Currently listed for just under $10 million, the world’s largest wooden motor yacht was built using an extraordinary combination of traditional and modern techniques — including soaking teak sheets in boiling water before shaping and attaching them to a GRP superstructure. But as Gabrielle Lazaridis observes, while Afra draws heavily from ancient craftsmanship, she delivers the full comfort and sophistication of a contemporary superyacht.
Dubai is a city balanced between eras. Along one side of Dubai Creek, rows of classic wooden dhows — with their dramatic upturned bows and ornate marquetry — look as though they could still be navigating ancient maritime trade routes. Across the water, sleek white yachts sparkle in the shadow of the city’s futuristic skyscrapers.
Venture a little farther inland, however, and you’ll find Afra — a 50-metre custom motor yacht delivered in 2020 by UAE-based Henderson Marine. Clad entirely in warm amber teak, she stands apart from both traditional vessels and modern superyachts, occupying a visual category all her own.
“The best way to describe it is that the yacht was designed in a modern way by Henderson, but built using traditional methods,” says Brett Noble, co-founder of Bush & Noble, the international brokerage firm now representing the vessel. Afra is currently asking $8,995,000.
“The owner built it as a passion project,” Noble explains. “This is actually the third wooden yacht he’s constructed — the first was gifted to the royal family, the second he kept for himself.” This time, drawing on everything he had learned, the owner set out to build his most ambitious creation yet.
More than just aesthetically striking, Afra is the largest private wooden motor yacht ever built — a title the owner intends to formalise with a Guinness World Record. She also features several improvements over his earlier projects.
The most significant upgrade is the superstructure, which hides a composite core beneath a teak exterior. “It’s a modern interpretation of what they were building originally,” Noble says. Abandoning the idea of an entirely wooden yacht, the team added composite to improve weight distribution, buoyancy, and ballast.
Yet the hull remains rooted firmly in tradition. Drawing on techniques used for centuries across the Red Sea and Indian Ocean, the owner took inspiration from dhow construction. Historically, wooden planks were stitched together using rope fibres, though steam bending helped modernise the process.
Wood, flexible by nature, can be shaped when softened. Traditional construction involved placing planks in boiling water or steam boxes to loosen the fibres before bending them into form. Once cooled and hardened, gaps were filled with caulking and reinforced using naturally curved L-shaped pieces.
Over time, this slow and labour-intensive process gave way to modern materials like fibreglass, steel, and aluminium — allowing for faster, more economical builds. Even today’s dhows often incorporate non-traditional materials.
But Afra tells a different story — one that celebrates craftsmanship rarely seen today. “People forget that this region still has incredibly skilled labour,” Noble says. “Most are shocked to learn that traditional wooden boatbuilding is still alive. When they see a yacht like this, they’re reminded of what’s possible.”
This dedication to heritage becomes immediately clear upon stepping into the main saloon. The yacht’s generous beam creates an interior defined by classic teak-and-holly flooring paired with polished marble and Italian furnishings. Large windows with electric shades fill the space with natural light, reflecting off the stone surfaces. It’s a seamless blend of old-world warmth and modern luxury.
Maintenance, Noble insists, is less daunting than many assume. “A lot of thought went into choosing materials and systems that keep things simple,” he says. While wooden yachts require proper sealing to prevent rot, maintaining the exterior isn’t much different from caring for steel, aluminium, or GRP hulls. A wooden surface must be sanded and coated with clear varnish — the same way modern hulls require priming, buffing, and repainting. “As long as the clear coat is done properly, it’s protected,” Noble notes. “It will last five years before needing to be refinished.”
Afra is a rare offering in today’s brokerage market — which is exactly why Noble believes the owner chose Bush & Noble. “We’re becoming known as the firm that handles unique projects,” he says, nodding toward a rendering of Royal Huisman’s latest towering “sportfish on steroids,” for which they also serve as technical managers.
As for whether a wooden yacht of this scale will be difficult to sell, Noble says it’s simply about finding the right audience. Despite generating global attention online, genuine inquiries have primarily come from the Gulf region and Asia — markets that appreciate Afra’s deep cultural roots.
Powered by two 1,678hp Caterpillar engines, the yacht reaches a top speed of 18 knots. Yet her true significance lies not in performance, but in the story she carries.
In this part of the world, wooden boats represent a living link to history — a testament to the region’s enduring bond with the sea. Afra elevates that tradition to a new level, proving that heritage and modern luxury can exist not just side by side, but beautifully intertwined.
