- Founded
- 1998
- Headquarters
- Unit 4, St George's Business Park, Lower Cape, Warwick, United Kingdom
- Shipyard location
- —
- Official website
- https://www.pearlyachts.com/
Brand Overview
British boutique builder of flybridge and raised-pilothouse motor yachts since 1998 — the Pearl 63, 73 and 82 and the 30-metre Pearl 100 Hybrid — with exteriors and naval architecture by Bill Dixon, interiors by Kelly Hoppen CBE and a five-year warranty.
YachtCodex Analysis
AI-generatedAn independent reading of this builder written by AI. Unlike the specifications and descriptions elsewhere on this page, it is interpretation rather than a sourced fact — treat it as a starting point, not a citation.
What this builder is
Pearl was first conceived in 1998, when Iain Smallridge, an experienced captain, and John Yarnold, a local businessman, began building 41- and 45-foot aft-cabin yachts in Stratford-upon-Avon. In 2003 the entrepreneurs Margaret and Tony Whittaker invested and set a new course — sleek flybridge yachts for the Mediterranean and beyond — starting with the Pearl 55 at the 2004 Southampton show and then the Pearl 60. Pearl Yachts Ltd, registered at St George's Business Park in Warwick, is owned by Margaret Whittaker OBE with Iain Smallridge as managing director; it says more than a hundred yachts have been built and delivered over 25 years and calls itself a lean company producing a low volume of high-quality yachts in a facility that houses the whole supply chain. The range is four models: the Pearl 63 on Volvo Penta IPS, the Pearl 73 and Pearl 82 on MAN engines, and the 30-metre Pearl 100 Hybrid, the first in the fleet with hybrid propulsion. Bill Dixon's Dixon Yacht Design draws every exterior and hull, Kelly Hoppen CBE offers a choice of interior styles, an online configurator covers the 63, 73 and 82, and each new yacht carries a comprehensive five-year warranty, with the Finest Pearl programme for inspected pre-owned yachts.
Who sails them
Pearl owners are experienced motor-yacht buyers moving within the 60-to-100-foot class who want a British-designed flybridge yacht with a full-beam master, crew quarters and a tender garage, an interior chosen from Kelly Hoppen's themes, and a builder small enough to give every owner personal attention and a five-year warranty.
Signature models
The Pearl 82, a 25-metre raised-pilothouse yacht with a main-deck master and five en-suite staterooms, has collected the most awards in recent years; the Pearl 73 succeeds the award-winning Pearl 72, and the Pearl 100 Hybrid, RINA-classed with an e-Motion hybrid system, is the new flagship.
Strengths
Pearl is known for Bill Dixon's naval architecture and recognisable profiles, Kelly Hoppen CBE interiors (the yard says no other yacht builder works with her), layouts that fit an extra cabin, fold-down cockpit balconies and tender garages, a choice of engines, a daily technical helpline, an industry-leading five-year warranty and a string of Motor Boat Awards and World Yacht Trophies.
Considerations
The site does not say where the yachts are built; lengths are overall including the pulpit; displacement is lightship on the 63, 73 and 82 but at half load on the 100; the 63 names its Volvo Penta IPS units without horsepower; berths are printed as guests plus crew ('8 + 1'); range is quoted at cruising speed, the 100 adding 1,150 nm at displacement speed; and the 82 and 100 print no hull length.
Analysis generated 10/17/2026
Part of
Fleet at a Glance
Calculated from the models in the YachtCodex catalog, not from the builder's claims.
- Models in catalog
- 4
- Length range
- 18.61–29.43 m
- Hull forms
- Motor Monohull 4
- Cabins
- 4–5
Models by this brand
4 models
History
Pearl was first conceived in 1998, when Iain Smallridge, an experienced captain, and John Yarnold, a local businessman, began building 41- and 45-foot aft-cabin yachts in Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare's hometown, setting out to compete with the best yacht builders in the world. In 2003 Margaret and Tony Whittaker, entrepreneurs and yachting enthusiasts, invested in the brand with a vision of sleek, stylish flybridge yachts that would catch the eye of buyers in the Mediterranean and beyond. Paul Hannah was appointed production director and the new range became reality, beginning with the Pearl 55, which premiered at the Southampton Boat Show in 2004, and continuing with the Pearl 60. The exteriors came to be drawn by the naval architect Bill Dixon and the interiors by Kelly Hoppen CBE. Over 25 years, the page says, Pearl has built and delivered more than a hundred yachts and earned a reputation for producing a low volume of high-quality yachts; it is signed by Margaret Whittaker OBE, owner, and Iain Smallridge, managing director of Pearl Yachts Ltd.
History written frompearlyachts.com/heritage/· Our Heritageread 10/17/2026