While boat shows are typically occasions for meeting and greeting new and old clients, Feadship found a new use for the recent Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. It surprised Richard Hull, the owner of Inevitable, with a scale model of the megayacht.

That's Hull in the center of the photo, along with Harry Hankel (left), the refit project manager; Sijbrand de Vries (right of Hull), general director of the Makkum yard; Capt. Dusty Sackmann (far right), who runs Invevitable. And though it's tough to see him, over Hull's shoulder to the right is Don Kenniston, who advised him during the refit; Kenniston is additionally the founder and former president of Feadship America.

Inevitable was recently refitted over the course of 18 months at Royal De Vries' Makkum facility, extended by 2.5 meters (8'2") to 49.8 meters (163'5"). She additionally received a new blonde-teak interior from Patrick Knowles Designs and a blue coat of paint on her hull.

"This is a glorious surprise, and the model is simply superb," Hull says. "Since taking delivery, many people have said that they cannot believe that our yacht is not new. She certainly feels like it."

That's probably the biggest compliment and thanks a shipyard and owner can get.

When the annual International Superyacht Society awards finalists were announced in September, the usual debates ensued in some circles as to which yachts would take the trophies for each category.

To quote the famous TV show Survivor, the tribe has spoken. The winners are:

BEST POWER 24m - 40m: Ermis² (pictured), measuring 37 meters (121'5"); built by McMullen & Wing, designed by Humphreys Design. Interesting facts: This high-performance megayacht hit 56 knots during sea trials, in accordance with the owner's request for speed. Since she also needed to be lightweight yet strong, she features a vacuum-infused, carbon-fiber-reinforced epoxy/foam structure.

BEST POWER 40m - 65m: Harle, measuring 45.1 meters (148 feet); built by Feadship/Royal De Vries, designed by De Voogt Naval Architects

BEST POWER 65m+: Alfa Nero, measuring 81.9 meters (269 feet); built by Oceanco, designed by Nuvolari-Lenard

BEST SAIL 24m - 40m: Kealoha, measuring 27.4 meters (90 feet); built by Claasen Jachtbouw, designed by Hoek Design Naval Architects

BEST SAIL 40m+: Nirvana (pictured), measuring 53.6 meters (175'1"); built by Vitters Shipyard, designed by Dubois Naval Architects. Interesting facts: The design brief required that the megayacht must be able to operate in shallow water and to anchor closely to the beach. Among the reasons: The owner wanted to embark on a two-and-a-half year circumnavigation with his family. As a result, Vitters and Dubois Naval Architects created a pivoting centerboard.

BEST INTERIOR: Salute (pictured above and below), measuring 56 meters (183'8"); built by Perini Navi, with interior design by Rémi Tessier. Interesting facts: There's a good-size fore cockpit, in addition to the traditional aft cockpit, which can be transformed into a completely enclosed veranda thanks to wraparound lifting glass and a canvas awning stored around the mast when not in use. The yacht marks the third time Tessier has collaborated with Perini Navi. Japanese style inspirated the designer, who created a minimalist interior that still exudes warmth and luxury.

A few weeks ago, Feadship sent a press release heralding the launch of the first full custom yacht to emerge from the Makkum, Holland, yard of Royal De Vries. Ocean Victory, as she's named, measures 75.75 meters, or 248'6", and represents one of the largest Feadships to date. The occasion was celebrated with a laser show as well as a party for a few hundred guests.

Great press release, with plenty of information--but the problem was, Feadship just sent an image showing the yacht's name written in laser light. No photo of the yacht herself.

I could hear the screams of frustration from yachting journalists worldwide. I emitted one or two myself, then laughed; great way to get us itching for more, after all. It worked: If you're a subscriber to the Megayacht News newsletter, you saw the teaser image in October, along with brief info about the launch. But I decided to wait until a real photo was in hand to reveal further details here on the site.

So, at last, here's Ocean Victory. Befitting a yacht with such a bold, proud name, the owners reportedly spent a lot of time researching ways to tailor her to their tastes. Though you can't see them in this daytime shot, there are LEDs on the outside decks that turn every color imaginable. No doubt that light show will be enjoyed when they're entertaining upwards of 32 people at the various alfresco dining areas. There's also high-gloss teak outside, including along the windscreen on the sundeck.

The owners hired Alberto Pinto and Laura Sessa to collaborate on the interior, where 12 guests are accommodated in six suites. Among the other highlights: a 12-person cinema, three lounges, and a health club complete with gym, sauna, hammam/steam room, and massage room. There's also a contra-flow pool on the sundeck that can warm from 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) to 38 C (100 F) in 30 minutes. Should anyone want to escape the yacht for a while, three tenders and three water scooters are stowed in the lazarette.

Some other quick facts: beam is 13.6 meters, or 44'7"; draft is 4.1 meters, or 13'5"; and fuel capacity is 190,000 liters, or just shy of 50,200 gallons.

Considering the hull, which was built in Feadship's hull shop in Papendrecht, arrived in Makkum in July of last year, the timeline for the completion of such a large yacht is pretty impressive. From the lowest layer of the aluminum superstructure being laid on the hull to launch day, it was just 13 months--on time, to the owners' and captain's delight. "I have been astounded by the tireless enthusiasm of the yard personnel in De Vries Makkum and the rest of the Feadship group," Capt. Paul Jackson said at the launch. "Ocean Victory is a yacht of peerless quality."

Whether they're willing to admit it or not, every business experiences growing pains. And that's a good thing; after all, who ever learned anything without being challenged?

The 153-foot Ingot is, in my opinion, one of the best examples in the marine world of what can be accomplished when faced with difficulty. Four years ago, Burger Boat Company signed a contract with an experienced American yachtsman for a megayacht that would not only be its largest to date, but also allow the American yard to be more competitive in the global market. The project, to be named Time for Us, was to be Burger's most complex engineering-wise and design-wise. To meet the challenges, Burger doubled its workforce during the early stages, brought in new machinery, and had its craftsmen learn new skills, among other things. Adding to the tests, there was a seven-hour time-zone difference between Vripack, which handled both naval architecture and interior design, and Burger's Wisconsin headquarters. Consider that previously, most of Burger's projects were engineered and designed literally steps away from the fabrication floor.

Unfortunately, partly through construction, the owner and Burger parted ways, and work stopped for a while. But Burger's chairman, Howard Meyers, decided to finish the boat to show what the craftsmen were capable of. It was a risky move, to be sure. But having toured Ingot, the name he and his wife christened her with, I can safely say it was the right move.

One smart engineering feature: incorporating the cranes for the tenders, stowed on the aft deck, into the bulwarks. The flush design means you don't see them unless you know they're there. The rescue tender is kept on the main aft deck, too--another smart move, for it's easier to launch from this location than higher up. A pair of PWCs with their own Nautical Structures knuckle-boom crane is kept on the foredeck. All of this additionally frees up the bridge deck and sundeck for relaxation.

Speaking of freeing up, take a look at this engine room. Pretty spacious, right? Trust me when I say the photo doesn't do it justice--it's actually one of the most cavernous engine rooms I've ever seen on a yacht this size. The twin Caterpillar 3508s are practically swallowed up, and I estimated a good three to four feet of overhead clearance for each. Doug Borys, the project manager, explained that access to both primary as well as secondary equipment was a priority. As is customary on many megayachts, there's also a soundproof, air-conditioned monitoring room just inside the entrance to the engine room. But on Ingot, there's a twist: Instead of having just one entrance/exit, it has an additional door forward, yielding direct access to one of the Northern Lights gensets.

Smart features like this abound aboard Ingot. I was particularly impressed with the recessed handrail along the staircase that rises through all four decks (next to a wheelchair-accessible elevator, to boot). Most owners, designers, and yards employ traditional handrails on staircases, and while there's nothing wrong with that approach, from an aesthetic standpoint, recessing it yields a cleaner look. I also personally believe you feel a bit safer, given that your hand is somewhat cupped inside the recess. It's interesting to note that from an execution standpoint, it's far more labor-intensive, thereby helping Burger better show what its craftsmen can do.

Ingot shows off their joinery skills on many levels. There are curved, molded, and radiused Honduras mahogany panels throughout, as seen above in the master, and though I didn't count them myself, Burger says there are 104 custom pillars, each with maple burl inlays. I noticed where raised panels were used, their grains aligned perfectly with those of the rest of the wood; oftentimes they're instead fashioned at an angle, so the positioning aboard Ingot is once again an example of a more time-consuming approach.

Other eye-catching details abound, like the backlit onyx panels overhead in the saloon (above) and dining area (below), king-size berths in each of the four guest staterooms below decks, and a walk-in refrigerator/freezer in the generous-size crew mess. The crew gets four double staterooms with en suite facilities, but they're also given assistance in the everyday aspects of their jobs. There's a service door leading to the guest stateroom lobby, a staircase leading to the galley, and another stairway from the galley to the pantry adjacent to the skylounge.

The biggest hit of the tour, however, was the gloss-teak bar and general layout of the sundeck (below). Accompanying me were a few representatives from another American shipyard (yes, they all check out each other's boats), and they raved about the design. The bar is built into the mast, as is a day head. A bimini can extend from the bar aft to the Jacuzzi, which is surrounded by sunpads, but not the way you'd expect. There's full walk-around access between the two, so the crew can serve anyone anywhere--and no one needs to climb over a friend or family member to get into or out of the tub. Another feature the competing shipyard reps liked, as did I: The liferafts are tucked outside of the bulwarks. And finally, if the captain wants to run the yacht from up here, there's a helm, which folds down hydraulically and gets covered with an aluminum face or canvas, depending on whether it'll be used again on the same trip.

Ingot has a lot going for her, as you can tell. As a result, so does Burger. Vripack has nothing but praise for the job the yard did, as do the competitors who were aboard the day I was. Burger rose to multiple challenges to ensure it would earn respect in a size range and category of complexity it had never tackled before.