yacht Nasiba, where the majority of materials were natural, non-toxic and responsibly sourced. 

Pineapple and banana fibres give surfaces a textured, plaster-like feel while improving air quality and reducing electromagnetic fields, and living plants, tactile materials and soft lighting create a restorative atmosphere, enhancing air quality and minimising environmental impact.

Wellness on board increasingly extends to the crew as well. Hard-working teams are increasingly benefiting from upgraded quarters, reflecting Gen Z’s belief that people are their most valuable asset. “There’s a whole new dignity applied to the crew area,” says designer Giorgio Cassetta, describing an 80-metre-plus yacht he is currently designing that includes private cabins for all crew.  

Some owners even plan to share certain amenities with staff, reflecting a generation that values connection, fairness and shared experience. “Younger people, on an objective level, are way nicer when treating someone else of the same age,” adds Oz.

The general arrangement of yachts has evolved at a greater rate in the last decade than perhaps in the previous three combined, with beach clubs, wellness zones and connected offices now standard. Expect even swifter changes over the next 10 years, as the push for social spaces and sustainability reshapes yacht architecture.

At Studio De Voogt, Jongepier envisions the traditional wheelhouse moving from its lofty position to an internal “command centre” below deck, monitored by hundreds of AI-powered cameras. This not only modernises operations but also frees prime top-deck space for guest use.

Sustainability is also reshaping layouts. Hybrid and electric propulsion is reducing the size and complexity of the traditional engine room, potentially freeing space for guest areas. Feadship’s 2023 Dunes concept employs several passive design features that naturally regulate temperature without mechanical systems – including large deck overhangs to shade the windows, helping keep the interior cooler and reducing the need for air conditioning. 

Dunes is also divided into thermal zones – sleeping quarters are kept cool at 19-20°C, while social areas are slightly warmer at 22-23°C. This way, the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system doesn’t have to cool the entire yacht to the same temperature, reducing overall energy use.

Charter can, of course, help owners offset the yacht’s operating costs – and this appeals to entrepreneurial Zoomers.

“If I’m spending a month a year on this boat,” says Oz, “I could be earning a pay cheque from charter revenue instead of spending money chartering.” With self-made Americans increasingly shaping a younger yacht-buying demographic – evidenced by yacht builder Benetti, which reports the median buyer age in the US is 39 compared with 45 in Europe – buyers are entering the market earlier. 

As a result, vessels designed for both private and charter are becoming attractive to future-proof purchases. Winch Design and Burgess’s recent concept Project Optima, for instance, is optimised to maximise guest revenue, featuring five decks and a 100-square-metre beach club – deck space being a key selling point for charter yachts.

Gen Z – shaped by pandemics, climate anxiety and volatile markets – often values flexibility and liquidity over fixed ownership. “Charter isn’t a rejection of luxury; it’s a redefinition of value,” says Professor Klaus. But they are developing luxury habits earlier than previous cohorts, and when full ownership does appeal, are making their first luxury purchases three to five years sooner than Millennials. They are also more likely to move from chartering to ownership more quickly.

New fractional and shared-ownership models are likely to emerge in the coming years, alongside residential concepts such as the 320-metre Ulyssia – the world’s largest planned residential yacht. “Ulyssia offers a new way of experiencing life on board a yacht, which is particularly appealing to a younger generation seeking flexibility without the responsibilities of full ownership,” says Ulyssia Residences CEO Alain Gruber. 

“Our community will own their private residences on board while the operation and maintenance of the yacht will be managed by Ulyssia’s team.” Ulyssia will travel the world continually, he says. “And they can come and go as they please, knowing their home at sea is always being cared for by a dedicated crew.”

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Ulyssia Residences' 323-metre residential yacht project, Ulyssia

Whatever happens in the future, Zoomers looking to maximise value can expect far more yacht for their money. “With resin infusion, advances in moulding technologies, structural glass, hull improvements and smarter layouts, we are creating more volume than ever before,” explains Green from Princess Yachts. Princess’s forthcoming 106 Odyssey, for example, packs a full tri-deck layout into a 32-metre frame, including a full-beam owner’s suite, three further cabins and an upper saloon.

“Most importantly,” adds Cassetta, “the yachts we design today will set the standard everyone else will follow in five years.” For the next generation of owners, the future isn’t about status; it’s about yachts that are smarter, more personal and built to maximise life experiences. And as technology, sustainability and lifestyle converge, the yachts of 2036 will look, feel and operate very differently from anything we see today.

First published in the August 2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.