ALI BABA

ALI BABA is a 49.95 metre motor yacht built by ISA Yachts in 2012, with an exterior by Andrea Vallicelli and interiors by Francesco Paszkowski. Her hull is steel and her superstructure aluminium, giving her a volume of 498 GT and a displacement of 510 tons on a beam of 9.00 metres and a draft of 2.50 metres. She is classified RINA MCA LY2 and sails under the Cayman Islands flag. Two refits, in 2021 and in 2022/2023, included a rebuild of her interior costing millions of euros, and the works that followed in 2024/2025 and 2025/2026 ended with a full exterior paint job, completed in 2026.

She is driven by twin Caterpillar 3512C engines of 1,650 hp each, through ZF gearboxes to twin five blade propellers, with Marsili steering and a Naiad VT75 bow thruster of 90 kW. Her maximum speed is 17 knots and she cruises at 12.5 knots, and with 85,000 litres of fuel aboard her range reaches 4,500 nautical miles, a transatlantic reach for long distance cruising. Two Naiad 575 fins keep her steady underway and at zero speed, so the comfort carries over to her time at anchor.

Her systems are built for time away from the dock. Two Idromar watermakers each produce 4,500 litres a day for her 21,000 litres of fresh water tankage, alongside 5,100 litres of black water and two grey water tanks of 2,650 litres each. Two Caterpillar C6.6 generators of 125 kW supply the 400 volt, 50 Hz network, shore power arrives through Pirelli cables to a 125 kVA ASEA converter, fuel is cleaned by an Alfa Laval purifier and the air conditioning is a Condaria chilled system. On the bridge she carries Furuno radars on the S and X bands, a Navis autopilot, a Raytheon gyro compass, twin Simrad GPS, a Furuno AIS and a Sailor Sat C terminal, and Starlink was fitted in 2022/2023 with two maritime antennas and one terrestrial.

She sleeps 12 guests in six cabins. Two full beam master suites sit on different decks, one on the main deck and one on the upper deck, the second created in 2021 when the upper saloon was converted into a master bedroom with its own bathroom, a TV lift, upgraded sound, lighting and audiovisual systems, and a private hammam finished in stone. Four more guest cabins are on the lower deck. The same works relocated the captain's cabin to the lower deck to free a further guest cabin and added a new full bathroom matching the existing cabin design. A crew of 9 is housed in five cabins of its own, and inside the guest areas the atmosphere is calm and cohesive, with warm materials, subtle contrasts and natural light throughout.

Outside, ISA's signature twin staircase gives guests one easy line from the swim platform to the sundeck. At the stern a Pressmair swim platform on Motomar hydraulics meets the sea behind curved glass doors, creating a beach club atmosphere, and a Motomar passerelle gives access from the stern or the port side. The aft deck dining area has a folding and sliding table for 10 to 12 guests, fitted in 2021, and the sundeck above, open to the view, was refurbished in teak in the same year with new spotlights, an upgraded sound system and Swedish wall gym equipment, so it works for relaxing or for a workout. Sunshades were installed on all decks in 2022/2023, together with a manual crane on the sundeck to raise the slide. Her toys are two Sea-Doo GTX 230 jet skis, four Seabobs, two Fliteboards, an inflatable platform, the slide and diving equipment with a compressor and bottles, and she carries a 5.60 metre custom tender of 170 hp and a Novurania rescue boat, with a custom 1,200 kg boat crane on deck.

Her works are documented refit by refit. The 2021 programme completed her ten year class survey with RINA, with every item the society requested carried out, rebuilt the staircases to remove noise and structural movement, reconfigured the main saloon with a new layout and furniture, updated the domotic system and renewed upholstery across the main deck, sundeck and upper deck. The 2022/2023 refit took her into dry dock for a complete antifouling cycle with corrosion treatment and a full polish with ceramic hull protection, replaced all exterior upholstery and covers, and went deep into the machinery, from vibration tests before and after the yard period, a new gland press, hydrolube ring and engine supports, propeller balancing and new rudder seals to a fully replaced refrigeration compressor system, a new watermaker membrane, new turbos, injectors and injector pump on the generators and a new bow thruster pod. Inside it brought new carpets in every cabin, new galley appliances and new decoration throughout, and it renewed the tender, the rescue boat and two of the Seabobs. The 2024/2025 winter then kept her on schedule with annual class and flag surveys, an intermediate class survey, a radio survey and main engine maintenance with an endoscopy. The 2025/2026 works went further. Outside she received a full exterior paint job, completed in 2026, new antifouling, Propspeed on her propellers and shafts, a hull polish with ceramic treatment, new zinc anodes, teak repairs, bridge window works and new mast lighting. Below, her Caterpillars had their annual service with new filters, new coolant and a new oil cooler, the gearboxes were serviced, the starboard exhaust valves were renewed, a new Sulzer bilge pump and a new converter were fitted, the stabiliser system was serviced with new hydraulic hoses, and the fresh, grey and black water tanks were all cleaned and their coatings touched up. A new CCTV system and a new wind speed sensor were fitted, the safety kit gained a new MOB unit, line throwers and parachute flares, two new Seabobs and a new inflatable platform joined her toys, and inside, the stone, marble, leather and floors were touched up in the master cabin, the main salon and the guest areas.

Smart Yachts is an appointed central agent for ALI BABA and we deal on her directly. Buyers and the brokers acting for them reach our Monaco office on her without a third party in between, and her specification, her refit history and a visit on board are all handled from here. Her sale is in the hands of Julia Skop and Maria Razumi.