"Fastest yacht" is a slipperier title than "largest," for two reasons. First, top speeds are usually sea-trial figures the builder reports, not independently timed runs — so they deserve scrutiny. Second, the answer depends entirely on where you set the length threshold for a "superyacht." This list uses the 24-meter Large Yacht Code definition and ranks the fastest delivered vessels by top speed in knots, with every figure tied to a published source and the date we checked it.
That threshold is load-bearing. The record holder, Bolide 80, clears 24 meters by just 90 centimeters; under the 40-meter definition some outlets prefer, she and most of this list would vanish and the 41.5-meter Foners would be the fastest superyacht in the world. Both are defensible answers — they measure different things. For the biggest vessels rather than the quickest, see our largest yachts list; for the priciest, the most expensive yachts.
Methodology
Yachts are ranked by top speed in knots among delivered vessels of at least 24 meters. Each speed is drawn from Boat International's superyacht directory and dated; where a builder or naval architect publishes a different figure, that alternative is shown inline. This is an all-time list of the fastest ever built, so it includes one vessel (Gentry Eagle) that has since been scrapped, clearly flagged. Ranks 8–10 are a genuine three-way tie at 60 knots — we say so rather than inventing separation.
The 10 Fastest Yachts
Ranked by top speed, highest first. Every figure below links to the source it was checked against.
1. Bolide 80 — 73 knots (84 mph)
The fastest superyacht ever built: about 73 knots on her 2023 sea trials, with some reports citing 76. At 24.9 meters she only just clears the 24-meter superyacht threshold — under a stricter 40-meter definition she would not qualify, and Foners would top this list.
Built by Bolide Yachts (Victory Design), 2023 · Top speed: 73 knots (84 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
Sources disagree. Also reported: 76 knots (87 mph) (Boat International (sea-trial claim)).
2. Foners (ex-Fortuna) — 70.1 knots (81 mph)
Built as the Spanish royal yacht (ex-Fortuna) by Izar, she held the fastest-superyacht title for more than two decades until Bolide 80 arrived — a reign of roughly 23 years.
Built by Izar, 2000 · Top speed: 70.1 knots (81 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
3. World Is Not Enough — 67 knots (77 mph)
A Millennium Super Yachts build. Her naval architect, Mulder Design, claims 70 knots; Boat International's database lists 67. Either figure keeps her third.
Built by Millennium Super Yachts, 2004 · Top speed: 67 knots (77 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
Sources disagree. Also reported: 70 knots (81 mph) (Mulder Design (naval architect)).
4. Destriero — 66 knots (76 mph)
A Fincantieri speed machine that crossed the Atlantic in 1992 without refuelling, setting a record that still stands. One of the fastest yachts ever built.
Built by Fincantieri, 1991 · Top speed: 66 knots (76 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
5. Galeocerdo (118 WallyPower) — 65 knots (75 mph)
The one-off 118 WallyPower, famous for its stealth-warship silhouette. Speed estimates range from 60 to 65 knots.
Built by Rodriquez Yachts (Wally), 2003 · Top speed: 65 knots (75 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
Sources disagree. Also reported: 60 knots (69 mph) (Wikipedia).
6. Gentry Eagle — 63.5 knots (73 mph)
A former transatlantic record holder, scrapped in 2023 — included here as one of the fastest yachts ever built, not one still afloat.
Built by Vosper Thornycroft, 1988 · Top speed: 63.5 knots (73 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
7. Kereon — 62.3 knots (72 mph)
An AB Yachts open sportyacht, built for owners who wanted genuine performance in a compact hull.
Built by AB Yachts, 2004 · Top speed: 62.3 knots (72 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
8. Brave Challenger — 60 knots (69 mph)
Built for Stavros Niarchos on a Vosper naval patrol-boat hull — one of three vessels tied at exactly 60 knots.
Built by Vosper, 1960 · Top speed: 60 knots (69 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
9. Jet Ruban Bleu — 60 knots (69 mph)
A lightweight Multiplast speed build, tied at 60 knots.
Built by Multiplast, 1990 · Top speed: 60 knots (69 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
10. Oci Ciornie — 60 knots (69 mph)
A Palmer Johnson build, the third of the 60-knot record-holders.
Built by Palmer Johnson, 1998 · Top speed: 60 knots (69 mph) · Boat International · verified 8 Jul 2026
Why Azzam isn't here
A common claim is that Azzam — the world's longest yacht — is also the fastest, at 30 knots. She is genuinely quick for a 180-meter displacement hull, but sources put her between 30 and 34 knots, less than half the speed of the purpose-built craft above. Raw length and raw speed are different competitions, and the yachts that win the second are small, light, and built around gas turbines rather than ballrooms.
Conclusion
The fastest yachts trade the ballrooms and beach clubs of the giants for gas turbines and carbon hulls. Bolide 80's roughly 73 knots is the current high-water mark, but the record is threshold-dependent: raise the length bar and Foners, unbeaten for twenty years, reclaims the crown. We keep the figures above current as new speed builds are delivered and sea-trial numbers are confirmed.