- Jeff Bezos' yacht, which reportedly cost $500 million to build, completed its first year at sea.
- The superyacht, Koru, was a frequent topic of conversation at the Palm Beach boat show.
- Here's what industry insiders think about the vessel.
It's been just about a year since Koru, Jeff Bezos' $500 million megayacht, set sail from the Oceanco shipyard in the Netherlands, capturing the attention of yachting insiders and land dwellers alike.
Even after her first season at sea, the 127-meter ship is still one of the most talked about vessels among those in the know — and not just for the busty figurehead on its prow, which many have wrongly speculated is based on Bezos's fiancée. Koru was a hot topic at the annual Palm Beach International Boat Show, where the yachts of other billionaires were on display for sale or charter.
The overwhelming response from those Business Insider spoke to was awe, with many praising her unique design, commenting on her immense size, or remarking that they'd been lucky enough to see her up close.
"It's absolutely beautiful," said Federico Rossi, the COO of luxury yachtbuilder Rossinavi.
Still, due to the small size of the industry — and the fact that privacy is paramount in the yachting community — even those who complimented Koru mostly did not want to go on record in order to protect professional relationships.
"That thing's amazing," one such superyacht expert told BI. "It's very well done in terms of craftsmanship."
Unlike many other megayachts, Koru, which media billionaire Barry Diller's Eos inspired, is designed as a sailing yacht. That bucks the current trend of more severe-looking explorer boats — though Koru's 75-meter support vessel Abeona is of a more typical style,
"I heard back in 2018 or something that somebody had ordered a classic sailing yacht," the superyacht expert also told BI. "You order 125 meters, that's not really going to be classic. But it is. I think it's pretty cool."
Like most other megayachts, Koru is powered by her engines, which are reportedly innovative in their use of a kinetic energy recovery system. Industry experts, therefore, pointed out that her sails are more for looks than anything else — but that still works in her favor, with many praising her overall aesthetic appeal.
"It's stunning," added a captain who has worked on several megayachts. He said he'd seen Koru in St. Barts, a favorite spot of Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sanchez, over the holidays.
"There are definitely uglier boats out there," one yacht architect said. "It's not like it's shaped like his rocket," he jokily added, referring to the phallic design of Blue Origin's New Shephard.
Some, though, think the yacht is a bit excessive — which is saying something in a world where bigger is better and $250 million is a normal amount to spend.
"That's over the top. That's an insanely ridiculous boat," a longtime broker who favors discretion said. It's a "whole big show."
And the expert who praised the yacht's craftsmanship balanced his admiring comments by saying Koru's liberal use of teak — a wood traditionally used for yacht decks — was "bizarre."
The material has gained a bad reputation in the industry in recent years, as it typically comes from Myanmar, a country with a checkered human rights record. Plus, it takes a long time to grow, leading to deforestation.
Many shipyards have now turned to alternatives, like bamboo or plantation-grown teak, in their pushes toward sustainability. Bezos' team did not respond to BI's question about the origin of the deck's wood.
Teak or not, the yachting industry isn't generally known for being all that environmentally friendly — or indeed lowkey, so many who BI talked to didn't buy into the idea that Koru is "too much."
"If this is genuinely Jeff's dream come true, then great," Anders Kurtén, the CEO of brokerage Fraser Yachts, said. "I'm genuinely happy for him, and I'm happy for the people who got the opportunity to have employment to work on that."
And Bezos, of course, isn't the only billionaire with a stunning yacht. Billionaires like Jerry Jones and Bernard Arnault have also, at times, turned heads with their boats.
Most recently, insiders have tied Mark Zuckerberg to a 118-meter ship named Launchpad. It's the latest superyacht to capture the yachting world's attention.
So, as she sets sail for her debut summer season, Launchpad may take Koru's place as the main yacht on everyone's radar this year.