Made by CrossCurrent Marine, the U.23 Carbon is the market’s first rigid inflatable boat constructed of proprietary carbon and Kevlar epoxy composite. Lightweight and ultra-durable, the U.23 Carbon is well equipped for coastal cruising or excursions in open water.

Designed for the elite individuals seeking acquisitions of the highest caliber, the U.23 Carbon is the ultimate in luxury inflatables. Capable of achieving speeds of 45-knots, the U.23 maintains stability and a comfortable ride at high speeds under reasonable load and conditions.

The U.23 Carbon is currently available for order directly from CrossCurrent Marine, and has a boat and motor starting price of $109,000. A list of custom options is available.

Porsche Design Group on Wednesday announced the signing of a design and marketing agreement with Singapore-based yacht builder, Royal Falcon Fleet.

Under this agreement Porsche Design will design luxury catamarans and mega-yachts for Royal Falcon Fleet on an exclusive basis in addition to developing a marketing concept for the yachts.

The first project is what you see in the photo above, a motor catamaran that is over 40 meters (135 feet) long. Porsche Design will design both the hull exterior and interior of the catamaran.

Pictured above: Guilty, a 115-foot yacht designed by Jeff Koons and commissioned by Greek billionaire Dakis Joannou, who owns one of the world’s finest collections of contemporary art.

The exterior design was created by international art star Jeff Koons, famous for his basketball in perspex case, three-storey high “Puppy” made of flowers, and the “Made in Heaven” erotic series of photographs with Italian ex-wife and porn-star-member-of-parliament La Cicciolina.

Koons based his design on a WWI camouflage pattern. complemented by architect Ivana Porfiri’s jagged shapes.

Guilty is likely to appear in next month’s Italian Vogue.

French luxury products group LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton said Monday it has signed an exclusive agreement with Dutch investment company Egeria to acquire Royal van Lent, the Dutch designer and builder of luxury custom mega-yachts sold under the Feadship brand.

The talks with owner Egeria, a Dutch investment firm, are based on an acquisition price worth approximately 11 times net profit. The estimated price equates to a transaction value of less than 500 million euros, a source familiar with the talks said.

This acquisition will enable LVMH to enlarge its scope of activities and to expand its presence in products and services at the top of the luxury market.

Royal van Lent’s yachts target an ultra-exclusive clientele and are built to the highest quality standards using specific know-how. Feadship’s attributes of creativity, craftsmanship, innovation, quality and exclusive positioning are shared by all the luxury businesses operated by LVMH.

Founded 160 years ago, Royal van Lent enjoys a leading market position. It designs and builds custom mega-yachts under the Feadship brand, one of the most exclusive and prestigious brands in the world for motor-yachts measuring over 50 meters.

The custom-built ultra-luxury mega-yacht sector offers strong global growth prospects. By targeting exclusively ultra-high net worth individuals, Royal van Lent offers an outstanding growth opportunity that is resistant to economic cycles. Since 2000, the worldwide order book for custom-built luxury yachts measuring over 50 meters has grown by more than 20% per annum.

Those luxury watch sell for an average 30 million euros ($44 million) each. (source)

The European Boat Show season is coming soon and if you want to experience the best the world of yachting has to offer, you must consider trying Lazzara Yachts new model, LSX Ninety Two.

Nearly two years after the introduction of its highly successful LSX Seventy Five, Lazzara Yachts is announcing its plans for the completely redesigned follow-up, the LSX Ninety Two, scheduled to launch Fall 2008.

The award-winning Lazzara product-development team didn’t just want to build a bigger LSX 75, they wanted to reinvent it.

Luxury Motor Yacht Princess Mariana, was built in 2003 in the Danyard Aalborg in Denmark and then refurbished in 2006 for charters. She is a 258 Oeino which has six decks. This modern and stylish yacht is full of modern innovative features, has an impressive six decks, and can accommodate 12 permanent guests on board.

One of the most impressive features on board Princess Mariana is the Beach Club. This is a dry dock for the custom built tender which can be “flooded” when the tender is outside and forms a 12 metre swimming pool with underwater lighting and steps.

There is also a helipad on board – and when the helicopter has left, it becomes a golf driving range with a massive screen showing a host of well-known courses. There is also a cinema on the main deck with seating for 13 guests !

It will cost you $606,500 a week ($1 per second !!) to rent this megayacht that CNNMoney has called the most desirable charter !