One of the world's wildest superyachts was designed because its owner wanted breakfast in Saint-Tropez, lunch in Monaco and dinner in Portofino
Published on Oct 12, 2025 at 6:50 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Oct 09, 2025 at 9:17 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
The stunning and surprisingly fast Thunder superyacht was created with a single goal in mind: allowing its owner to have breakfast in Saint-Tropez, lunch in Monaco, and dinner in Portofino.
Built in 1998 by Oceanfast, Thunder is one of the fastest superyachts out there.
But of course, the 164-feet vessel isn’t just fast, its interiors were designed by Roberto Cavalli and are about as opulent as you’ll ever see.
Onboard there’s six suites, including a VIP cabin, and a swimming pool.
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The Thunder superyacht produces a staggering 10,500 horsepower
When the world’s richest want to get their very own superyacht, they’re happy to splash the cash to get exactly what they want.
Like the owner of this vessel, who asked Porsche to design a ‘spaceship on water’, or the man who commissioned a 146-foot superyacht that is a floating tribute to Top Gun.
When the late Greek shipping magnate Theo Angelopoulos commissioned his superyacht in 1998, he had a specific goal in mind.
According to reports, Angelopoulos had wanted a vessel that would allow him to have breakfast in Saint-Tropez, lunch in Monaco, and dinner in Portofino.
For that, he needed something fast.
Jon Bannenberg was called in to design the boat, and he introduced a 4,600hp engine to its existing 5,900hp twin MTU V16 diesels – resulting in a total combined output of 10,500hp.
All that power means the boat is able to travel at speeds of up to 40 knots, around 46mph.
Legendary designer Roberto Cavalli was called in to give it an overhaul and now the place looks like a floating palace.
The interiors were crafted using the finest materials, including exotic woods, imported marbles, and ‘dimpled stingray skin’, which is a new one for us.
The superyacht’s hull is painted with real gold leaf
It wasn’t just Thunder’s interiors that were given a luxe makeover, either.
The hull of the superyacht has been painted with real gold leaf inside a clear coat and edged in silver paint containing silver flakes.
Fancy.
“Everything about the refit was done with absolutely no concern for cost,” former captain Maksym Burgazli told Robb Report.
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
