Gulf Craft is not always an obvious candidate for Americans deciding which yacht to buy next. Many other shipyards have better-known names and bigger marketing budgets to get the attention of U.S. yachtsmen.

Mohammed Alshaali, Gulf Craft’s co-founder and CEO, aims to change that. He started his boatbuilding venture with his brother in 1982, just up the coast from Dubai, making runabouts, fishing boats and dayboats for local boaters. The company has built thousands of boats and, over the years, widened its horizons considerably.

“The U.S. is very important for us,” he says. “In fact, we see the country as our future market.”

Alshaali might have better qualifications than most when it comes to understanding what American yachtsmen like. In his earlier life, he spent 35 years as a diplomat, retiring in 2008 after 15 years as the United Arab Emirates’ ambassador to the United Nations
and United States, based in New York and Washington, D.C.

“Diplomacy was my profession, and boatbuilding was my hobby,” he says with a smile. “It still feels the same.”

The boats he builds have certainly gotten bigger. Gulf Craft’s Majesty range includes flybridge models up to 62 feet (18.9 meters) and a big-boat collection that stretches from 100 feet (30.5 meters) to 175 feet (53.3 meters). The second hull of the Majesty 120 was unveiled at autumn’s Cannes Yachting Festival, and looked every inch the international superyacht with elegant styling and a confident profile to suit any harbor.

“Americans like speed, but they also want plenty of space on board,” Alshaali says. “And we are known for creating space without compromising on speed or stability. We use high-tech composites in construction to keep weight down, which is good not only for performance and efficiency, but for draft too.”

Measuring 285 gross tons in volume, the 120 draws just 6 feet, 9 inches, bringing shallow turquoise waters such as the Bahamas into its cruising sphere.

“Americans also like practicality—sturdy, well-made interiors which are built to last,” he adds. “Everything is made in-house, although of course we rely on international designers.”

Gulf Craft is happy to entertain customers’ ideas regarding color schemes, fabrics and surfaces, making the 120 customizable. It is a trideck design with a continuous side deck to port that links the upper deck’s terrace aft to the bow’s sunbathing area. The yacht was shown at Cannes with a full-beam master stateroom on the main deck, providing excellent views through side windows, and with a well-proportioned head compartment forward of the sleeping area.

On the lower deck, the layout seems conventional at first, with two double-berth staterooms abaft a central lobby, and two staterooms with twin berths forward. But toward the bow is a VIP stateroom whose bed is almost as big as the master’s, and which also has a roomy head compartment and walk-in closet.

And, in keeping with American yachtsmen’s desires, interior volumes aboard the Majesty 120 are expansive. The yacht’s beam is more than 27 feet (8.3 meters). There is plenty of floor space between things such as the twin berths, and headroom throughout the lower deck is 6 feet, 7 inches (2 meters).

Cristiano Gatto’s interior design is a tranquil symphony of whites and creamy beiges, with dark hardwood trim for contrast and a subtle interplay between tactile, matte and reflective surfaces. It will be easy to live with.

The standard engines offered on the Majesty 120 are a pair of Tier 3-compliant Caterpillar C32Bs. Hull No. 2 had optional 2000-series MTU V-16s installed. The optional power reportedly gives the yacht a top speed of about 22 knots, as opposed to 18 knots with the Caterpillars.

The 120 shown at Cannes looked brand-new, but was actually delivered in March and had a busy Mediterranean charter season during the summer. When I met the engineer down in his spotless engine room, he told me: “She’s pretty economical. She uses 150 liters an hour, including the generator, cruising at 11 knots.” That’s just under 40 U.S. gallons. Of course, it’s a different story at maximum speed; at 21 or 22 knots, the engines burn 264 gallons (1,000 liters) an hour.

While Americans might not have spent much time thinking about Gulf Craft, the shipyard has spent plenty of time thinking about them. And it’s pretty confident that it knows what yachtsmen in the United States want. 

For more information: gulfcraftinc.com

This article was originally published in the Spring 2023 issue.