Mohammed Hussein Alshaali, the Chairman of Gulf Craft (right), walking the Dubai International Boat Show with Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai (left)

Looking closely at this shipyard and its portfolio of yachts, it’s hard to comprehend how it actually does what it does. Last month at the Dubai International Boat Show, this collection of brands (Gulf Craft Group, Majesty, NOMAD, Oryx and Superyacht Service Centre) appeared not only with a creative and strategic upgrade but also with a fleet of brand-new launches.

About nine months ago, in June 2024, The Superyacht Agency arrived in 38 degrees of heat at Umm Al Qwain, a small emirate just along the coast from Dubai towards Oman, to start a strategic journey with the Gulf Craft management team. The journey was one of marketing strategy, refreshed branding and future positioning, and even though I was unable to attend the Dubai Boat Show last month for health reasons, it was a proud moment to see the newly upgraded brands, slogans, identities and visuals adorn the stand, the flags, the collateral and the new fleet of yachts.

What was perhaps more frustrating was being unable to tour the new projects launched just in time for the show, all of which were passionately and painstakingly completed only days before the go-live date. Having visited the yard a few times in my career, more often recently, it is incredible to see how the team of craftsmen, engineers, designers and artisans works so effortlessly in this unique yacht-building climate, and when it comes to the end of production, the smiles are there to be witnessed. This is a family – not a workforce – who want to build the best yachts they can.

During the Dubai Boat Show, the Gulf Craft team launched a fleet of brand-new yachts from the new Majesty 100 Terrace, announced at Cannes 2024, the Majesty 112 Terrace and new pocket Majesty the new Majesty 65, all the way through to the stunning Majesty 145. This fleet was complemented by a brand-new product style for the Oryx fleet of sport yachts, with the Oryx 32 FX, the Oryx 37 FX and the Oryx 47LX all making their debut. In fact, these were the products I was most excited to explore, as they are more dynamic and exciting in their design style and performance, so much so that you can easily imagine the Majesty 145 being paired with an Oryx 47LX as its chase boat, a cool combination.

Majesty 145

This brand-new fleet with new marques attached made Gulf Craft the traditional focus of the Dubai Boat Show, and with additional fleet members from NOMAD and Silver Craft all on display, it’s easy to see how this group of brands has such an exciting future within the growth and development of the yachting eco-system cross the Gulf Region from Egypt to Qatar. Therefore, the announcement of the new Superyacht Service Centre by Gulf Craft, managed by renowned Captain Patricia Caswell, was the most strategic and logical addition to their portfolio and presence at the Dubai Boat Show.

Oryx 47LX

With an ever-expanding fleet of Majesty Yachts and the potential for the NOMAD fleet to expand with the new cruising opportunities in the wider Gulf, the demand for high-quality service, maintenance and upgrades is obvious. However, as Captain Patricia reinforced, this new facility will not just be managed for the Gulf Craft fleet. Their clients and many owners in the region have a wide spectrum of superyachts, so this new high-quality facility based in Ajman will be available to any captain, manager or owner who needs their personal fleet to be taken care of. In the same way, as Gulf Craft is proud of its new brand slogan “Built for Life”, this new service centre will adopt the slogan “Care for Life” to ensure that the expanding regional fleet understands the importance of life-cycle support and asset management in order that their yacht maintains its value and can always be upgraded for the future.

Gulf Craft’s new superyacht service centre

The future path for Gulf Craft is only just beginning and having worked so closely with the management and marketing team, this portfolio of yachts and upgraded brands is about to go on a journey across the world to ensure the various relevant markets understand the quality and value of this unique yacht collection. In fact, it is easy to see how owners in the future may decide that a combination of a Majesty 145 mothership, a NOMAD 101 adventure platform, along with one of the cool enclosed Oryx chase boat, like the 47 LX, will perhaps be the perfect fleet for a yacht owner who wants the best of everything, with a “Life of Excellence” and a “Life of Adventure”, not to mention huge amounts of fun for their family.

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