American Billionaire’s $250 Million Megayacht Is a Spectacular, Unique Labor of Love

Dennis Washington, an American industrialist billionaire, is the kind of man who prefers to do his projects himself, including his superyachts. For him, that means not commissioning the build with some luxury yard but scouting for vessels with what he calls "good bones" and then undertaking the retrofitting himself. Boat building doesn't get any more custom than this, if you think about it.

Today's unwritten rule for the one-percenters is that they always buy new, preferably custom. But Washington is a very traditional, old-school-type of billionaire, the kind that Forbes once described as a classic tale of rags-to-riches. Now 88, he started out with a loan from Caterpillar and the desire to get into construction and has since branched out into railways, mining, construction, boat-building, and related heavy industries.

Washington also retains his boyish passion for taking things apart and putting them back together in ways he considers best, whether that means toying with planes, cars, or, as is the case with Attessa IV, giant vessels. Attessa IV, his most famous superyacht (a megayacht based on size alone) and a celebrity in its own right, is a very good example of this.

Attessa IV is the 77th entry on the list of the largest superyachts in the world, an engineering masterpiece and a well-guarded secret all at once. It's the perfect family boat, massive in size and impressive in amenities, where every room conveys a different vibe and where every wish is catered for before you even get to think it. At a reported cost of $250 million, you wouldn't expect any less.

The only time Washington allowed anyone who is not a friend or family onboard was in 2011 when construction was completed. "Construction" is the right word, even though the boat was delivered new in 1999, because Washington had gutted it to the bare bones and then built his dream family boat on top, redoing the layout and adding both in length and width.

Attessa IV started as Evergreen, the private 91-meter yacht of Chang Yung-fa, chairman of the Taiwanese Evergreen Group. Diana Yachting had built it at the Evergreen Shipyard in Japan and delivered it to the chairman in 1999. It caught Washington's eye on a visit there, so when his broker informed him in 2007 that it was for sale, he bought it.

As Washington would admit later, he thought Evergreen was "ugly," so looks wasn't what had appealed to him. Feadship had been involved in the project, and "good bones" and Dutch shipbuilding were irresistible to Washington. One month later, the vessel made entered Vancouver under its new name, Attessa IV (because it was the fourth Attessa for Washington), ready for its glow-up.

And what a glow-up it turned out to be! Over the next four years and at the cost of $200 million, Washington personally oversaw the retrofitting. Felix Buytendijk did the exterior and interior design, with a focus on turning a traditional cruiser into a luxury family boat inspired by retro glamour but still capable of delivering modern performance.

At the end of the rebuild, total length was 101 meters (331 feet), and the layout was completely different. Washington reduced the number of suites to make room for more amenities like a spa and treatment rooms, redid the cramped crew areas, added a large foredeck garage and a helipad, a pool, enclosed the sun deck so he'd have a place to hang his favorite Chihuly chandelier his son had bought at an auction, and integrated all the trappings of modern life – of luxury, of course.

He called the retrofitting "a dirty, filthy business" because they had to remove even the last bolt, but the result was much to his liking. As expected: in 2011, Attessa IV boasted remote-controlled lights, drapes, and climate, and a giant 3D cinema with state-of-the-art tech. It also had – and still does – rare artworks like Botero sculptures and the Chihuly chandelier, Gucci stainless steel lounge chairs, 19th-century statuary marble for statement pieces like fireplace mantelpieces, and expansive glazing that offers uninterrupted panoramic views.

Accommodation onboard is for 26 guests in 14 staterooms and separate quarters for 21 crew. The interior volume of 2,621 GT spreads across five decks connected by an elaborate spiral staircase.

As Washington dreamed it, Attessa IV offers a different experience with every room, so moving through the vessel feels like a journey through time. There are modern spaces and Victorian-inspired rooms, and the occasional glitzy ode to 1930s Hollywood glamour. The combination might seem random in writing, but that one reporter from that one time Washington let the media have a look at it in person swears it works brilliantly. Attessa IV is more than a luxury megayacht: it's a family house with everything you could ever dream of inside.

Attessa IV is also a very fast fancy family home. Powered by twin diesel Wartsila (12V 32 E) 6,595 hp engines, it can reach top speeds of 25 knots (28.7 mph/46.3 kph) – quite an impressive feat for a boat this size. At a cruising speed of 18 knots (20.7 mph/33.3 kph), it has a range of more than 7,600 nautical miles (8,745 miles/14,000 km).