MYS 2026: Feadship on True Custom, Design and Innovation

At the Monaco Yacht Show, Shari Liu sits down with Feadship to explore what it really means to build a fully custom yacht at a time when both owner expectations and technology are changing rapidly. From knowing when to challenge an owner’s brief to designing for decades of use, the conversation looks at how Feadship is balancing individuality, innovation and longevity — and what that could mean for the next generation of superyachts.

"Custom represents creation... building something around the person"

That relationship can sometimes mean challenging an owner’s initial brief rather than following it precisely. For a shipyard known for highly individual projects, understanding when to question an idea, propose an alternative or push a concept further is an important part of the creative process.

Owner expectations are evolving too.

"These days, most owners are looking for longevity"

The yachts being commissioned today reflect changing ideas around how people want to spend time on board, as well as new possibilities created by technology, design and engineering. Feadship considers what these changing priorities mean for the way a new yacht is conceived from the very beginning, and what owners are now asking for that may have seemed unusual just a decade ago.

"Innovation doesn't always mean size"

Technology is also opening up new possibilities within the design and construction process. As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly relevant to creative and technical industries, Feadship explores where it could complement the expertise of its designers, engineers and craftsmen, while retaining the human judgement and attention to detail that underpin its approach.

For a shipyard working at the very top end of custom yacht building, the challenge is therefore not simply to make the next yacht more advanced. It is to understand which innovations genuinely add value, which ideas will stand the test of time, and how technology can enhance rather than replace the human thinking behind a yacht. At MYS, that makes the conversation less about what comes next in isolation, and more about what is worth carrying forward into the future.