When you step into the engine room of a modern superyacht, you’re entering the most technical space on board. While YPI CREW isn’t involved in engine design or maintenance, we do work closely with engineers and with yachts across all size categories. This gives us a useful perspective on how engine choices shift as yachts grow.

By analysing the 30m+ and 60m+ fleets, clear patterns begin to emerge — not technical verdicts, but interesting market behaviours worth sharing with the wider engineering community.

30m–60m: The Most Diverse Engine Segment

In the 30–60m range, superyacht propulsion is surprisingly varied. Engines from MTU, Caterpillar, MAN, Cummins, Volvo Penta, and others all appear frequently.

This diversity reflects:

• different hull types

• varying shipyard preferences

• two decades of evolving build trends

It’s the segment where engineers encounter the widest mix of systems.

60m+: Propulsion Choices Begin to Consolidate

Above 60 metres, the engine landscape changes.

Larger yachts bring higher displacement, greater redundancy needs, heavier hotel loads, and more demanding operational profiles.

As a result, the number of engine manufacturers decreases, and a smaller group of high-output engine families becomes standard.

Why Caterpillar Peaks Before 70m — and Why MTU Dominates Later

The data reveals two clear crossings between Caterpillar and MTU:

1. Caterpillar is strong in the 50–70m range

Many yachts from the early 2000s–2015 era in this size band were delivered with Caterpillar 3500 or C32 engines, especially among displacement cruisers. This creates a visible mid-size peak for Caterpillar.

2. MTU rises sharply above 70–80m

Once yachts reach 80m+, power density and redundancy requirements increase significantly.

Major Northern European shipyards consistently specify MTU’s high-power series for these large new builds, leading to a steep rise in MTU representation.

This isn’t about one engine being “better” — it reflects build eras, shipyard partnerships, and the technical demands of large-yacht propulsion.

Shipyards Shape the Engine Landscape

Many of the world’s largest yachts are built by Lürssen, Oceanco, Feadship, and Abeking & Rasmussen — shipyards with strong historical relationships with specific engine manufacturers.

Likewise, mid-size series builds from earlier decades often leaned toward Caterpillar.

These yard-level decisions strongly influence the data we see today.

Why This Matters for Engineers

For yacht engineers, these patterns add context to the machinery they work with every day:

• mid-size yachts = broader variety of systems

• large yachts = high-output engines and advanced monitoring systems

• the 60–70m band = a transition where engine philosophies diverge

Understanding this helps engineers anticipate the systems they’ll encounter in different size categories and refine their professional development accordingly.

A Neutral, Data-Led Snapshot

This isn’t a technical review — it’s a high-level snapshot of how superyacht propulsion trends evolve across the fleet.

Engineers, captains, and shipyards hold the deeper “why,” but from a recruitment perspective, these trends help us understand the operating environments of today’s crew.