Johnson Yachts have been building boats between 21 and 38 metres in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan for the last 30 years but their latest large yacht built for the US market looks like being a show stealer
Designed by by Bill Dixon of Dixon Yacht Design, the Johnson 93 has a LOA of 28.36 metres and a beam of 7.2 metres that carries well forward, with a distinctive profile set apart by a notable design element: dual-level vertical windows.
The lower bank of nine curved panes of black glass lend light to a main-deck master, though privacy is assured with electric curtains.
The large space offers owners an unparalleled view over a 270-degree arc encompassing the bow area. The space has a king-size berth on centre line with a desk or dressing table to port and a settee for lounging in solitude.
The luxurious master head is forward and down five steps, where separate shower and bath compartments complement a vanity with his-and-her vessel sinks set upon a marble countertop, and a matching marble sole. Extensive hanging locker space is also located in the head.
“This series of yacht came about as a wide-beam design with an on-deck master,” says Bill Dixon of Dixon Yacht Design. “She’s got that owner’s cabin with the wraparound glass, a big leisure space with wide side decks and a good-sized flybridge with a solid hardtop, and good crew’s quarters. We designed the structure of the Johnson 93 to accommodate customization and provided Johnson Yachts with the engineering and several layouts, but we sometimes consult on additional accommodation plans.”
Behind the upper-level bank of vertical windows is the raised pilothouse, where the five centre panes are clear tempered glass for better sight lines in low-light conditions, and provide 270-degree views to assist safe navigation. The pilothouse is three steps up from the passageway at the forward end of the saloon. Built into a leather-covered console is a full suite of navigation electronics with a pair of 16-inch touchscreen displays. A dinette provides companion seating for the helmsman.
The lower deck features an amidships VIP stateroom, which is, for all intents and purposes, a second master, stretching across the full beam. This space receives a generous quantity of natural light from two levels of rectangular ports set into the hull sides. With hanging lockers both port and starboard, the VIP features a dinette to starboard and a desk or dressing table to port. The en suite is aft, with his-and-her heads entered from separate doors to either side of the berth. In each head, marble-topped vanities with vessel sinks with a shared, walkthrough shower on centreline between them.
A pair of twin-berth staterooms round out the guest accommodations on the lower level. The portside stateroom has twin berths that push together to form a double. Each guest stateroom has a cedar-lined hanging locker and additional stowage in lockers, as well as its own entertainment system. En suites for the guest staterooms are finished with marble soles and vanity tops, and marble shower seats.
Boarding the Johnson 93 is simple from the spacious “teak-beach” swim platform, which has hydraulic aft section that facilitates bathing as well as the launch, retrieval, and stowage of a tender. A large storage garage for gear and serious water toys is in the transom. Guests find port and starboard stairs leading to the aft deck, shaded by the long overhang of the flying bridge. Enter the saloon through stainless-and-glass electric sliding doors on centreline from the aft deck.
The saloon is bright and airy with light-coloured anigre joinery and large windows port and starboard. A social area aft includes an upholstered L-shaped settee and a pair of swivel chairs surrounding a mother-of-pearl coffee table. A pop-up 50-inch television is to starboard adjacent to a bar with 24-bottle wine cooler, ice maker, and open-shelf wine bottle stowage.
At the forward end of the salon is a formal dining table with eight upholstered chairs, convenient to the galley through a door forward to port. The galley has a marble sole and two-tone lacquered cabinets, with stainless steel counters. Stainless steel appliances include a five-burner cooktop, oven, two-door refrigerator, convection microwave, and dishwasher.
The flying bridge has access from the pilothouse, and also from stairs leading from the aft deck. The helm station is to port with low helm console that assures good lines of sight from the helm seat, and with a companion seat to port and a forward-facing bench to starboard. A large U-shaped settee with dining table is to starboard while a wet bar and alfresco galley counter with propane grill is to port. An open area aft is suitable for sunning with lounge chairs.
Johnson Yachts offers various layouts, as well semi-custom modifications within this superyacht design, to allow owners to make the most of the hull’s volume. A sky lounge is a consideration for owners looking at any yacht in the Johnson range. An on-deck master is not often seen in yachts of this LOA, and the flexibility of the semi-custom design allows such changes as a country kitchen forward on the main deck in place of the master, or additional guest staterooms below decks.
“One thing to look at on the Johnson 93 are her really nice walkaround side decks,” says Jeff Stanley, the yacht broker at Gilman Yachts in Ft. Lauderdale who is the U.S. East Coast dealer for this Johnson 93. “Her saloon is the same width as the 90-foot boats from other builders with no walkarounds. It’s indicative of the volume and of this build—she’s just a bigger yacht.” Smart design elements include a beefy three-inch-oval stainless steel handrail atop high bulwarks to assure guests will feel safe and protected when moving forward along those side decks.
In this build series, the engine rooms are identical. Because of the series production of the 93- to 110-foot models, the mechanical and electrical systems are on a proven platform with more than 30 builds in this series. The result is a standardisation of systems with a proven track record, rather than starting fresh with each build.
The Taiwanese superyacht builder will customise the accommodations space with anywhere from three to six staterooms, and in fact no two boats in the series have been identical as the layouts have been tuned to owners’ tastes.
With a pair of 1,925-horsepower Caterpillar C32s, the Johnson 93 will cruise at 21 knots and top out at 24 knots.