MANARI 52: THE CHASE BOAT AS A STATEMENT OF INTENT

There are moments when a young marque reveals, almost instantly, the scale of its ambition. For Manari Yachts, that moment has arrived in the form of a highly bespoke Manari 52, commissioned as a chase boat for a megayacht currently under construction at one of the world’s leading shipyards.

Rather than being treated as a secondary support craft, the 52 has been conceived as an extension of its future mothership: finished in matching livery, detailed to complement the larger yacht and executed to the standards expected within the superyacht world. Its launch is scheduled for August 2026, ahead of a European debut at the Cannes Yachting Festival from 8 to 13 September, followed by an appearance in Monaco during the Monaco Yacht Show from 23 to 26 September. (Cannes Yachting Festival)

For Manari, the commission represents more than another delivery. It marks the Miami Beach based company’s entry into the increasingly sophisticated chase boat market, where owners now expect support vessels to possess the same visual confidence, craftsmanship and sense of occasion as the yachts they accompany. The bespoke Manari 52 has already been identified among the notable European debuts expected at Cannes this year.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHASE BOAT

The role of the chase boat has changed dramatically.

Once primarily functional, tasked with ferrying guests, carrying equipment or providing practical support away from the mothership, the finest examples today are increasingly considered yachts in their own right. They are expected to arrive with presence, provide genuine comfort and performance, and complement rather than merely serve the vessel they follow.

That philosophy suits the Manari 52 particularly well.

At 15.85 metres overall, the production platform combines a beam of 4.59 metres with Volvo Penta IPS propulsion and a stated maximum speed of 44.6 knots. The hull design is by Mulder Design, exterior design by Red Yacht Design and engineering by Eureka Yachts. Manari positions the model around a combination of performance, outdoor living and generous usable space, including a forward lounge, an expansive swim platform, a side opening balcony and a substantial wet bar. Below deck are a lounge, guest accommodation, a master cabin and bathroom. (Manari Yachts)

Those ingredients make the 52 a natural candidate for chase boat duties, but this commission goes materially further. Matching the yacht to its mothership transforms it from a companion vessel into part of a larger visual composition.

When the two eventually appear together in Monaco, the effect should be particularly compelling: two vessels of dramatically different scale, yet evidently belonging to the same private world.

FROM MIAMI TO THE MEDITERRANEAN

What makes the project more notable is the speed with which Manari has arrived at this point.

Manari Yachts is based in Miami Beach, Florida, yet the brand describes its origins in distinctly Mediterranean terms. Its own story reaches back to a family yacht designed by the founder’s grandfather and to summers spent moving between Mediterranean islands, coves and harbours. That personal history now informs a modern company whose stated aim is to unite contemporary technology, performance and international craftsmanship. (Manari Yachts)

The company is led by Albert Franko, founder and CEO of Manari Yachts. Franko has spoken of Manari not as an exercise in recreating the past, but as an attempt to define what contemporary luxury on the water should become. The Manari 52 was the company’s first major model, establishing the language from which a broader range is developing.

There is an interesting duality to the marque. Its commercial base is thoroughly modern and American, yet the emotional character is Mediterranean. That feels appropriate for a boat conceived around outdoor living: open decks, proximity to the water, effortless movement between social spaces and the sort of performance that makes the journey itself part of the experience.

The current Manari range presented by the company comprises the 42, 52 and 82, suggesting ambitions that extend considerably beyond a single successful model. (Manari Yachts)

THE MANARI 52

The 52 is, however, where the company’s identity is currently most clearly expressed.

Its proportions are muscular without becoming cumbersome, with a low profile and a considerable emphasis on the relationship between cockpit, sea and exterior entertaining areas. The side opening balcony broadens the living space at anchor, while the forward seating arrangement creates another distinct social area away from the main cockpit.

There is also genuine performance beneath the styling. Manari quotes a cruising speed of 36.3 knots and maximum speed approaching 45 knots, figures that place the yacht comfortably within the performance expectations of a serious chase boat. Capacity is listed at up to 12 passengers. (Manari Yachts)

Yet outright speed is only part of the equation.

A chase boat attached to a significant megayacht must work beautifully in an unusual number of circumstances. It may transport owners and guests from anchorage to harbour, make rapid coastal passages, operate independently for an afternoon or simply sit alongside the mothership where every detail of its design becomes visible.

That demands versatility, but also restraint. A good chase boat should never look like an afterthought.

This particular Manari appears to have been conceived with precisely that consideration in mind.

CANNES FIRST, MONACO NEXT

Its European introduction has been timed intelligently.

The Cannes Yachting Festival remains one of the most important in water events in the European calendar, with more than 700 boats expected across the Vieux Port and Port Canto in 2026. Its Vieux Port is particularly focused on motor yachts and new launches, making Cannes a natural setting in which to introduce the bespoke 52 to the European market. (Cannes Yachting Festival)

From Cannes, attention moves along the Riviera to Monaco.

The Monaco Yacht Show opens on 23 September at Port Hercule and runs until 26 September 2026, bringing together superyachts, tenders, designers, shipyards, owners and prospective clients at the very highest end of the industry. (Monaco Yacht Show)

It is there that the narrative of this particular Manari 52 should reach its natural conclusion, reunited with the megayacht for which it was commissioned.

And that pairing matters.

For a company still at the beginning of its story, being selected to create a bespoke companion for a major yacht is an unusually powerful endorsement. It places Manari in conversation with an owner and shipyard environment where consistency, reliability and finish are non negotiable.

A YOUNG BRAND MOVING QUICKLY

There is a temptation with emerging luxury brands to speak too early about legacy.

Manari does not need that language yet.

What is more interesting is momentum.

In a relatively short period, the company has established a recognisable flagship product, begun expanding its range and secured a bespoke commission that places the Manari 52 firmly within the superyacht ecosystem.

That is the more meaningful story.

The chase boat market is populated by formidable specialists, and no single commission establishes a marque overnight. But it does provide a clear indication of where Manari intends to operate.

Not simply alongside yachts, but alongside the very best of them.

The bespoke 52 therefore feels less like a diversion from the company’s original concept than a particularly persuasive expression of it. Fast enough to fulfil its operational brief, substantial enough to entertain independently, and refined enough to sit beside a far larger vessel without losing its own identity.

When it appears on the Riviera this September, Manari will not merely be presenting another 52 foot yacht.

It will be showing what happens when the chase boat ceases to be supporting cast and begins to command attention of its own.