Ximena brings a full-custom ethos to the sub-50-metre boat

You might say that 43-metre Ximena is a yacht of firsts. She was the first new yacht from Turkish builder Alia Yachts to make it to an American boat show. The first-ever yacht interior project for an experienced, though relatively young, design and architecture firm, Yodezeen. And Ximena was the first large yacht for entrepreneurs Timo and Ximena Kipp – the founder of fashion brand Mialé and the yacht’s namesake. It’s also a rare find in this size range: a full-custom yacht below 40 metres with a level of design detail usually only found in larger superyachts.

The owners took delivery in early 2026. The yacht, loaded onto a transport ship and lowered into the cargo hold, journeyed to Florida with little time to spare for her boat show debut in West Palm Beach, so the owners, who were on board during the show, had no time to enjoy it before then.

“We just got a crew together and got it ready for the boat show,” Timo Kipp says of the couple’s first superyacht. “I always had centre consoles in Miami; this is our first big boat. It was always a childhood dream to have a boat of this size, but then to build one – it was just another level.”

And when asked what he loved most about their new yacht, he says: “The attention to detail and the craftsmanship. I really want to spend time just following the lines with my finger along all the seams and stitching and just appreciate it.

This is understandable. From the transom with a glass-enclosed beach club to the lounge at the bow and every space in between, the design invites touch and contemplation. Like a red thread linking the spaces, piping delineates the outdoor furniture and the interior walls. The blend of colours is subtle yet inviting, and the textures varied, from buttery leathers to natural woods, brushed metals, marble, layered textures and glass.

There is a sense of ease baked into the design, with lines and textures uniting the openair spaces with the interior’s air-conditioned luxury. It’s sophisticated but eminently liveable. Artur Sharf, co-founder and lead architect at Yodezeen, says the design “reflects a refined approach to modern minimalism, centred on light, natural materials… More than a yacht, it’s a fully immersive luxury experience on the water, designed for both relaxation and elevated living.”

A raised pilothouse design with the taut lines of a bow ready to release an arrow and the architectural balance – and minimal ornaments – that the vastly experienced Frank Laupman of Omega Architects brings to this project, Ximena has a remote connection to a yacht launched 10 years before, the 60-metre Samurai.

This distinctive yacht, which was not shown publicly until much later, was the product of a collaboration between Alia Yachts, Omega Architects and Van Oossanen Naval Architects. The latter also are part of the team behind this new custom yacht. The newcomer in the equation is Yodezeen.

“We were following their work, my wife especially, I must say,” says Alia Yachts owner Gokhan Celik, who tapped the firm for this project. “They do a great job and show great taste.” Yodezeen’s sophisticated touch has attracted a large clientele from the Middle East and the US.

With offices in Miami, Kyiv, Ukraine, Warsaw, Poland, London and Dubai, the 15-year-old firm has forged a reputation for sophisticated design rooted in architectural principles. They work primarily in the residential space but have tackled projects as varied as private jets, a mosque in Saudi Arabia and an upcoming project in California’s luxury hospitality space.

So how does Samurai fit into the equation? The owners of Ximena spotted her in Monaco and liked what they saw. “Samurai is a wonderful boat,” Kipp says. But there is more to their decision. Kipp and Alia Yachts’s founder, Gökhan Celik, are long-time friends. “We met in high school,” Kipp explains. “And we stayed friends since then. I love his passion.”

Soft transitions, layered textures and carefully controlled natural light create a feeling of serenity

Kipp has also been passionate about boats from a young age. “My father subscribed to BOAT International, and it inspired me,” he says. Although he admits he is not an artist, he’s drawn boats and keeps his early sketches on his phone.

While the design fits the couple like a well tailored glove, down to the stylish full-height wardrobe in the main suite, ideal for holding her sophisticated fashions behind smoked glass, there was always a thought that this 43-metre pilothouse design might attract new clients to Alia Yachts – and as of this writing, Ximena is on the market, offered for sale by Christie Yachts.

The all-aluminium Ximena makes sense as a Florida boat, where she currently resides. A relatively shallow draught (just over two metres), good speed and a size that does not restrict her to hard-to-find big slips make this yacht a great choice to run between Miami and the Bahamas. It is both relatively speedy with two MTU engines delivering 22.5 knots, and capable of running 3,200 nautical miles at a reduced speed of 12 knots, which makes her well suited to the Caribbean.

The design “reflects a refined approach to modern minimalism, centred on light and natural materials”

She is based on Dutch naval architect Van Oossanen’s patented Fast Displacement Hull Form, with a pelican-beak bow for increased speed and range. She is also stylish, meaning her exterior architectural features will hold their own on a modern waterfront such as Miami’s.

Obviously, these features don’t just work in the Caribbean and Florida. She would make an excellent islandhopper in the Balearics, Greece, Turkey and Italy, too. For hard-to-reach creeks and coves, the yacht comes with a 6.5-metre tender, fitted transversally between the beach and engine room.

Alia Yachts is no stranger to custom yachts. Looking at the latest production from their busy shipyard in Antalya, Turkey, you’ll notice no two yachts are even closely related. The shipyard just launched its flagship in terms of size, the 60-metre Serenity II (bigger in gross tonnage than Samurai), as well as the award-winning SAN, conceived as a very large, very luxurious “day boat” at 45 metres, a support vessel that morphed into the 53-metre multi-purpose Limerence, and more unique boats designed around their owners’ very specific needs.

Ximena, on the other hand, is highly reproducible. She could be the start of a semi-custom line, a business model the founders of Alia have not previously felt inclined to embrace. They have pursued quality over numbers. However, this 43-metre pilothouse could serve many different masters with versatility built in. Speed, long range, a variety of spaces, a big swim platform, shallow draught and five cabins for friends and families to travel together – she is the complete package.

The beach club can also be set up with a well-equipped gym, as is the case on Ximena. “I like this space a lot,” Celik says. “And this dark glass mirror gives us the effect of a bigger space; you feel and can see the ocean from both sides,” he says of the smoked mirror facing the glass enclosure and the sea beyond it.

With what he calls “lazy stairs”, meaning they are easy on the way up and down, the gym is connected to a vast platform where you can lounge in the sun, suit up for a dive or take a nice freshwater rinse after a dip.

From the transom with its beach club to the lounge at the bow and every space in between, the design invites touch and contemplation

Ximena’s sunken flybridge deck, aptly integrated into the profile, offers sheltered openair lounging with a beautiful spa pool elevated within a nest of sunpads. It comes as a total surprise, as it is virtually invisible from the dock or water level despite its elevation.

Laupman subtly raised the bulwarks on both sides for protection and ended them with an arrow-like feature that adds to the visual length. The lounge up front offers views for sundowners and horizon contemplation, while a helm with two seats offers an option for steering al fresco.

“You can be on the platform enjoying the water, on the aft deck, on the flybridge – you can be separated to do different things, or together,” Celik notes. “She gives a lot of spaces for entertainment.” To that end, Ximena is fitted with a large outdoor television screen and a top-notch sound system. However, she was never meant to be a brash, showy yacht, but much more a laidback platform for pleasure, an island-hopper with open spaces for entertaining.

This relaxed approach continues holistically into the interior, with the Yodezeen team deciding to carry features from the exterior inside. The design choices invite a game of ‘find the common thread’. “The interiors are built around a restrained palette of warm natural woods, light stone, brushed metals, glass, brass and tactile fabrics,” Sharf says.

“Instead of visual overload, the project focuses on atmosphere - soft transitions between spaces, layered textures and carefully controlled natural light create a feeling of serenity throughout the yacht.”

Sharf goes through the details that connect, such as the backlit columns framing the floor-toceiling windows that recall the backlit bar, and a copper ceiling dome suggesting the movement of water fully visible through the windows and reproduced on several glass surfaces.

She was never meant to be a brash, showy yacht but rather a laid-back island-hopper with open spaces for entertaining

“We found the glass, with this wave, just to match with the wave in the ceiling,” he says. Metallic details, in rich golden tones rather than the brash stainless steel, spread to the walls while on the floor, wood planks in varied sizes recall the outdoor decks but also exude a residential feel. A custom bar in white onyx greets guests as they enter the saloon where curved sofas occupy a central position under a dome in metal. Beyond is a dining table in front of a feature wall in metallic mesh and textured plaster.

Despite her low-profile, Ximena has surprisingly high ceilings – a minimum of 2.1 metres on the main deck – which is emphasised by the furniture choice and window size. This, with carefully placed lighting, rounded edges and floating features, contributes to the feeling of ease on board. According to Sharf, the main saloon was designed as “a sophisticated residential lounge on water and the emotional centre of the yacht”.

The design combines architectural restraint with collectible design pieces from internationally recognised brands, including Flexform, Paolo Castelli, Vincenzo De Cotiis and Minotti. The colour register is consistent but never plain or boring. Feature marbles in the bathrooms – Grigio Reale in the owner’s suite and Silk Georgette for the guest cabins – were selected for their decorative veining; the abundant travertine for the association it creates with a relaxing spa atmosphere.

Looks, however, were never the only consideration. “Every material was selected not only for aesthetics, but also for tactile quality and longterm durability within a marine environment,” Sharf says.

Except for a few lighting pieces acquired to complement the design, and the furniture, customised for the clients, everything was done at the yard, which built the yacht according to Lloyd’s classification rules. She is conceived as a bigger yacht in ambition and scope, only to fit within a smaller, more practical envelope. Not such an easy task after all.

First published in the August2026 issue of BOAT International. Get this magazine sent straight to your door, or subscribe and never miss an issue.