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Hollywood loves a good boat scene. Even better are the films that take place mostly at sea like the Pirates of the Caribbean series or Captain Ron. But what are the coolest boats ever seen on film? That is the question we are here to answer today.
When I set about ranking the most memorable and coolest boats in movie history I was struck with how so many of them are wind powered (sailboats) versus traditional powerboats and yachts like we typically associate with being ‘cool’ in real life. The final list is a solid mixture of both sailboats and powerboats (speed boats and yachts).
Ranking The Coolest Boats In Movie History
One notable boat was omitted from this list primarily because the real version exists at the bottom of the Northern Atlantic Ocean. While the RMS Titanic is one of the most famous boats of all time and objectively cool for an array of reasons, the boat from the film didn’t make the cut here. Let’s dive in!
1. The Black Pearl: Pirates of the Caribbean
The Black Pearl is at the heart of the entire Pirates of the Caribbean film franchise. It is the fastest vessel on the Seven Seas, uncatchable. Resurrected from Davy Jones’ locker, it is crewed by the cursed pirates in the first installment in the franchise and the charred black sails instill fear in the weak English noblemen running the Navy.
If you could have any boat on this list, it’s not necessarily the first one you would choose. But there is something about a cursed/haunted vessel incapable of being caught because it’s so fast that puts it in a class of its own. Imagine ripping through the sapphire waters of the Caribbean on the decks of the Black Pearl. PEAK living right there.
2. Q Boat: The world is Not Enough
The Q Boat in the opening scene of The World Is Not Enough made me yearn for something I didn’t even know existed until that moment. Suddenly, I needed a Q Boat of my own because no other personal boat could compare.
It is capable of high speeds, has a jet engine that spits out flames, could catch air and soar through the sky, had built-in rocket launchers. The Q boat from The World Is Not Enough really is emblematic of Q’s ability to build outlandishly awesome field vehicles for 007.
3. Orca: Jaws
While it is not much to look at upon first glance, the Orca from JAWS is one of the most iconic and awesome boats in Hollywood history. It a 1940s Nova Scotian-style wooden lobster boat that was previously named Warlock but re-named Orca for the film.
This is the vessel that Hopper, Quint, and Brody were on when they finally took down the demonic great white shark which had been terrorizing Amity Island. What I wouldn’t give for a night of fishing and throwing back drinks with that crew of guys aboard the boat.
4. Nadine: Wolf of Wall Street
Everything in the Wolf of Wall Street revolves around Jordan Belfort acquiring ‘f you money’ during his meteoric rise to success and among the treasures in his arsenal is the Nadine.
This was a real yacht owned by Jordan Belfort and IRL the Nadine is a 167-foot mega-yacht named Mathilde that was previously owned by Coco Chanel. After she sold it the vessel renamed Big Eagle before Jordan Belfort purchased it renamed it Nadine after his wife. Sadly, the vessel sank off Sardinia back in 1996 following a violent storm.
5. The ‘Atoll’ Trimaran: Waterworld
As long as I live I will never understand why critics hated on Kevin Costner and Dennis Hopper’s Waterworld because I will forever remember it as being awesome. Do I need to rewatch it to confirm that feeling? Absolutely not, some things are best left in the past.
Among the many awesome boats in Waterworld is Mariner’s (Kevin Costner) trimaran boat, a sailboat with three hulls. So much of the film takes place on this incredibly unique vessel that was a custom-built 60-foot ORMA ocean racing sailboat. It was constructed out of fiberglass and kevlar with an aluminum mast, all built for speed on the open ocean.
6. The ‘Casino Royale’: Casino Royale
The eponymous Casino Royale is a Sunseeker Predator 108-foot yacht that was both named after and featured in the 2006 James Bond film of the same name. At one point, this luxurious yacht was also available for charter at just $72,000 per week but times sure have changed. That would be a STEAL for a week-long yacht rental these days.
While this isn’t the longest or fastest or most expensive vessel on this list, it certainly remains one of the coolest boats in Hollywood.
7. The Jolly Roger: Hook
The Jolly Roger from Hook is the boat captained by the one and only Captain James Hook. It was landlocked in Hook but that didn’t matter because it (1) still had the ‘boo box’ and (2) looked other worldly, which it was, of course, because it was anchored in Neverland.
As a kid, the Jolly Roger is exactly what I thought of when I imagined the greatest sailboat ever built.
8. The Belafonte: Life Aquatic
The Belafonte was Steve Zissou’s vessel in Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) starring Bill Murray. It was a ‘mother ship’ in the sense that it also had a submersible on board and a helipad, everything you could ever want at sea.
Originally a long-range submarine hunter during WWII, the Belafonte was acquired by Steve Zissou from the U.S. Navy and retrofitted to be the glorious vessel it was in that movie. It is absolutely one of the coolest boats in movie lore and if you’ve never seen that film now is the time to add it to your list.
9. The Flying Saucer: Never Say Never Again
The Flying Saucer from Never Say Never Again, a 1983 James Bond film starring Sean Connery, is probably the most iconic of all the Bond boats for me. That’s because there was this span of time that seemed to last 2 years where Never Say Never Again was on HBO 24/7 and if there was nothing else to watch I’d just toss that on.
It is a 282-foot superyacht, a truly luxurious vessel. In real life, it is named the Nabila and it was built for Saudi billionaire Adnan Khashoggi but was later sold to Donald Trump and renamed the Trump Princess which I find odd because you never hear about Donald Trump being on yachts these days. Did he just move on from boats entirely after this one?
10. The Inferno: The Goonies
While we didn’t get to see much of The Inferno in The Goonies it was really the centerpiece of the entire film. They were chasing after the treasure on board the entire time and the film culminated with The Goonies finding The Inferno and all the gold and jewels.
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t keep my eyes peeled for The Inferno whenever I’m in/near Cannon Beach, Oregon on the off chance I find a lost ship full of treasure.
11. Donzi 38Z X2: Bad Boys II
The coolest boats in movie history wouldn’t be right without one pure power boat on the list, of course. Here we have the Donzi 38Z X2. I’m a huge fan of Donzi, always have been, always will be, as they are made in my hometown and my uncle has an antique wooden one I have always been jealous of.
This boat from Bad Boys II is phenomenal and the sound mixing did a great job at capturing just how loud and powerful the engines are.
12. The Wanderer: Captain Ron
Nobody can dock a boat like Captain Ron. The 1992 film starring Martin Short and Kurt Russell really instilled in me a personality I didn’t know was trapped inside and just waiting to get out one day if/when I win the lottery and can disappear into the Caribbean.
The Wanderer is the boat that Martin Short’s character inherits and Captain Ron helps them deliver the boat to a buyer as they all become transformed along the way. Was it old and rickety? Perhaps. But it sure was cool.
13. Planet Nine: Tenet
Planet Nine is the yacht from Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. Everything about this 240-foot ultra yacht screams luxury.
It was first launched in 2018 after being built/designed by Admiral Yachts and can be taken anywhere on earth. It has a helipad, movie theater, a hangar below deck to store a helicopter, and a whole lot more. This is one of those vessels that regular people like myself cannot wrap their minds around. It is for billionaires only.
Honorable mention: HMS Surprise (Master and Commander)
The HMS Surprise from Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World gets an honorable mention here due in large part to how the entire film basically took place on board, how it is believed to be the most accurate depiction of naval warfare and life of that era, and because Russell Crowe was amazing in that film.