In shortThe best luxury motor yacht to buy in Australia is the one that fits the days you will actually have on the water. Choose a day boat (33–44 ft) if most of your boating is a fast, sociable day on the harbour or coast with the occasional night aboard; a sports cruiser (38–52 ft) if you want a proper cabin, galley and covered cockpit for weekends away; and a flybridge (45 ft and up) if you want a second helm, a separate saloon and multiple cabins for longer cruising with more people. Schaefer builds all three.
The three types in one table
| Day boat | Sports cruiser | Flybridge motor yacht | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schaefer models | V33 · V34 · V44 | 380 · 400 · 510 GTS | 450 · 510 GT · 600 · 660 · 770 · 26M (early 2027) |
| Length | 33–44 ft | 38–52 ft | 45–85 ft |
| Guests for the day | 10–14 | 14–16 | 14–21 |
| Sleeps | 2–4 | 4–7 | 5–14 |
| Layout | Single-level walkaround deck, open helm under a hardtop, cabin below | Covered cockpit and helm, saloon and cabins below | Saloon, galley and lower helm on the main deck, cabins below, second helm and lounge on the flybridge |
| Typical day | Beach, sandbar, swimming, long lunch at anchor, home by dark | Weekend on a mooring or a night in a bay | A week up the coast or a fully catered day for 20 |
| Who drives | Owner, often solo | Owner with one helper | Owner-operator; the 770 and 26M crewed or owner-driven |
| Other brands sold in this category in Australia | Axopar, Brabus, Fjord, Invictus, Pardo, Quarken, Saxdor; for fishing, Grady-White and Regal | Riviera Sport Yachts, Maritimo S-Series, Princess V-Class, Fairline Targa, Sea Ray, Beneteau Gran Turismo, Galeon | Riviera, Maritimo, Princess, Fairline Squadron, Azimut, Sunseeker, Galeon, Absolute, Prestige |
Day boats: speed, sun and a single level
A modern Mediterranean-style day boat is designed around the day itself. Everything happens on one walkaround deck: a helm with a fixed roof, a big social cockpit, boarding steps on both sides and a bow lounge. Below there is a cabin with a proper toilet and shower, enough for a couple to stay the night, but the boat is not built around sleeping. Outboards or Volvo IPS give day-boat speeds of 40 knots and more.
In the Schaefer range the V33 (opens in a new tab) and V34 (opens in a new tab) are 33 and 34 ft day boats for ten guests, and the V44 (opens in a new tab) is a 44 ft walkaround with fold-out side balconies that takes the beam to 5.52 m at anchor. Think of them as the luxury alternative to the adventure-boat category: the same fast, dry, go-anywhere functionality as an Axopar, Brabus or Saxdor, but with full-height bathrooms, a proper cabin and a luxury feel once the anchor is down, from a shipyard that also builds 85-footers. The V33 is also a great luxury alternative to specialised fishing boats such as Grady-White and Regal: its centre console and T-top leave a clear walkway right around the boat, so you can follow a fish from bow to stern without obstruction, and the deck is completely flat with no steps. Reviewing the V33, Dan Jones of BoatLife described the gap it fills:
“There's a lot of day boats under the 30 foot size range, and then a lot of manufacturers go straight up close to 40 feet. That's expensive and it requires another skill set. This sits in a nice little happy spot: affordable and manageable.”
Sports cruisers: the weekend boat
A sports cruiser adds what a day boat leaves out. The cockpit is covered by a hardtop with an opening roof, the helm has proper weather protection, and below there is a saloon, a galley and two sleeping areas, so a family of four can spend the weekend aboard. It is the classic Sydney Harbour and Pittwater boat and, in Dan Jones’s words, the natural next step for people who grew up with an American sports cruiser:
“If you were ever into the Sea Ray sports cruisers, the Sundancers, you will like a boat like this.”
Schaefer’s sports cruisers are the 380 (opens in a new tab) (38 ft, 14 guests, sleeps four, sterndrive or outboards), the 400 (opens in a new tab) (40 ft, 14 guests, sleeps five) and the 510 GTS (opens in a new tab) (52 ft, 16 guests, sleeps six plus one). The 380 introduced Schaefer’s fold-out side balconies to the sports-cruiser class, and its outboard version can trim the engines up and nose onto a beach or sandbar. Dan called the 380 “the perfect stepping stone” toward a flybridge motor yacht.
Flybridge motor yachts: more boat, more people, more days
A flybridge yacht has two decks of living space. The main deck holds the saloon, galley and an inside helm; the flybridge above adds a second helm, a lounge and often a wet bar, so the driver is never separated from the party. Below there are two to four cabins and, from 60 ft, quarters for crew. This is the type for coastal passages of 100 to 200 kilometres, for a week away with two or three families, and for entertaining 20 people in comfort.
Schaefer’s flybridges run from the 450 (opens in a new tab) (45 ft) through the 510 GT (opens in a new tab), 600 (opens in a new tab) and 660 (opens in a new tab) to the 770 (opens in a new tab), with the 85 ft 26M (opens in a new tab) joining as the new flagship in early 2027. Dan Jones sees the 450 as the logical step for owners coming up from smaller boats:
“She's solid, she feels good through the waves and she's sensible and predictable for anyone who's coming from a sports cruiser or an outboard powered boat. This does seem like a logical step up to allow you to spend more time out on the water.”
Five questions that settle it
- How many people, how often? Ten friends for a Saturday points to a day boat; two families for a weekend points to a sports cruiser; three families for a week points to a flybridge.
- Will you sleep aboard? Occasionally, a day boat is fine. Most weekends, you want a sports cruiser or larger.
- Where do you want to end up? If the answer is the sandbar or the beach, outboards on a V33, V34, V44 or 380 will take you there. If it is a bay 150 kilometres up the coast, choose a flybridge.
- Who will drive? Every Schaefer up to the 660 is designed for an owner to run without crew, with joystick docking on the IPS and outboard boats. Dan Jones puts the 660 “near the limit of what most competent owner-operators would feel comfortable using without the assistance of crew”. The 770 and the new 85 ft 26M will often have a crew, but both can also be driven by an owner-operator: Dan found the 770 “manoeuvres like a 45-footer” and said anyone used to a 45 to 55 ft IPS flybridge would find it “not much of a transition”.
- How much boat do you want to look after? A day boat is, in Dan’s phrase about the V34, “a big open boat, a couple of covers, whip them off and go boating for the day.” A flybridge rewards you with space and range in return for more systems.
Moving between the types
Many owners move through all three over the years, and Schaefer is unusual in offering a next step at every size. Dan Jones’s reviews describe the same path from both ends: the V44 (opens in a new tab) for someone who has “had something like an Axopar 37 and really appreciates the high performance capabilities of that boat but needs more space now”, and the 600 (opens in a new tab) for owners of 45 to 52 ft flybridges who want “something a little bit bigger” while, in his view, saving “a whole stack of money” against the European alternatives. He also notes the reverse move: owners of 55 to 60 ft motor yachts and sailing yachts choosing a V44 because they still want long lunches without managing a much larger yacht.
Common questions
What are the best luxury motor yachts to buy in Australia?
Start with the type, not the brand. For fast, sociable days with the occasional night aboard, look at luxury day boats of 33 to 44 ft such as the Schaefer V33, V34 and V44 alongside Axopar, Brabus, Fjord, Pardo and Saxdor. For weekends aboard, look at sports cruisers of 38 to 52 ft such as the Schaefer 380, 400 and 510 GTS alongside Riviera Sport Yachts, Maritimo S-Series, Princess V-Class, Fairline Targa and Galeon. For longer cruising with more people, look at flybridge motor yachts from 45 ft such as the Schaefer 450, 510 GT, 600, 660 and 770 alongside Riviera, Maritimo, Princess, Fairline Squadron, Azimut and Sunseeker. Sea-trial the short list: reviewer Dan Jones of BoatLife’s videos, linked on this page, are a good way to compare how they feel underway.
What is the difference between a sports cruiser and a flybridge?
A sports cruiser has one deck of living space: a covered cockpit and helm with the cabins below. A flybridge motor yacht adds a second, upper deck with its own helm and lounge above an enclosed saloon, which gives more living space and more cabins for the same length.
Can you sleep on a day boat?
Yes. The Schaefer V33 and V34 have a cabin with a double berth, toilet and shower for two people, and the V44 sleeps four. They are designed for the occasional night aboard rather than a week of cruising.
What size boat can one person operate?
With joystick control and a wing station, an experienced owner can run any Schaefer up to the 660 without crew. Reviewer Dan Jones of BoatLife describes the V34 as “really a solo operator” boat and the 660 as near the upper limit for owner-operation; the 770 and the 26M often run with a crew but can also be driven by an experienced owner-operator; Dan says the 770 “manoeuvres like a 45-footer”.
Which Schaefer can reach the beach or a sandbar?
The outboard-powered models: the V33, V34, V44 and the outboard version of the 380. With the engines trimmed up they can nose into shallow water rather than anchoring off and taking a tender ashore.
Quotations are from Dan Jones’s BoatLife video reviews (dansboatlife.com.au) and are his opinions from the videos linked above, not statements by Schaefer Yachts or by the other brands named. Specifications are from Schaefer Yachts; pricing on application.