Yahoo Sports Boat of the Week: How an NFL Owner Turned His Bonkers 312-Foot Superyacht Into a ‘Champagne-and-Caviar Palace’
Just one look at Shahid Khan’s large wax-tipped mustache or his professional football teams (on both sides of the Atlantic) and majority stake in All Elite Wrestling shows the Pakistani American billionaire doesn’t do things in half-measures. He mandated a “Champagne and caviar” theme for his 312-foot superyacht Kismet, and the designers—Reymond Langton for the interior and Espen Øino for the exterior—didn’t hold back.
A fire pit, two helipads—one that transforms into a basketball court—and three pools are twinned with a waterfall and two cinemas, both indoor and out. On game day when Khan’s NFL team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, are playing, a 13-foot silver statue of a jaguar with its paw resting on a football helmet is mounted on the bowsprit.
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“The original intention was to make Kismet the most luxurious charter boat on the water,” Captain Dave Andrews told Robb Report. Nearly 10 years since the yacht was launched, Khan is ready to go bigger. His third custom-built Lürssen weighs 5,500 tons—almost double Kismet’s weight—and is scheduled to be delivered in November. Kismet is listed for sale with Cecil Wright for a cool $160 million and is currently the largest yacht for sale on the market.
A Champagne-colored chandelier by Crystal Caviar is the most obvious feature of his brief to the designers. The statement light hangs in the central lobby next to a sweeping black-and-gold Art Deco staircase, suspended, of course, over a grand piano. There is a glass elevator in the lobby with access to all decks. The overall feel of the yacht is an ornate gentleman’s club with lavish marble, etched glass flooring, gold-leaf finishes, and backlit onyx.
When entertaining guests, the climate-controlled winter garden with sliding glass panels is the hub of sociability. Both heated and air-conditioned, the area suits the yacht’s cruising itinerary of the Caribbean in winter and the Mediterranean in summer. Kismet also docks in London every year, the home of Khan’s British football team, Fulham FC.
“We either anchor in Canary Wharf or go to the warship mooring downstream of Tower Bridge as the boss likes the view of the bridge,” says Andrews.
The sports theme continues with two full-height video walls—used to display images of Khan’s football players when hosting business events—that flank the central staircase leading into the double-height main salon and continue across the floor, walls, and ceiling. In the sky lounge, a large sports bar opens out across the bridge deck aft for hosting large groups of people. When the party keeps going, it converts into a disco with a built-in sound system.
On the foredeck is a touch-and-go helipad, though it’s never used. Instead, regular games of basketball are played with temporary netting erected to catch any balls that bounce out of court. “We always have a deckhand standing by on a Waverunner,” says Andrews.
The foredeck serves as the owner’s private deck with a Jacuzzi and is also used for yoga. It leads directly into the master suite with twin en suites, a private office, oval skylight, and one of three bioethanol fireplaces. The other two are in the main salon. When lit, they carry a cooler flame than a naked fire. There is also a foredeck fire pit for keeping guests warm on colder nights, which converts into a cocktail table.
Kismet has seven additional guest suites, sleeping 16 guests in total. This includes two VIPs and a sea cabin on the lower deck amidships for guests who suffer from seasickness. There are also crew quarters for 26.
When not entertaining, Khan heads to the lower-deck spa. It’s positioned amidships and decorated in black-and-gold mosaic to create an intimate and cozy feel.
“The spa was mandated by the owners to be a place they can just chill out in,” says Andrews. It has a hammam, a spa bath, a cold plunge pool, a steam shower and a massage room with an onboard spa therapist. Opening shell doors in the gym allow for workouts by the water’s edge. There is also a separate hair and beauty salon, with a dedicated onboard hairdresser.
In the garage is a full chest of water toys and four tenders. Up top, the sun deck is built for lounging, with a pool and hot tub, sofas, sunpads, and outdoor dining under the hard top.
A crow’s nest platform is dedicated to viewing the ocean or sunning in privacy. It just goes to show that even on a vast, 312-foot yacht, cozy, intimate spaces rule the roost.
Click here to see more images of the mighty Kismet.
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