Says the press release from April 2011: "Mauro Lecchi, renowned Italian designer, creates an aquatic creature that transmits all the sensations that are normally perceived while watching and driving the most famous Italian supercar." In other words, a 50-foot Lambo for the open seas, complete with a downright intimidating lightweight carbon-Kevlar exterior. More pics and details here.

Anglers, take in that back deck for a second. And the towering open fly bridge! That right there is a sport fisherman's dream. Just imagine yourself on the stern of this vessel, fighting a trophy sailfish. "Audax" is apparently an ancient word for adventure. The team at Schopfer Yachts dreamed up 120' and 95' version of this sport fishing beast, both of which can sleep up to 10 people. More pics and details here.

Janne Leppänen's goal here is to create a boat/floating home that's completely self-sustainable in the event the world becomes some sort of nightmarish scene from "Waterworld." It isn't envisioned with cannons or machine guns to fight off roving packs of pirates on Seadoos, but it is powered by the sun. According to the Finnish designer, she travels slow, maxing out at about 8 knots, but makes up for it with 1647 feet of interior space and a 1076-foot exterior wood deck. That's more than enough deck space to mount a FN M240B machine gun (U.S. Coast Guard's standard issue) on the stern in the event of that said watery doomsday scenario. More pics and details here.

Monte Carlo-based Wally Yachts teamed up with French fashioner Hermès to draft up this astounding floating island for the mega rich. The result is WHY, a 58 meters-long by 38 meters-wide dream boat with almost an acre of floorspace and a diesel-electric propulsion system that can hit a cruising speed of 12 knots. Hermès is tasked with outfitting the interior of the yacht with water-resistant buffalo leather. Oh, did we forget to mention the 25-meter interior swimming pool? More pics and details here.

The Netherlands-based shipyard Feadship rolled out the blueprint for "Breathe" -- it's fifth concept yacht -- at the 2010 Monaco Yacht Show. The goal of the unusual, snail shell-esque glass encasing on the vessel's two levels is to "act as an animal skin" to help control internal temperatures. More pics and details here.

With a helicopter at the bow and a pool at the stern, Italian CRN's massive open-line Dislopen is a lot like a mullet: business in the front, party in the back. The Italian-made vessel measures in at either 151, 171, or 203 feet and includes a panoramic master suite that's right behind the wheelhouse. More pics and details here.

South Korean designer Hyun-Seok Kim was awarded the 2011 Millennium Yacht Design Award for TOFI, his modestly sized 12-meter-long trimaran. Tropical fish inspired the design of the yacht, which boasts two double cabins and can reach maximum speed of 17 knots. Via the press release: "The designer, who was highly inspired by the tropical fish that stimulated him to imagine the tremendous features of under sea world, named this small and cute trimaran as TOFI. To symbolize the underworld sea world, the designer focused on 3 prominent features including natural beauty, thrill and fun and also designed several aspects for its purposes. At first, the designer focused on creating an attractive exterior shape in order to stimulate people to dream of a great vacation. He then tried to install certain specialty to access the mantrap of sea nature. Some of Tofi’s attractive features include a wide opened and lower positioned rear deck, a safety buoy system for both children and adults and diving board to enhance amusement of sea dabbling. To offer a real retreat to the passengers when they are on board, the designer has designed exclusive furniture and stunning upper dining area." More pics and details here.

This ultra-tacky, $1-billion floating travesty of justice has to basically be a yacht designer's way of holding up his middle finger to the lower-class masses and saying, "Fuck you, I'm rich because I design yachts for a living, you pathetic, poor bastards." Seriously, what else could explain a 500-plus-foot yacht that boasts an atrium, a couple of swimming pools, a go-kart track, a casino, and a tennis court that doubles as a helipad? Oh, this monster of luxury only sleeps 16 of your friends, so you won't be able to bring too many people along for your opulent port to port joyride. But, on the upside, it can handle 70 crew to slave away at getting this unnecessary waste of fuel across the ocean. You know what they say about buying big boats but not class... More full breakdown, via the designer: "Split into four major external deck spaces, the upper level includes the main swimming pool with swim-in Jacuzzi/bar and the Casino Square, featuring a large glass-bottomed fountain in a tranquil garden setting. A multi-purpose courtyard in the stern of the vessel allows for various sporting activities and doubles as a helipad. Expansive sun decks and BBQ facilities have also been incorporated into the design. "The two remaining communal areas are the ‘The Oasis’ and ‘The Grand Atrium.’ The Oasis, modelled on the gardens outside the Monaco Casino, acts as the main boarding point and includes a central waterfall feature. Large exterior windows surround the entire aft section of The Oasis, extending to the full double-deck height ceiling. Forward on the lower level is the Spa with manicure and hair salon, sauna/steam rooms and a relaxation lounge featuring a spa pool with a bar. A gym and café bar are also found on this level with under-water views into the main external swimming pool. "Finally, The Grand Atrium is the central hub of the yacht, linking the upper and lower living areas and surrounds a waterfall feature supplied by the glass-bottomed fountain from the garden above. Located off the lower atrium are seven guest suites, library, communal office, communal balcony and cinema. The upper level of The Atrium leads to the main entertainment area and the owner’s suite comprising the main salon with Havana room and adjoining wine cellar, casino, dining room and dance hall." More pics and details here.

The 72-foot winner of the innovation category of the "European Power Boat of the Year 2011" has more curves than Kate Upton. It's getting just as many compliments as Upton, too, thanks to an innovative air-supported monohull that gives it a couple feet of lift in the water. More pics and details here.

A few other designers have tried their hand at conceptualizing watercraft for Audi. Bo Zolland envisioned an Audi R8-inspired catamaran a few years back and Krassi Dimitrov came up with an Audi Y10 yacht last summer. German designer Stephanie Behringer threw her hat in the ring this April with a sporty, sleek 15-meter triman that can push over 74 km/h. All that power comes compliments of Audi’s Audi V12 500hp TDI diesel engines. More pics and details here.

Modeled after an interstellar space ship, UK-based yacht builder John Shuttleworth is currently constructing this 140-foot superyacht for a wealthy client in Hong Kong. In his own words: "Adastra's 16 metre beam creates a spacious saloon area on the main deck which offers superb views through a panoramic window and accommodates a lounge area, dining table, and navigation station. A forward facing door through the saloon window gives easy access to a large sunbed on the foredeck. The aft deck has a sofa and bar area to port and a dining area to starboard, further aft of this there is space for a 4.9 metre tender and directly below is a garage which can store a 3.1 metre tender. The garage door has been designed to fold out and create a large dive platform. Extra space has been created below deck by slightly flaring the central hull just above the waterline. This area has been split into two sections with a full-width master cabin located aft with access from the deck saloon, and two further guest cabins, accommodation for the crew, and the galley located forward of the engine compartment. Adastra offers comfortable accommodation for nine guests and up to six crew members. The main helm station, which has seating for two, is positioned in a raised pilot house situated between the aft deck and the saloon area and forms part of the cross beam structure. " More pics and details here.

With three major sources of sustainable energy and two hydroponic farms on board, the Wavepiercer is envisioned as a totally self-sufficient superyacht that can harvest the renewable power of the ocean. She can handle 10 guests and eight crew and voyage over 12,000 nautical miles a year as a carbon neutral vessel. The propulsion system utilizes both solar, wave, and wind power, including a kite-like SkySail to pull it through the water like schooners of yesteryear. Designer Richard Sauter elaborates on its three systems of power: "The first and foremost source is Energy from the Sun which Powers a 400 sq. meter 70kw Solar Array and illuminates 2 Hydroponic farms. The second source is Energy from the Wind which Powers an Auxiliary 80 sq. meter 200kw automated SkySail that drives the Ocean Empire to 18+knots and charges her GM ESS2 Battery Systems. The third source is Energy from Waves captured by Motion Damping Regeneration (MDR). A new form of ATMD developed in collaboration with Maurer Sohnes Gmbh. The MDR system is basically an ATMD (adjustable tuned mass damper) utilized in skyscrapers, such as Taipei 101 to reduce their swaying motion. In this application 16tons of batteries are the mass while linear generators produce up to 50kws of electricity as they dampen the motion of the Ocean Empire Superyacht." More pics and details here.

The only sailing yacht on our list features a split-mast design that propels the vessel through the water with a port and starboard-side sail. Lila Lou's"Ankida" abandons the traditional split-sail, central-mast design, opting instead for a third "swing sail" that can be deployed through the middle of the two masts for extra speed. More pics and details here.

Easily one of the more sinister, "Bond Villain-esque" yacht concepts, the Horizon's 25000hp engines tops out at 45 knots. In case outrunning the MI6 isn't on your itinerary, a SkySail can pull the 150-foot vessel through the water at speeds of up to 24 knots. Here's how Barnaby Heseltine describes it: "The project was set out to bridge the gap between the long range abilities of sailing yachts and the luxury granted by the space of powered superyachts. The result is The 150’ Horizon, a deluxe superyacht which is in no way limited to where it can sail across the seas and oceans. Propelled by a SkySail and using wave-piercing hulls, Horizon can reach high speeds without worrying about fuel or damaging the environment, in tranquil comfort. Crew and technical spaces are kept to the outriggers, leaving the central hull exclusive to the 10 passengers, giving them outstanding privacy. This is the luxury superyacht for those whose aim is to chase the Horizon." More pics and details here.

As opulent as one of the old Mediterranean luxury liners of 1920s and '30s, the massive, 334-foot "Marco Polo" yacht made a splash at the 2006 Miami Boat Show. The most outstanding feature of this 28-guest, 44-crew concept is that huge, multi-level aft deck, where the atrium and the helipad are located. Sadly, this project seems to have never gotten off the ground, but Fincantieri still lists it on its website, so perhaps there is hope it will eventually see waves. More pics and details here.

Measuring in at just about 300 feet, Oceanco's Project Magnitutde has all the goodies you'd expect from a massive megayacht, including a pool, wave-side lounge, helipad, and enough cabins for all your fraternity brothers. The concept debuted at 2010 Fort Lauderdale Boat Show. Did we mention it has a detachable floating island equipped with a swimming pool? Yep, there's that too. More pics and details here.

Designer Ben Walsh, who's rumored to be a member of GM’s Advanced Design studio team in the United Kingdom, drafted a sleek yacht modeled after the Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport Sang Bleu, one of the last special-edition Veyrons. This 30-foot badass with a carbon fiber and aluminum exterior hums through the water, topping out around 150 miles per hour. All things considered, the design is actually not that strange, either: Bugatti's founder, Ettore Bugatti, once dreamed about creating a luxurious speedboat capable of crossing the Atlantic. More pics and details here.

This 410-foot beast made her debut at the 2008 Monaco Yacht Show. The fun stuff? A sunken pool with a retractable cover for less-than-perfect weather; a Jacuzzi; helipad (with the ability to garage your helicopter!); a unique interior atrium; and accommodations for 12 guests and 24 crew. More pics and details here.

The outlandish design of this 300-foot mega-yacht is vaguely reminiscent of an extraterrestrial spacecraft. Note the elliptical decks and the midsection pool that serve as the vessel's nucleus. A cousin to Schöpfer's 250-foot "Oculus," the "Infinitas" sleeps 16 and cruises at a modest 15 knots. More pics and details here.