NAUTILUS 650 is a 68.3 m (224 ft) expedition superyacht project by Franco Gnessi / DYD: a ship for all latitudes, built to Ice Class standards and designed for the pure pleasure of navigating anywhere, from the Caribbean to Cape Horn.
"They say the only difference between men and children is the cost of their toys."
The vision
Imagine having no particular economic limits, but needing to steal time from work to satisfy your thirst for knowledge and exploration. You would want a vessel that takes you beyond the journey itself, like opening a beautiful book about exploration. A vessel that lets you swim in warm tropical water off white Caribbean sand, and also witness Cape Horn and the Drake Passage as Sir Ernest Shackleton once did.
The concept
Think of this vessel as an object of enormous versatility: a high-performance hull with protected freeboard and huge spaces for toys, far more of them than on a typical pleasure yacht. NAUTILUS 650 fuses exploration capability with luxurious comfort, so she can reach remote and challenging waters without compromising life on board.
She winks at the oceanographic vessels of the past, but moves beyond "uncomfortable because extreme" to "extremely comfortable yet extreme". The whole vessel is structured like "a Swiss Army knife for millionaires": so many functions that she is not only a luxury superyacht but a true explorer.
Design philosophy
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Adaptive luxury: warm, welcoming spaces configured like a mountain chalet at 3,000 metres, yet fully transformable and openable in milder latitudes.
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Beach club: a large beach platform deploys at the stern, with large hull doors for the water toys and the dive support centre.
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All-weather recreation: two outdoor pools for tropical days, plus the owner's protected indoor pool with panoramic overhead windows for watching the aurora borealis.
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Ice Class design: structure, bow geometry and systems designed for polar operation.
Two moods: closed and open
The design moves from closed expedition mode, with the stern sealed against the cold, to a fully opened tropical setup with the beach club deployed and the toy garage open. She is shown here in two exterior schemes, a light hull and a dark hull.
Deck by deck
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Lower Deck Two: engine room, generators and propulsion systems, crew quarters and mess, and large stores for provisions, spare parts and expedition equipment for long, self-sufficient voyages.
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Lower Deck One: main crew quarters, a fully equipped galley, and the transformable beach club that opens to the water, with storage for tenders, water toys, luggage and expedition gear.
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Main Deck: guest suites with advanced sound insulation, a large social area, laundry, and the helicopter and tender storage.
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Upper Deck One: the main saloon, formal dining and the owner's suite, with an aft deck lounge for al fresco dining, outdoor and indoor pools, sunbathing areas, cinema and lounge.
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Upper Deck Two: the VIP suites, with panoramic windows and observation lounges for tropical seascapes or polar ice.
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Upper Deck Three: the owner's private deck, with secluded observation lounges, bespoke leisure areas and access to the helipad.
Innovation and sustainability
- Hybrid-electric propulsion with an electric mode and low-emission systems
- Hull geometry designed to reduce drag and improve efficiency at all speeds
- Energy management that optimises fuel consumption
- Environmentally conscious and recyclable materials
- Large windows placed to cut energy needs while opening the views
Specifications
Designer's figures: length overall 68.3 m (224.05 ft), waterline length 64.85 m (212.76 ft), beam 13.8 m (45.37 ft), draft 3.5 m (11.48 ft), steel hull, hybrid-electric propulsion, 15-knot cruising speed and 17 knots maximum, 6,000 nautical mile range. Fuel about 200,000 L (52,834 US gal), fresh water about 40,000 L (10,567 US gal), holding tank about 10,000 L (2,642 US gal). Six guest cabins for 12 guests and 12 guest heads. About 2,000 GT, 18 crew and up to 40 days of autonomy (BOAT International).
Price and build budget
Asking price: €95,000,000. At about 2,000 GT that is roughly €47,500 per gross tonne. The final contract price depends on the shipyard, the country of construction and the options chosen.
Indicative base build budgets for a yacht of about 2,000 GT, using published benchmarks:
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Northern Europe (Netherlands, Germany), top-tier custom yards: €100,000–€120,000 per GT, or about €200–240 million. This is the range quoted by leading Dutch and German yards in a recent bid, before owner-supplied items, design fees, project management and financing costs (Forbes).
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Italy, custom yards: from just over €40,000 to more than €60,000 per GT, or about €80–120 million and up (BOAT International Global Order Book 2025).
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Turkey: lower labour costs have made Turkish yards attractive, but build costs have risen by 25–30% in some cases, narrowing the gap with Italy (BOAT International Global Order Book 2025). Turkish yards quote each project individually.
The €95M asking price falls within the Italian range per gross tonne.
Options and extras
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Helicopter facilities: a certified helideck with hangar and refuelling typically adds several million US dollars, and integrated installations on larger yachts can reach eight figures (Superyacht Partners).
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Ice Class and polar equipment: hull strengthening, heating and de-icing systems and polar-rated equipment, depending on the class notation chosen with the shipyard.
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Hybrid-electric system: battery capacity and the length of time she can run in electric mode.
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Tenders, toys and submersibles: the tender fleet and expedition equipment are often supplied by the owner.
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Interior specification: joinery, stone, glazing and AV/IT. This is usually the biggest factor in the final budget.
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Costs outside the shipyard contract: naval architecture and design typically add 3–8%, project management 3–8% and a contingency of 10–15% is advisable, plus classification, flag, insurance and legal costs (Yacht Consulting Group).
These figures are indicative market benchmarks, not shipyard quotes. Ask us for the brochure and comparative budget estimates from shortlisted shipyards.
Project status
NAUTILUS 650 is a design project: shipyard to be determined and build to be confirmed. Ask us for the full brochure, deck plans and project details.
