Last updated: October 2026
Palmer Johnson is a sport yacht and superyacht brand. Wikipedia’s articles on yachts launched by Palmer Johnson place the Palmer Johnson shipyard in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. The company’s own website, palmerjohnson.com, shows an office in Monaco and lists the PJ63 Sport, SuperSport and SportYacht ranges. This page counts down the 7 Palmer Johnson yachts we list, from 123 feet up to 171.8 feet. The countdown runs from #7, the smallest, up to #1, the biggest, ranked by the length on each yacht’s listing. Where two boats share a length, the newer one ranks higher: BLACKSHEEP (2009) ranks above INVICTUS (2006) at the same listed length of 123 feet.
The “from” weekly fees on the Palmer Johnson listings, before APA, are $80,000 per week (INVICTUS) at the low end and $125,000 per week (ARABELLA) at the high end for the yachts priced in dollars, and €120,000 per week (HOKULANI) and €265,000 per week (DB9) for those priced in euros. Ask us for your dates.
Which Palmer Johnson for Which Group
A starting point. The group labels are our own; the yacht facts come from the listings. Tell us your group and we will narrow it down.
| Your group | Size band | From this page |
|---|---|---|
| Eight guests | 123 ft, 8 guests in 4 cabins | INVICTUS: 8 guests in 4 staterooms, an on-deck master suite and a sundeck Jacuzzi. BLACKSHEEP: 8 guests in 4 cabins and a Jacuzzi. |
| Ten guests | 143 ft, 5 staterooms | GRAND ILLUSION: 10 guests in 5 staterooms and a 10-person sundeck Jacuzzi. |
| Twelve guests in five cabins | 142 to 171.8 ft | LADY J: 12 guests in 5 cabins and a full-beam master stateroom. HOKULANI: 12 guests in 5 cabins, fin stabilisers and gyro stabilisers at anchor. DB9: 12 guests in 5 staterooms, a foredeck pool and an open-air cinema. |
| A big party or an event | 157 ft sailing yacht | ARABELLA: a tri-masted schooner that sleeps 36 guests in 18 cabins. |
The Seven at a Glance
Six of the seven are motor yachts, and one, ARABELLA, is a sailing yacht. Launch years run from 1983 (ARABELLA) to 2010 (DB9). Six of the seven list 8 to 12 guests; ARABELLA, a schooner, sleeps 36.
7. INVICTUS
“A 123 Footer with an On-Deck Master”
INVICTUS is a 123 foot (37.49 m) Palmer Johnson built in 2006, with a refit in 2021. She takes 8 guests in 4 staterooms: an on-deck master suite with a king bed, a full-beam VIP stateroom below deck and two queen staterooms. Her listing names Quantum/Naiad stabilizers and a sundeck Jacuzzi.
Her cruising speed is 14 knots and her top speed 25 knots. Rates run from $80,000 to $90,000 per week, plus expenses.
Cruising areas on her listing: Bahamas and New England in summer; Bahamas in winter.
6. BLACKSHEEP
“Four Cabins and a Jacuzzi”
BLACKSHEEP is a 123 foot (37.49 m) Palmer Johnson built in 2009, with a refit in 2023. She takes 8 guests in 4 cabins: a main-deck master king stateroom with his and hers ensuite, a VIP below deck and two twin staterooms. Her listing names a Jacuzzi and twin MTU diesel engines.
Her cruising speed is 15 knots and her top speed 21 knots. Rates run from $85,000 to $95,000 per week, plus expenses.
Cruising areas on her listing: Leeward Islands, Caribbean, Windward Islands, USVI and BVI.
5. LADY J
“Five Cabins for 12, Refitted in 2025”
LADY J is a 142 foot (43.28 m) Palmer Johnson built in 1997, with a refit in 2025. She takes 12 guests in 5 cabins. Her listing describes a full-beam master stateroom on deck with an office, and a covered aft dining area for up to 10 guests.
Her cruising speed is 11 knots and her top speed 17 knots. Her rate runs from $119,000 per week, plus expenses.
Cruising areas on her listing: Bahamas in summer; BVI, USVI, Caribbean, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands in winter.
4. GRAND ILLUSION
“A 10-Person Jacuzzi on the Sundeck”
GRAND ILLUSION is a 143 foot (43.59 m) Palmer Johnson built in 1994. She takes 10 guests in 5 staterooms. Her listing names a sundeck with a 10-person Jacuzzi, a wet bar and an open-air cinema, and a Sky Lounge aft deck.
Rates run from $115,000 to $125,000 per week, plus expenses.
Cruising areas on her listing: US Virgin Islands, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas and Bermuda.
3. HOKULANI
“A Duplex Owner’s Cabin and Greek Waters”
HOKULANI is a 149.9 foot (45.7 m) Palmer Johnson built in 2007, with a refit in 2021. She takes 12 guests in 5 cabins. Her listing calls her a Nuvolari Lenard designed PJ 150 built in aluminium, with fin stabilisers and gyro stabilisers at anchor and a duplex owner’s cabin with a private media room on the main deck forward.
Her cruising speed is 20 knots and her top speed 26 knots. Rates run from €120,000 to €149,000 per week, plus expenses.
Cruising areas on her listing: Greece in summer; Greece and Turkey in winter.
2. ARABELLA
“A Tri-Masted Schooner Sleeping 36”
ARABELLA is a 157 foot (47.85 m) Palmer Johnson sailing yacht built in 1983. Her listing calls her a tri-masted schooner that sleeps up to 36 guests in 18 cabins, for private family trips, corporate events or brand activations.
Her cruising speed is 9 knots. Rates run from $125,000 to $135,000 per week, plus expenses.
Cruising areas on her listing: New England in summer; BVI, USVI, Caribbean, Leeward Islands and Windward Islands in winter.
1. DB9
“The PJ 170 with a Foredeck Pool”
DB9 is a 171.8 foot (52.36 m) Palmer Johnson built in 2010, with a refit in 2025. Her listing calls her the iconic PJ 170 sport yacht in metallic grey. She takes 12 guests in 5 staterooms: a full-beam owner’s stateroom, two queen VIP staterooms and two twin staterooms, each with its own ensuite.
Her listing names an open-air cinema on the sundeck, an infinity Jacuzzi on the aft deck, a second Jacuzzi on the flybridge and a 25 foot (8 m) pool on the foredeck. Rates run from €265,000 to €290,000 per week, plus expenses.
Cruising areas on her listing: Ibiza, Mallorca, French Riviera, Provence Coast, Marseille, Corsica, Italy, Sicily, Mediterranean and Sardinia.
A Sample Week in the Cyclades with HOKULANI
A seven-night route from Athens through the Cyclades, with HOKULANI as the example because her listing names Greece as her cruising area. It follows our own 7-day Athens, Kea, Syros, Mykonos, Naxos, Santorini itinerary, and is a general suggested route, not a plan set for her. That page says it sells the week almost exclusively on motor yachts with real cruising speed, and HOKULANI’s listing gives a cruising speed of 20 knots. She takes 12 guests in 5 cabins.
- Day 1, board in Athens and run to Kea for the first night.
- Day 2, Kea to Syros and the town of Ermoupolis.
- Day 3, Syros to Delos and Mykonos.
- Day 4, Mykonos to Paros and Naxos, with lunch at Naousa on Paros.
- Day 5, Naxos to Santorini.
- Day 6, Santorini to Sifnos, after a morning tender ride to Nea Kameni.
- Day 7, Sifnos to Kythnos and back to Athens, with a swim stop at Kolona beach.
Source: Greece 7-Day Charter Itinerary: Athens, Kea, Syros, Mykonos, Naxos, Santorini, Sifnos, Kythnos.
What These Palmer Johnsons Cost
Charter fees on the listings are plus expenses, so fuel, food and berthing are paid on top. Our guide to what a yacht charter costs walks through the full bill, and the Palmer Johnson rate list shows the rates.
Palmer Johnson charter questions
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Tell us your dates, your cruising area and how many guests, and we will check which of these Palmer Johnson yachts is free that week and send you the brochures.
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