Photo: Cecil Wright (Composite)
Third time might be the proverbial charm, but it’s also one way to reach (superyacht) perfection. Just ask billionaire Shahid Khan, who is now the owner of his third custom Lurssen yacht, which also happens to be his third Kismet to date.
Cecil Wright is the same brokerage firm that helped Khan unload his second Kismet and which is now offering the third for charter. Earlier this week, confirmation came that the newer build, which is also the biggest, most expensive, and most impressive of the lot, will be debuting at this year’s Monaco Yacht Show in September.
That said, Cecil Wright has held the charter listing for Kismet since before the completion of the ship. It’s only natural for them to offer the first photos inside, as well.
Photo: Cecil Wright
A megayacht like no other
Any Lurssen build, especially one that classifies as a megayacht due to its size, is bound to be breathtaking, ultra-luxurious, and highly innovative. But whatever expectations Lurssen has set up in the past with previous commissions are completely outdone by Kismet.
In construction since 2018, Kismet was codenamed Project Jag, which should have probably been the first clue regarding the owner’s identity. Khan’s second superyacht featured a removable jaguar figurehead, along with jaguar-inspired motifs inside. The new delivery has the figurehead as a permanent fixture.
With a length of 400 feet (122 meters), an interior volume of 4,900 GT, and a reported price tag of $360 million, Kismet comes across as the most sophisticated and lavish floating palace. The interiors are by Reymond Langton Design, with a focus on extravagance and comfort.
Photo: Cecil Wright
You get monochromatic rooms, clashing colors in the most unexpected places, all-white spaces, and rich fabrics throughout. Whether featuring sheen and glazing, or styled like elegant relaxation areas, spaces onboard stand as a “symbol of uncompromising luxury.” That’s how Cecil Wright puts it, and for once, the phrase doesn’t sound like exaggerated PR talk.
Accommodation onboard is for 12 guests across 8 staterooms, with 37 crew in separate quarters. Kismet is built for entertaining, which means its capacity is much more impressive than that: for diner parties alone, it can seat 24 guests on the upper deck, 14 on each pool deck, and another 18 on the main deck. And these are just the formal dining spaces.
Amenities are as impressive in pictures as they seemed in previous descriptions. The highlight is the auditorium-style Nemo lounge, where about a dozen guests can come together to take in the views from under the water level. But there’s also a private cinema, a retro dancefloor, a Belinese-inspired spa with cryotherapy chamber, hammam, and sauna, a private treatment room, a state-of-the-art gym and nearby yoga studio with a bar juice, several pools, a couple of helipads, and a formal salon designed around a custom Boganyi piano.
Photo: Cecil Wright
Hybrid diesel-electric propulsion means Kismet can go electric in protected areas, reducing its impact on the environment. Also on the sustainability side, Kismet boasts a heat-recovery system that heats the pools. This might not sound like much for a private vessel of this size, but it’s precisely its size that means that every bit toward more sustainable cruising matters.
Never settle (if you can afford it)
Kismet is now chartering for $3.2 million a week, not including expenses – an incredible figure for mere mortals, but one that confirms the exclusivity and the kind of experience Kismet makes possible.
If that was the goal from the start for Khan, it’s mission accomplished. His trajectory here is perhaps as publicized as Kismet itself in all its three iterations and definitely a more aspirational story than any one of those motivational quotes you will find on social media no matter where you look.
Photo: Cecil Wright
Khan got his first Kismet (now Global) in 2007, also from Lurssen. The yard doesn’t do “small” in the conventional sense, but this one was small compared to what came after: a mere 197 feet (60 meters), it marked the owner’s first foray into superyacht ownership.
The second Kismet, a 315-foot (96-meter) superyacht that now sails as Whisper, was delivered in 2014 and would be sold in 2023, just before the Monaco Yacht Show where it was supposed to be presented. The final asking: a reported $260 million.
In every aspect that counts, the third Kismet is the improved version of every one of its predecessors: not just bigger and more expensive, but more sophisticated, more refined, and better adapted to the tastes of the owner – and whatever millionaire can afford to charter it.
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