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Dayboats in Asia: Chapter One
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Premium dayboats are not as widespread in Asia as they are in the Mediterranean and Florida, but each year more exciting new models arrive in the region and more of the sector’s leading builders appoint local dealers.
Words: John Higginson; Photos: Shipyards & Dealers
Dreamer Marine’s Jeanneau DB/37 in Maya Bay
When you see Dreamer Marine’s blue-hulled Jeanneau DB/37 anchored by a white-sand beach near Phuket and surrounded by tropical-green forest, it’s easy to think that Southeast Asia is the ideal home for the new wave of luxury dayboats.
Araya Banlang, the boat’s owner, believes so. Her DB/37 was among the most talked-about yachts at this year’s Thailand Boat Festival, with the four-day event at Phuket Boat Lagoon also marking the official launch of Dreamer Marine, the charter and yacht-share company founded by Araya.
“We wrapped the hull in a distinctive blue to make the positioning unmistakable and to build instant recall as the best dayboat charter in Phuket,” she says. “The result was immediate, as it was one of the most talked-about boats at the show in the 30-40ft category.”
Araya ordered the DB/37 through Jeanneau dealer Boat Lagoon Yachting, which hosted the boat as part of its in-water display during the show.
Araya Banlang (third left) with Dreamer Marine, Boat Lagoon Yachting and Jeanneau staff at Thailand Boat Festival 2026
“Watching visitors walk past, pause and turn back for a second look, we knew we had made the right call,” Araya continues. “Brokers and professionals in the yachting community repeatedly described the concept as a brilliant idea – a fresh, modern way to stand out in a crowded market where many boats can look similar at first glance.”
FAST, FUN AND POPULAR
Thailand, Japan and Australia are all home to multiple yachts from the DB Yachts series, which was introduced in 2022 and currently comprises the DB/37 and DB/43, each available with inboard or outboard engines.
Premium dayboats have been enjoying a new surge of popularity in recent years. While many leading builders of 60ft-plus motoryachts focused less on speed and more on volume and deck space, a fresh demand emerged for stylish, fast boats that could reach beaches and islands quickly, and offer an open platform for sunbathing, watersports and socialising. With a decent cabin or two and full bathroom facilities, overnight stays can also be part of the plan.
Axopar debuted its first boat in 2014 and its best-selling model lines have sold in the thousands, while the success of Saxdor, which premiered its first boat in 2020, further underlined Finnish brands as a new customer favourite. Sweden’s Nimbus, dating back to 1968, revelled in the new popularity of Nordic styling, offering multiple versions of its 8, 9, 11 and now 12 series with inboard and outboard options.
Invictus ST550
In Italy, Pardo and Invictus have both driven and benefited from the sector’s growing appeal since entering the market about a decade ago.
And all this time, the big companies were watching. Post-Covid, Galeon debuted its GTO series of ‘grand touring outboards’, initially focused on the US but proving popular around the world. Sunseeker debuted the Superhawk 55, the smallest model in its fleet. Brunswick Group created a new dayboat brand, Navan.
Groupe Beneteau responded with multiple new offerings, launching Jeanneau’s DB Yachts line and Wellcraft’s Explorer series before recently reinventing Beneteau’s Gran Turismo range.
Even if the numbers of such boats in Asia are far from those seen cruising around the Mediterranean or powering off the Florida coastline, all these brands are now represented in Asia, with many models already here and many more coming.
BENETEAU’S JAPANESE INFLUENCE
Beneteau’s new-look Gran Turismo series started with the 35 and 40 models that debuted at the Cannes Yachting Festival last September. In late November, the 50 was shown at the Paris Nautic Show before making its ‘international’ premiere at this year’s Boot Düsseldorf show in Germany.
Beneteau Gran Turismo 50 at Boot Düsseldorf 2026
Styled by Italy’s Andreani Design, the Gran Turismo models are inspired by Japanese design principles: yūgen (grace) influencing the exterior and kanso (simplicity) infusing the interiors. Beneteau describes the boats as ‘luxury crossover cruisers’.
Howard Prime, co-founder and CEO of Primus Marine, Beneteau’s Thailand dealer since late 2024, is convinced the new-generation Gran Turismo models are an ideal fit for their target market.
“The new Gran Turismo models are the epitome of the luxury dayboat feel. It’s a great sports range, with a sleek design and great seakeeping,” Prime says. “The versatile folding terraces significantly widen the usable aft deck space, offering an ideal platform for warm, calm Thai waters. They also have nice accommodation, suitable for short getaways.”
Beneteau Gran Turismo 40 and 35
NextWave Yachting, which started representing Beneteau’s motorboats in early 2024, describes the three new Gran Turismo motorboats as a “big jump” compared to the former models.
“They’re more luxurious, use premium materials and the overall quality is better. The design is more modern, sleek and sporty, and the hull is very efficient and stable,” says Jeffrey Chan, NextWave’s co-founder and Sales Director.
“They also have a lot more exterior space, especially when you open the side balconies at anchor, as this makes the aft cockpit a lot more spacious.”
Beneteau Gran Turismo 40
Chan says appealing options include inboard or outboard engines, and a gyro for the 40 and 50. And although there’s a significant variety in size, he says the three models have a consistent, family feel. “The models differ by length, space and number of cabins, but the design theory is the same.”
INVICTUS AIMING HIGH
NextWave has represented Invictus (29-55ft) and sister brand Capoforte (20-28ft) in Hong Kong since 2023, with all models designed by Christian Grande and built by Cantieri Aschenez in the Calabria region of southern Italy.
Invictus ST550
As well as Capoforte models, NextWave has sold the GT280 – the updated version of the first Invictus model, which debuted in 2015 – in both inboard and outboard (GT280S) versions. “Invictus yachts are distinguished by their design, build quality and detailing,” Chan says.
The TT280, GT320, GT370 and TT420 are also offered with inboard or outboard engines, while it’s inboard only for the TT460, which was upgraded last year, then shown in its Shell Edition at Boot Düsseldorf this January.
However, Invictus’s biggest leap came last year when it moved into a new market sector with its joint flagships, the TT550 and the ST550, the brand’s first enclosed model. The 17m motoryachts both debuted at Cannes, feature teak, mahogany and stainless steel, and are roughly twice the price of the TT460.
Invictus TT550
Available with either twin Volvo Penta IPS800 or IPS950 engines, both models are customisable through Atelier Invictus, the brand’s in-house creative workshop.
Rosario Alcaro, founder and General Manager of Invictus, explains: “The creation of these two models has been a significant challenge a decade after the opening of Cantieri Aschenez. Our company has grown in production capacity, experience and expertise. The ST550 and TT550 embody the evolved synthesis of this journey.”
Note: Chapters 2 and 3 to follow
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The original article appears in Yacht Style Issue 88
