Galileo2 Is the World’s Biggest, Most Expensive and Bonkers Catamaran

In the world of naval design, you often come across concepts that are so out there that their sole reason for existing is that someone wanted to show that they could. Thinking outside the box is at the heart of innovation, as is the desire to break with established rules and patterns.

That said, certain naval concepts, whether they’re megayachts or sailing boats, are meant to push the envelope and encourage thinking outside of the aforementioned box. Galileo2, the latest concept from German firm Beiderbeck Designs, takes that box and throws it out the window – together with the design rule book.

The result is what has been described as the world’s biggest catamaran, which, should it ever be built, would be the most expensive and bonkers of them all. Galileo2 sets out to purposely “shift the limits of what is feasible,” and it does so by its mere existence: it’s a 200-meter (656-foot) cat with its own private harbor and enough space on board to qualify for a floating town. Or at least some sort of entertainment center.

This catamaran was designed to spend extended time at sea with all its 38 guests, whose every wish is tended for by no less than 75 crew, including personnel like personal massage therapists, restaurant waiters and barmen, chefs, and cinema attendants. Beiderbeck Design never went into the specifics of the layout, but based on renders made available earlier this year, when the project was presented, there would be astounding open spaces with entertainment areas, actual trees, and enough glazing to completely erase the impression of indoor space.

The term “gargantuan” is also a good fit here, starting with the cat’s own harbor. Indeed, this thing has an 80-meter (262.4-meter) pier with all the facilities of an actual marina, like indoor storage, cranes and lifts, plus space to accommodate no fewer than 25 tenders, toys, submarines, and medium-size boats. To put things into perspective, every guest on board would probably be able to bring a smaller watercraft if they so desired, and they would have space to store it.

On board, ridiculous amenities include a drop-down restaurant and an amphitheater-style outdoor cinema with a retractable roof. When you have so many guests, you have to ensure they’re properly entertained, we guess. There’s also a 400 square-meter (4,205 square-feet) pool with adjacent sun lounges and a hospital for emergencies, which must feel very reassuring.

For guests who join in on the fun mid-way through the trip, there’s an onboard helipad, complete with a helicopter garage and fueling station. Touch-and-go helipads are yesterday’s news.

A thing this big would leave a trail of destruction and pollution, you could say, but you would be wrong. According to the design firm, Galileo2 was imagined as the future of luxury yachting, and, as such, it would be a pioneer in geothermal energy in the industry and use a methanol propulsion system. Perhaps more shocking for a vessel of this size would be the imagined top speed of 22 knots and the range of 19,000 nautical miles, allowing it to reach the farthest corners of the world.

Galileo2 is an insane exercise in naval design, one that fails by its very intention.

However, perhaps more astounding than all of the above is the estimated price: according to Beiderbeck Design, it would cost some €500 billion ($602.5 billion, and we’re still thinking it’s some sort of typo) to build, before adding in the costs of those tenders and toys at the marina, and the luxury finishes. Depending on the latter, the budget would further balloon.