The buyer of the first Pearl 100 Hybrid explains how he went from a 14ft Fletcher to a fully crewed superyacht, and why
I have recently taken the decision to buy a new Pearl 100 Hybrid. Given that Pearl has never built a boat of this size before, let alone one with a diesel electric propulsion system as standard, you may question my sanity for both buying one and writing about it. But I hope to explain why!
As a family, we have been boating for many years, initially with an old Orkney Dory powered by a smoky two-stroke outboard, which we then transferred onto a secondhand Fletcher 14 GTO. A manual pull start and no power trim kept us grounded and fit!
As our family grew, we dipped in and out of boating with various RIBs, an 11ft Boston Whaler and then a couple of Windy sportscruisers. Until recently, we always kept our boats in the UK but post Covid we thought it would be fun to explore further afield.
Moving to the Med
In 2023, we began to look at buying a boat in Mallorca, on which we could live aboard for a week or two at a time. We knew a good broker, Ben Toogood, from our previous Windy purchases from Berthon, and as he had recently moved to Mallorca, he seemed like the obvious place to start. We contacted Ben and asked him to scout out what new or nearly new options were available in the 70ft range.
Their Pearl 82 is now a popular Med charter boat
Between us, we shortlisted two boats, a Sunseeker 76 and a Pearl 72. Both were fabulous boats with four cabins, a strong heritage and excellent reputations, but something was still troubling us. As we are getting older, and some say wiser, we were determined to make this new boating experience as relaxed and hassle-free as possible.
I am sure every boating couple has had their moments when things didn’t go to plan, and the thought of rushing to the Med and back for a long weekend, spending half the time cleaning and fixing things rather than making the most of our precious free time, worried us. It would be fine if our grown-up kids were there to help but if it was just the two of us, we felt we’d struggle to manage such a big boat on our own. We did investigate employing a crew and putting the boat on charter but the maths didn’t add up for that either.
We explained to Ben why we wouldn’t be progressing with a purchase. He was disappointed but he didn’t give up. A few weeks later he sent me some renderings of the Pearl 82. It was a thing of beauty, with five cabins, folding balconies and great access to the foredeck and flybridge. It was more like a 100-footer in its features and would doubtless make a better charter boat too.
Top chef and chief steward Liz is part of the appeal
After many emails and Zoom calls, Ben Toogood and Ross Donohoe, Pearl’s Sales Manager, made the trip to our home to discuss the boat in more detail. They placed a model of the 82 on our kitchen table, and although it was bearing the scars of a number of recent show outings, it enabled us to envisage how the finished boat would look. Before we got carried away, we mentioned our desire for stress-free boating.
Hassle-Free Boating
No problem, they insisted, we can find you a mooring, advise on ownership structure and sort out a charter agent. Most importantly of all, they promised to find us the right crew. We talked specs, options and extras and were pleasantly surprised to find that the standard specification covered most of our needs. We were sold on the idea of it but as Pearl hadn’t yet built an 82, we still didn’t want to press the button until we’d actually seen one in the flesh. I agreed to put down a deposit on a new 82 on the proviso that if we didn’t like the real thing, the full amount would be returned.
The James family love spending time at anchor thanks to the Pearl’s effective stabilisers
At the end of July 2024 we travelled to Mallorca to view the first Pearl 82. By then Ben was now working for the local Pearl dealer, the Mallorca Marine Group. We had a good look round, took it out for a sea trial and signed the order that afternoon, much to the delight of Ben! The next day we met our future Captain Paul and Chief Steward/Chef/Deckhand, Liz – two hard working northern folk whom we instantly felt at home with.
Our 82 was delivered in late January 2025. To Pearl’s credit, after crawling all over it, we only found a handful of items for the snagging list. Most of these were petty things such as light bulbs, and with the help of Matt, aftersales manager at Mallorca Marine Group, our captain Paul and the MD of Pearl, Iain Smallridge, everything was done in an agreed and timely manner. Pearl’s proactive approach to fixing problems has really impressed us. It is a company that cares and listens. I can also recommend our marine lawyers, Jaffa and Co, for their advice on the ownership structure, and Lisa and the team at Network Marine Consultants in Palma for helping to sort out the VAT and charter licensing.
We decided to charter out the boat for several reasons. Firstly, to help to pay some of the costs – it won’t make a profit but it should wash the boat’s face. Secondly, we can’t use the boat all the time so this helps keep the crew busy and gives them an opportunity to earn tips from the charter guests. Last year we only took five weeks of charter bookings but this year we are already considerably up on that.
There are numerous options for guests to eat inside or out on the Pearl 82
Summer of Fun
In short, our first summer of Med boating has been a blast. Originally we were berthed on Wellies quay, bang in the middle of the Portals’ goldfish bowl, but while it was fun being at the heart of the action we did get sick of hearing ‘Sweet Caroline’ playing in the bars 15 times a day. Also the sparrows would pick up chips from the restaurant and drop them on the boat, much to Paul’s displeasure. I have never met anyone so obsessed with teak decks! So when a larger but better-located 30m berth became available in August, we jumped at the chance to take it.
Local knowledge is key in Mallorca and Paul and Liz have taken us to some delightful Calas and anchorages. The way he manoeuvres such a big boat in tight spaces is an art form. We love spending nights at anchor rather than in marinas, and the fin stabilisers on the 82 do a great job of making sure it’s just as comfortable.
Hybrid power gives the Pearl 100 diesel performance and silent electric cruising
Waking up to see the sunrise in a tranquil anchorage is one of our greatest pleasures. The master cabin on the 82 has access to the foredeck so the two of us like to sit out there first thing in the morning with nothing but a cup of builder’s tea to keep us company. The peace and quiet is priceless, especially after a heavy night with friends!
We also have to mention the quality of food onboard. Liz makes every meal special, and as the food she cooks is as good, if not better than the many excellent local restaurants, we tend to eat on board most nights. They say a crew can make or break the Med boating experience and they have certainly helped make ours.
Stepping Up to 100ft
Having had such a great first summer on our 82, and because we’d agreed to let Pearl exhibit it at the Cannes Yachting Festival, my youngest son and I travelled to the show for a couple of days to see what the next step up might be. Ben had let it slip that Pearl would be unveiling details of a new 100-footer at the show and sent me some early renderings of it. With that in mind, we drew up a shortlist of four boats to focus on and asked our Captain Paul to go and look at them before we arrived – the Sunseeker 100, the Princess 95, the Riva 102 and the Pearl 100 Hybrid.
Computer renderings show what their new Pearl 100 will look like
Paul had done his research well, and after visiting the show ourselves, we got our heads together over a beer. Our son had done a lot of work on specs and the pros and cons of each boat. All four were amazing boats and all very capable, so it was a tough choice to narrow it down to two. Eventually, we whittled it down to the Pearl 100 Hybrid and the Riva 102.
To help decide, we arranged a trip to the Riva yard to see the 102 in the flesh. It was an awe-inspiring experience – the heritage and quality was clear to see, challenging our loyalty to Pearl. But while the boat was phenomenal, Riva seemed reluctant to change some of the details to suit our specific needs.
We went back to Pearl and had a very open and honest conversation about what we liked and disliked about the 100 Hybrid. For instance, we didn’t like the fact that when the garage door is open, it blocks off the cockpit from the bathing platform.
And we preferred the Riva’s cockpit layout with a fixed rear bench seat and some free-standing furniture instead of the Pearl’s built-in sofas. We also asked for changes to the master bathroom’s shower and toilet layout, the shading on the foredeck and some of the details on the flybridge.
Pearl’s stand at the Cannes Yachting Festival
On the advice of the crew we also asked to redesign the galley and change the location of the washing and drying machines. Iain and the team listened intently and a couple of days later showed us their proposed solutions to all our requests.
Hybrid Hero
We were also keen to find out more about the hybrid system. Being honest, you don’t buy this size of boat if you are trying to save the world, but we did want to know what benefits it would give us in terms of fuel efficiency and silent running. The idea of popping across to Portals Vells under electric power in almost total silence sounded appealing but would it actually work in practice? We spent four hours with the manufacturers of the system going through it all and understanding how it could help reduce cost, increase range and improve our boating enjoyment.
Pearl’s willingness to customise some of the details helped seal the deal
Another reason for buying the Pearl was Kelly Hoppen’s interior design. It works really well on the 82 and it takes away the hassle of choosing materials and finishes. It does what it says on the tin; refined luxury that suits the space on board.
After much deliberation, we took the easy decision to stay with Pearl. Better the devil you know! The main factor was their willingness to listen to us and make the adjustments that we and our crew wanted. They even agreed to a redesign of the Sonos AV system and a list of other things that made both me and our captain happy.
The 100’s main deck owner’s cabin with access to the foredeck terrace is one of many highlights
One of the bigger challenges was upgrading the tender garage. It was designed to take a Williams Dieseljet 445 but we really wanted a 505 which would give a better tow for wake-boarding and water-skiing. Within days Pearl came up trumps and found a way to make it fit, which we think is a first for a boat of this size.
Whilst it feels quite brave to be buying such a big boat off plan, Pearl have worked hard to gain our trust, and the Mallorca Marine Group has delivered that stress-free boating experience we were hoping for. Doubtless there will be a few trials and tribulations during the build and delivery phase but that is only to be expected. It is how they deal with it that is the true test of the relationship. With the build now under way and delivery due in 2027, we’ll soon start
to find out!
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