A Brooklyn mechanic who sold Honda motorcycles in Queens is about to take delivery of the largest yacht a Turkish shipyard has ever built. That is not a pitch. That is the actual story behind Project Bond.
What Is Project Bond?
Project Bond is an 82-metre superyacht under construction at Bilgin Yachts in Turkey, scheduled for delivery in 2029. At 269 feet she becomes the shipyard’s largest build to date, taking the flagship title from their 263-foot series. Bilgin announced the sale at the 2026 Palm Beach International Boat Show.
She is built on a displacement steel hull with an aluminium superstructure, carries a 13-metre beam and a 3.6-metre draft, and spreads across four decks for an internal volume of 2,150 gross tonnes.
Bilgin describes her as the evolution of their 80-metre platform, defined by volume, light and long-range capability.
Who Owns Project Bond?
John Staluppi, the American entrepreneur who built a fortune in car dealerships after starting as a mechanic in Brooklyn.
Staluppi has spent decades naming his yachts after James Bond films. For Your Eyes Only. Octopussy. Quantum of Solace. Skyfall. Spectre. It is one of the most recognisable owner signatures in yachting, and Project Bond continues it.
This one will be the largest he has ever owned.
The deal came through FGI Yacht Group, marking the third new-build sale between FGI and Bilgin.
What Do the Interiors Look Like?
Bilgin brought in H2 Design, and the result is Art Deco rather than the cold minimalism that dominates yachts at this size.
Patterned marble runs through the interior. Warm metallic accents catch the light. A sweeping open staircase connects the main salon down to an expansive beach club at the waterline.
Robb Report put it well when they noted the space would make a fine lair for a Bond villain. That is the register. Glamour with teeth, not restraint for its own sake.
Why Does an 82-Metre Build Matter for a Turkish Shipyard?
Because size at this level is a credential.
Northern Europe has owned the top of this market for generations. The Dutch and German yards are the default answer when someone asks who builds the biggest and the best. A Turkish yard delivering an 82-metre flagship to a serial owner with eighteen-plus yachts behind him is a different kind of statement.
Staluppi has built with yards all over the world. He did not need to take a risk here. Bilgin courted him for roughly six years before this deal closed, according to Superyacht Investor, with several near-misses along the way.
That is what earned trust looks like. Slow, unglamorous, and worth more than any campaign.
What Makes Project Bond Different From Other Yachts This Size?
Volume and light are the two things Bilgin keeps returning to.
Four decks across 2,150 gross tonnes is significant interior real estate, and the design brief prioritised getting natural light deep into those spaces rather than treating windows as an afterthought. Long-range capability sits alongside it, meaning she is built to cross oceans rather than shuttle between Mediterranean marinas.
The beach club matters too. It is the room that has changed most in superyacht design over the past decade, moving from storage to the social heart of the boat.
When Will Project Bond Be Delivered? 2029.
That is a long runway, and it is normal at this scale. A yacht of 82 metres involves years of engineering, fabrication and finishing work before anyone steps aboard. The interiors revealed this year are a preview of a vessel still very much in build.
At BlinkCo Magazine we cover the businesses and the people building at the top of the market, from Orlando to Montreal and everywhere the story leads. Project Bond is worth watching not because of the specification sheet but because of what it says about who gets to build at this level now.
For more from our motoring and marine coverage, see the full collection here.
And if you are looking to be introduced to the people behind builds like this, BlinkCo Access opens those doors.
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