frank fertitta yacht

Sail The Ocean With The $250 Million Superyacht Of UFC Owner Frank Fertitta III

Frank Fertitta III's superyacht is the definition of luxury in the ocean.

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One of the most expensive superyachts in the world, opulent interior and exterior, the legendary makers of the superyacht.

It has only been a few months since Frank Fertitta, who also owns the UFC, received delivery of the magnificent yacht "Viva" in June. "Viva" is a 94-meter-long luxury yacht built by Feadship at their shipyard in Kaag, Netherlands.

Viva was recently completed and delivered in the Netherlands. She was designed by Azure Yacht Design & Naval Architecture in collaboration with De Voogt Naval Architects, while Peter Marino designed her interiors. Let’s take a look inside the $250 million superyacht of UFC owner Frank Fertitta III.

There is an almost endless amount of evidence regarding how Frank Fertitta III acquired his wealth, ranging from his current position as CEO of Station Casinos to how he, along with his brother Lorenzo and childhood friend Dana White, turned the Ultimate Fighting Championship into a multi-billion dollar business.

However, the manner in which he chooses to spend such wealth is somewhat less evident (at least for the fun stuff). The ultra-luxurious superyacht Viva, which was built by Feadship and has a jaw-dropping price tag of $250 million, is an example of such a luxury acquisition. The eldest Fertitta sibling stated that he made this transaction for himself.

It should be noted that Feadship appears to be the Fertitta family's preferred shipbuilder. Lorenzo Fertitta is the owner of the 285-foot-long (87-meter-long), Feadship-built Lonian , which costs $160 million. Tilman Fertitta, the cousin of the Fertitta brothers, is the happy owner of a more modest Westport Yachts-built vessel in Boardwalk. This vessel achieves a maximum length of 163 feet or 50 meters and costs $27 million, which is significantly more reasonable than the preceding vessel.

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Peter Marino designed the interior, and Azure Yacht Design designed the exterior. At the stern of the upper deck are a gym, a beach club, a theater, a beauty salon, underwater lighting, an elevator, and a helipad. In addition, the ship has a cinema and a beauty salon. The hull of Viva is composed of steel, while the superstructure and decks are made of teak and aluminum, respectively. It has two diesel-electric MTU engines , each with 16 cylinders, 3,916 horsepower, and 2,050 revolutions per minute. It can achieve its top speed of 20 knots while maintaining a cruising speed of approximately 12 knots.

Its freshwater tanks have a capacity of around 71,000 liters, while its fuel tanks can hold approximately 280,000 liters of gasoline. The owner wanted their new mega yacht, which is 94 meters long and built by Feadship like their prior mega yacht, which was 32 meters shorter, to have a smaller environmental impact than their previous mega yacht. In addition to adopting hybrid propulsion, the owner requested that the exterior and interior design of the superyacht adhere to a minimalist aesthetic because they belong to the "less is more" philosophical school.

Consequently, one can witness clean lines and an abundance of glass. The interior design of the superyacht is reminiscent of a beach cottage. In order to reduce fuel consumption, the hull has been made more aerodynamic. The motor yacht Viva measures 94 meters in length. The superyacht has a beam of 13.6 meters and can carry 2,999 gross tons of cargo. On board the superyacht Viva, there is space for a maximum of 14 passengers.

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The Viva is the seventh-largest yacht manufactured by Feadship. In April 2021, Viva departed the Dutch shipyard and steered with extreme caution through the Dutch canals, coming dangerously close to colliding with canal-side structures. Feadship, which has its headquarters in the Netherlands and a history dating back to 1849, is frequently recognized as the most successful company in the sector of manufacturing pure custom million-dollar superyachts .

Each vessel in the Feadship fleet sets a new standard for craftsmanship, design, engineering, and construction. This is because each new Feadship indicates an improvement over their prior efforts. This is what the corporation refers to as its unrelenting pursuit of excellence. In every manner, the brand-new superyacht Viva exhibits this degree of excellence.

In addition, the year 2022 will mark 73 years since the founding of Feadship. Although the three key players in the First Export Association of Dutch Shipbuilders each had histories dating back several decades further, the official creation of what is now the world's foremost superyacht brand took place in an Amsterdam café in 1949.

Every new Feadship is an accomplishment in and of itself, as its builders constantly strive to redefine what defines perfection and ensure that each new model is structurally and technologically greater than the one that came before it. This strategy produces yachts that cannot be duplicated because they include space-age technologies and ultramodern design techniques. The Viva superyacht is, without a doubt, the finest of its kind.

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Sources: Boss Hunting , Superyacht Times , Superyacht fan

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Boat of the Week: Meet ‘Boardwalk,’ Houston Rockets Owner Tilman Fertitta’s Showstopping 252-Foot Superyacht

This vessel has a long, instantly recognizable profile. but it's the myriad interior details—and the interplay of light and crystal—that define her., michael verdon, michael verdon's most recent stories.

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At the end of February, Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta and his family held an annual Mardi Gras celebration, which they call the San Luis Salute. The event, which included local officials and celebrities, was headlined by the band Maroon 5. But the most visible VIP guest at the gala was Fertitta’s majestic new superyacht, Boardwalk.  

The 252-foot Feadship is indeed a showstopper. It was the largest vessel at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show, and hundreds of people walking the docks took selfies against Boardwalk ’s towering stern, with a H130 helicopter perched on the top deck. Fertitta and his family enjoyed the show from the comfort of the yacht—from the main-deck’s rear cockpit lounge to be precise.

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It’s Fertitta’s favorite spot on his new yacht, a sanctuary protected from the wind and sun, but still exposed to the ocean. It’s also a microcosm of Boardwalk ’s very intricate design. The stern has the requisite lounges, bar and large flat-screen television, but that’s where it differs from other yachts. The ceiling has delicate curves, there are many lights embedded into the area above the bar, and the trim on the columns supporting the stern’s overhang is highly stylized.

The abundance of crystal and lighting define Boardwalk ‘s formal dining area.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

“I don’t think any other owner pays as much attention to the details,” Fertitta told Robb Report during a visit to the yacht. “If you look at the bigger yachts, they really don’t vary much with standard features like ceilings and lighting.”

“Tilman came in with all the important details—all the details that really make the difference in this boat,” adds Amy Halffman, who worked closely with Fertitta on the design. “He’s an extreme detail man, down to the quarter of an inch.”

The Houston entrepreneur has made a highly successful career out of paying attention to the details. Named by Forbes as the “World’s Wealthiest Restaurateur,” the chairman of Fertitta Entertainment and chairman of Landry’s has an empire that also includes the Houston Rockets NBA team, multiple restaurants, Bentley and Rolls-Royce dealerships, and five-star hotels.

The contrast of the black stairwell with the white floors is dramatic, nicely offset by the custom stainless-steel inlays along the railings.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Fertitta’s Post Oak Hotel in Houston, in fact, provided inspiration for Boardwalk . “We spent a lot of time meeting at the hotel,” says Halffman. “He had a lot of input into that design, which is classy and elegant, so we decided to reflect that style on the yacht.”

This Feadship is actually Halffman’s fifth yacht project with Fertitta, the other four Boardwalks being a succession of ever-larger Westports, the most recent being 165 feet in length. After owning it for 12 years, “it felt like time for a larger project,” says Fertitta. “One that was more complex and elaborate.”

While upsizing by almost 100 feet sounds like a simple hull stretch, the Feadship has 1,848 gross tonnes of interior volume, compared to 492 on the last Westport—in other words, the latest Boardwalk has nearly four times as much interior as the last one. That makes not only for a very complicated build—something which bespoke builder Feadship is used to—but also a new mindset for the interior design, which the design team needed to wrap their heads around.

A more relaxed vibe in the owner’s office.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Halffman and design partner Frank Woll came up with the concept about four years ago, and then worked closely with the owner on the yacht’s many features. There are hundreds of features, seen and unseen, that distinguish the interior.

The most noticeable—arresting, in fact—is a whimsical, fantasy-like sculpture of a bronze female form with a dress of flowing crystals, diamonds and pearls. The work by Estella Fransbergen is strategically placed in the main entry. “She’s like a guardian angel,” says the sculptor, noting it took nearly two years to complete. “She was originally going to be placed by the staircase, but we moved her so she greets everyone.”

“I’d seen Estella’s work years ago and admired it,” says Halffman. “The torso of the woman’s body appealed to everyone and proved to be a launchpad for me. It played off all the other features.” They include an enormous crystal in the main foyer, pendant chandeliers in the formal dining area beside a case with crystal wear, and bespoke crystal light fixtures on the nearby stairway—which also has a beautiful stainless railing that resembles a feature from the last Boardwalk , but on a much grander scale.

The main salon, with detailed lighting overhead. Notice the backlighting on the rear bar.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

The designers looked for striking but elegant stones—a white opal for the salon and an onice grigio for the sky lounge—mixed with Sapele, mahogany and other dark-stained woods that show contrast with the light-colored fabrics and tiling. The wine cellar even has a custom stainless-steel design that gives it a distinctive look. In all, 55 stones, marbles and tiles were used across the yacht.

Of course, all these stunning details were made possible by the ubiquitous placement of lighting, both direct and indirect, something that Fertitta understands with almost a scientific precision. His previous Westport had four times more lights than the yard had ever put on the 164-foot series. This Feadship paid even more attention to the lighting. Even the beach club, with its lounge and dedicated dive and watersports locker, has a stylish, deliberate look. The bar has a light fixture comprised of Swarovski crystals.

The yacht, though immense, is easy to navigate. Fertitta and longtime captain Tristan Judson paid attention to the functional aspects, creating an open foredeck where the two Hogdon-built tenders are stored, adding the ability to use the massive area for social occasions. The sundeck has a mosaic-tiled swimming pool, and above that is an observation deck with a mast. On that level, one gets a sense of how large Boardwalk really is, surrounded by smaller superyachts at the Fort Lauderdale show.

The intricate details on the day head—typically a forgotten space—give a sense of the how the design team approached the interior.  Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Still, the owner and his designers managed to keep a sense of intimacy throughout, installing what they call a “country kitchen” as the owner’s galley, to allow more informal meals and socializing than the main dining room, while retaining the yacht’s professional galley for the staff on another deck. Fertitta, who often works on board, has an office dressed with light-colored fabrics, lounges and glass doors to access the exterior decks.

The Feadship may not be Fertitta’s last yacht. Rumor has it that he’s talking to European yards about an even larger Boardwalk . When asked about it, he says simply: “I love to build things.”

Some other angles.

Courtesy Fertitta Entertainment

Courtesy Boardwalk

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$175 Million Superyacht Viva Moored Off Nantucket

Jason Graziadei • Jul 06, 2022

If you’ve arrived or departed from the island by boat over the past few days, you couldn’t have missed the gargantuan visitor lurking just offshore.

The 308-foot superyacht Viva was moored off Nantucket earlier this week, just outside the jetties, as the massive vessel was too large to navigate into the harbor. It departed for Martha's Vineyard Wednesday night.

The $175 million Viva, which was built by Feadship in the Netherlands and completed just last year, features its own helicopter which has been spotted circling around the island this week. It is the 85th largest superyacht in the world, and is believed to be owned by billionaire Frank Fertitta III , the CEO of Station Casinos in Las Vegas and founder of Zuffa LLC, the parent company of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).

The yacht’s helicopter sports the tail number N702FF, which was believed to have been chosen for Fertitta’s initials.

"That's definitely one of the biggest vessels I've seen around Nantucket in my 20 years here," Harbormaster Sheila Lucey said on Wednesday.

The yacht has been called the “most environmental-friendly luxury vessel of its kind” as it features a hybrid propulsion system that allows the boat to travel at 12 knots under diesel-electric power, as well as a waste treatment plant and heat recovering systems on board. Its annual running costs are reported to be in excess of $17.5 million .

Viva has a steel hull and an aluminum superstructure. Among its many amenities are a cinema, a beauty salon, a gym, and, of course, a helipad on the upper deck.

Following its construction in the Dutch shipyard, the massive yacht had to squeeze through narrow canals to make it out to sea, as documented in these photos shared by CNN last year.

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M/Y VIVA 94m Super Yacht by Feadship

• €200,000,000
• Property ID

✨ Viva: A Maritime Symphony of Opulence 🚢🌟

Embark on a voyage of luxury aboard the magnificent superyacht Viva, a true masterpiece born from the skilled hands of Feadship in 2021. Let’s delve deeper into the opulent world that this 94m nautical wonder, owned by the illustrious billionaire Frank Fertitta, unfolds.

🌐 Design & Craftsmanship:

• Crafted by Feadship, a Dutch yacht-building legend 🇳🇱
• Azure Yacht Design & Naval Architecture’s exterior allure 🎨
• Interior elegance curated by Peter Marino 🛋️

🚀 Technical Marvels:

• Powered by cutting-edge MTU engines 🚤
• Maximum speed of 20 knots for swift journeys 🌊
• Impressive range of over 5,000 nautical miles ⚓

🛏️ Luxurious Living:

• Accommodates up to 14 guests in lavish quarters 🛏️
• A dedicated crew of 18 ensures seamless service 💼

👨‍💼 Ownership & Legacy:

• Proudly owned by Frank Fertitta, the visionary billionaire 💰
• Personalized touch with helicopter N702FF, a nod to Fertitta’s initials 🚁

🔱 Feadship Excellence:

• Founded in 1949, Feadship is synonymous with Dutch yachting excellence 🌐
• Custom-built luxury ranging from 40m to over 100m 🏆

🌍 Current Status & Locations:

• Track Viva’s real-time location as it graces different waters 📍
• Currently anchored in Turkish waters, showcasing the yacht’s global exploration 🌍

🔒 Security & Privacy:

• Ensured by advanced technology, making Viva a secure haven ⚔️
• Reflects Fertitta’s commitment to privacy in every ocean crossing 🌊

🔥 Financial Prowess:

• Viva’s cost price: $175 million, reflecting Frank Fertitta’s dedication to yachting excellence 💸
• Annual running costs approximately $18 million, ensuring top-notch maintenance 🛠️
• Frank Fertitta boasts a substantial net worth of $2.8 billion, accumulated through successful business endeavors.

2. Residence:

• His primary residence is in Las Vegas, a city synonymous with entertainment, luxury, and high-stakes ventures.

3. Private Jet:

• Frank Fertitta owns a Bombardier Global 7500 private jet with the registration N762F. The Bombardier Global 7500 is known for its long range and luxurious amenities.

4. Superyacht VIVA 94m:

• The crown jewel of Fertitta’s maritime pursuits is the superyacht Viva, a 94-meter vessel crafted by Feadship in 2021. Viva represents the epitome of luxury and sophistication on the high seas.

5. Source of Wealth:

• Fertitta’s wealth is derived from various sources, including his involvement in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) and Station Casinos.

6. UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship):

• Fertitta is a key figure in the world of mixed martial arts, having been involved in the UFC. The UFC is a premier organization in the sport, contributing significantly to Fertitta’s wealth.

7. Station Casinos:

• Fertitta has interests in Station Casinos, a chain of hotel and casinos in the Las Vegas area. His involvement in the gaming and hospitality industry has been a lucrative venture.

🛳️ Feadship Legacy:

• Feadship’s portfolio includes iconic yachts like Anna, SYMPHONY, and Faith 🏆
• Continues to be the choice of discerning yacht owners worldwide 🌎

⚓ Unveiling Nautical Luxury: #VivaYacht #LuxuryLifestyle #YachtingElegance #FeadshipExcellence 🌊✨

Embark on a visual journey by swiping through breathtaking images of Viva’s interiors, exteriors, and mesmerizing ocean views. Each photo captures the essence of Viva’s opulence, making it a timeless addition to the world of luxury yachting. 📸✨

M/Y VIVA at the Monaco Yacht Show 2021

2021 The latest yacht to be completed by Feadship, Viva is a state-of-the-art hybrid superyacht that is capable of cruising up to 12 knots under green power. Viva’s hull sides have been finished in a special pearl-white finish for a glistening effect in the sunlight.

Superyacht Viva: A Marvel of Elegance and Efficiency

1. Anchored Elegance:

• Witness the breathtaking presence of the 94-meter superyacht Viva as she gracefully anchors off the Lerins Islands in the South of France. Her majestic silhouette reflects the epitome of maritime luxury.

2. Feadship Craftsmanship:

• Crafted with precision and artistry, Viva was built and launched in February 2021 at the esteemed Dutch shipyard Feadship in Kaag, the Netherlands. Feadship’s legacy of excellence is evident in every detail of this extraordinary vessel.

3. Project 817 Unveiled:

• Formerly known as Project 817, Viva emerges as one of the largest superyachts to be launched by Feadship. This nautical masterpiece is the collaborative design work of Azure Yacht Design and Feadship’s Studio De Voogt.

4. Peter Marino’s Interior Brilliance:

• The interior of Viva is a testament to the brilliance of Peter Marino’s design studio. Described as a beach house by the builder, the yacht’s interior resonates with the owner’s ‘less is more’ philosophy, showcasing clean lines and uncluttered elegance.

5. Natural Light Abundance:

• A standout feature of Viva is the curved floor-to-ceiling windows adorning both upper decks. These architectural marvels flood the interior with an abundance of natural light, creating a serene and inviting atmosphere.

6. Hybrid Propulsion Excellence:

• Viva is equipped with a state-of-the-art hybrid propulsion system, exemplifying efficiency and environmental consciousness. The yacht can cruise on diesel-electric power at a comfortable 12 knots, reaching an impressive 20 knots under diesel propulsion.

7. Owner’s Vision:

• The owner’s vision permeates every aspect of Viva’s design, emphasizing a harmonious blend of elegance, functionality, and efficiency. The ‘less is more’ philosophy extends beyond aesthetics to the vessel’s operational efficiency.

As Viva graces the waters with her presence, she stands as a symbol of maritime excellence, where craftsmanship, design, and technological innovation converge to create an unparalleled yachting experience. From the Lerins Islands to the open seas, Viva invites admiration for her timeless beauty and forward-thinking design. #SuperyachtViva #FeadshipExcellence #YachtingElegance #AzureYachtDesign #PeterMarinoDesign #HybridPropulsion #LuxuryAtSea #NauticalInnovation #FeadshipCraftsmanship

VIVA Superyacht departing the port of Gibraltar 31/1/2022

IMO: 9798246 Name: VIVA Vessel Type – Generic: Pleasure Craft Vessel Type – Detailed: Houseboat Status: Active MMSI: 319179500 Call Sign: ZGKK9 Flag: Cayman Is [KY] Gross Tonnage: 2999 Summer DWT: 401 t Length Overall x Breadth Extreme: 94 x 14 m Year Built: 2021

• Property ID: 129516
• Price: €200,000,000
• Property Type: FEADSHIP
• Property Status: Monaco Yacht Show, New Costruction, Sold
• Yacht Name: VIVA
• Ship Yard: Feadship
• Yacht Designer: Azure Yacht Design
• Interior Designer: Peter Marino
• Naval Design: Exterior
• IMO: 9798246
• MSSI: 319179500

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