All-Carbon, Gold Superyacht Khalilah Is Freshly Refitted and Surprisingly Cheaper

Khalilah is a superyacht that hardly needs an introduction, even if the name doesn't ring a bell. Google "most expensive superyacht in the world" or "the gold superyacht," and Khalilah immediately pops up: an aggressive-looking superyacht that seems carved out of gold. For a very long time, people actually believed this to be true.

Obviously, Khalilah isn't made of gold. There isn't any real gold on it at all, though there are golden touches throughout the lavish interiors, and, of course, there's the custom Cordova Gold paintjob that comes with a golden pearlescent finish that makes it look as if it's changing colors, according to how light hits it.

Khalilah looks outrageous from afar, and the luxury amenities onboard, as well as the Art Deco-inspired interiors, certainly live up to the "outrageous" label. It's the kind of superyacht you buy when you're not looking just to blend in but want all eyes on you, and it's been recently improved through a technical refit. Ironically, it's also cheaper now.

Since delivery, the 160-foot (49-meter) Khalilah has been on the market on and off but on permanent offer as a charter. In May 2023, it was listed for sale again, asking €24.9 million, or $26.7 million at the current exchange rate. Then, it went into refit, and €2.5 million ($2.7 million) later, it emerged with a larger swim platform on the beach club and new stabilizers, and a reduced asking of €22.9 million ($24.5 million).

There's more than the large discount that makes Khalilah such an appealing proposition for anyone on the market for a new floating palace, and we're talking more than just its instantly recognizable looks. This is a superyacht that claimed several world firsts at its launch, including the largest all-carbon superyacht in the world and the most amount of glazing onboard.

It's also primed for a life of luxury and pampering, offering accommodation for 11 guests across five suites, nine crew members, a pool, a cinema, a party-ready beach club, and a packed garage, including a tender painted the same "gold" shade. The ample 490 GT interior volume offers themed rooms packed with playful art and expensive finishes.

Khalilah is a trimaran, which makes it faster and smoother than similarly sized vessels. Twin MTU 2,600 hp engines take it to a top speed of 24 knots 927.6 mph/44.4 kph) while cruising at a more leisurely 15 knots (17.2 mph/27.7 kph) guarantees a range of 2,280 nautical miles (2,623 miles/4,222 km).

To end this on a light note, back when the rumor that Khalilah was made of gold and had a value of $1.4 billion popped up online, it was also said that the sponsons by the inverted bow, which are part of the three-hull design, were actually tanks that held jet fuel for the engines.