Gulf Craft Majesty 140 Review (2024 Edition) by Aquaholic

On Deck

The Majesty 140 is a striking thing – high flared bow, deep forefoot, and that distinctive cut-out where the owner’s balcony lives. Her name might be “Simplicity” but there’s nothing simple about the way it looks.

Boarding is via a fully extended passerelle that lands you straight into a broad, shaded cockpit. There’s a big overhang overhead, lighting worked into the ceiling, flush-mounted speakers and twin staircases leading up. Both side bulwarks are fitted with drop-down balconies – one folded out already, giving you a proper idea of how much extra deck space they offer. There’s a built-in shoe locker tucked beside the steps, and a fridge hidden away on the other side. 

The upper aft deck is set up for entertaining – open-air dining under the shelter of the overhang, with a proper sit-up bar just inside. Wine cooler, fridge, ice maker – all the bits you’d want without having to go below. Aft of that is a long sofa looking straight out to sea. It’s the kind of spot that feels just as right for morning coffee as it does for a sundowner with friends.

Higher up, the sun deck is properly expansive. This version doesn’t carry a tender here, so the entire space is left open for guests. There’s another bar area with fridge and sink, dining under shade, and a spa tub set dead centre with sunpads fanning out around it. Those loungers can be tilted or flattened, depending on the mood, and there’s a TV that disappears into the ceiling when not in use. All the sat domes, radar and comms gear sit up top, but they don’t steal the scene – the view and the space do that.

Toward the bow is another sociable seating area, slightly more private and great for quieter moments. A personal watercraft is stowed up here too, along with a crane for launching it. The wing stations are a lovely bit of design – recessed into scooped-out pockets in the bulwarks so you get a perfect view down the hull when docking. Not just smart, but properly functional too.

And then there’s the beach club. On this boat it’s rigged out for watersports with paddleboards, wetsuits, buoyancy gear, even a chest freezer – but it’s still a calm, low space right on the water. Take out the gear, pop a couple of chairs in here, and it becomes the quietest spot on board.

The outside’s all sharp lines and presence, but inside it’s calm, bright and welcoming - just a really pleasant place to be. This particular 140 feels a touch lighter than earlier versions, with pale wood finishes and big stretches of glazing that let the space breathe properly.

To starboard, a huge L-shaped sofa runs almost the full length of the saloon. It’s deep and low-slung – definitely more relaxed than formal. Opposite that, cabinetry houses AV gear and storage without interrupting the view. 

Forward of the seating area is a dining table with room for eight, and enough clearance to move comfortably around. It feels low-key rather than showy – somewhere you’d be just as happy with a casual breakfast as a proper dinner service. The sideboards carry more hidden storage (crockery, linens, that sort of thing) set away behind soft-close doors.

One of the nice little details is the way the crew routes are handled. Off to one side of the saloon is a hidden access door that leads straight through to the galley and crew spaces. Unless someone opens it, you’d never know it was there. It means crew can move quietly around the boat without needing to pass through guest areas, and everything feels that bit more effortless.

Touchscreens are dotted around the interior – slim little panels that control lighting, blinds, music, all that kind of thing. They’re linked throughout the boat, so you can jump to any zone and set up whatever mood you want. There are even presets – tap one button and the lighting drops to low, blinds close, and you’re set for movie night. It’s all slick, but never fussy.

Up on the upper deck, the sky lounge is another brilliant space. The bar is tucked behind a sliding door – ice maker, fridge, wine cooler, the lot – and there’s a big L-shaped sofa facing a flush-mounted screen. Loads of glazing brings in natural light, and the layout’s got that same relaxed feeling as the main saloon. It’s not a room you admire from a distance – it’s one you flop into after a long lunch and stay put for a film.

Owner's Cabin

The owner’s cabin is on the main deck, tucked right up in the bow – and it’s a proper event. The moment you walk in, it just feels right. Light woods, soft textures, and a real sense of space. But the first thing that grabs you isn’t the layout or the view – it’s the carpet. Hand-woven with a three-dimensional wave pattern, which gently undulates. Not something you’d ever think to ask for, but once you’ve walked on it barefoot, you’ll absolutely get the point.

There’s a dressing table to port – call it a desk, call it a vanity, use it however you like – and another of those touchscreen control panels mounted just above. Everything’s motion-sensitive here, so lights come up automatically as you move around the space. It’s subtle, but it makes the whole cabin feel alive in a really pleasing way.

To starboard is the walkthrough wardrobe – a full-height, full-beam passage of hanging rails, drawers and shelves that leads through to the bathroom. But you don’t have to go that way. There’s another door directly off the main bedroom, so you can loop through either side, depending on where you’re coming from. No doubling back or awkward shuffling around.

The balcony, though – that’s the clincher. From the dock, you’ll have spotted it folded up against the hull. In here, it’s just part of the cabin. Even when stowed, it forms a private nook with full-height glazing. But lower it, and it completely changes the space. Suddenly you’ve got a sea-level terrace – somewhere to sit with a coffee in the morning or just get a bit of air without going anywhere. It’s simple, it’s solid, and it works.

Through to the ensuite and things get even better. A big, deep bath sits in front of a glowing slab of backlit marble – it’s a bit dramatic, but somehow not over the top. There’s a separate rainfall shower opposite and a WC cubicle tucked in just behind. Everything’s finished with a quiet confidence – big fittings, soft lighting, and no fiddly design flourishes. Just a calm, usable space with a bit of theatre where it counts.

Guest Accommodation

The guest accommodation is all on the lower deck and it’s a bit of a masterclass in how to do space properly. There are five cabins down here, all ensuite, all decent-sized, and all with that same light, welcoming finish that runs through the rest of the boat.

The VIP is right forward and it’s a generous cabin. Big bed, proper dressing area, full-height wardrobes. It even has its own emergency escape route. There’s a hatch at the back of the wardrobe that connects into another cabin, forming a loop that leads out through a second exit point. You’d almost never use it, but it’s one of several quiet bits of safety engineering built into the layout. Watertight doors are hidden in the passageways too, all part of a plan to keep things secure if the worst ever happened.

Just aft are two twin cabins, one to port, one to starboard, both mirror images of each other. Each has a wardrobe, TV, and a nicely finished ensuite tucked in behind. They’re not huge, but they don’t feel like they’re trying to be. There’s enough space to move around comfortably and everything’s where it ought to be. Even the little housekeeping lockers in the corridor are neatly done, places to stash towels and linen just where the crew need them.

Aft of the twins are two more double cabins. These ones feel a little more private, slightly tucked away at the end of the passage, but still with full-sized beds, proper wardrobes and AV. The ensuites match the others, smartly finished with walk-in showers and just the right amount of gloss. There’s a second escape route here too, with a ladder that links the two aft cabins together and leads out to the deck. Again, invisible until you look for it, but exactly where it needs to be.

What stands out down here is how un-cramped it all feels. There’s headroom, light, and enough space in the passageways that you don’t feel like you’re navigating through a corridor. It’s got that hotel-like sense of flow, calm, quiet and easy to live in even with a full house.

Crew Accommodation

A lot of yachts this size just tick the boxes when it comes to crew layout. The Majesty 140 on the other hand makes it feel like somewhere people can live and work comfortably for the long haul. It starts at the bridge, where the captain gets a private cabin with an ensuite just behind the helm. There’s proper storage, a decent bed, and a full shower room tucked in smartly behind.

Further forward, near the galley, there’s another single cabin. Most likely for the chef, given the proximity, but it could be used however suits. Again, it’s ensuite and completely separate from the rest of the accommodation. Ideal for a senior crew member or someone with different hours to the others.

The main crew area is all the way aft. Three twin cabins are arranged around a central mess, with their own laundry, galley-style prep space, and plenty of storage. These cabins are a good size. They’ve got proper beds, decent headroom, and best of all, separate showers. No wet room cubicles or shared sinks. It’s all been thought through properly, with comfort and routine in mind.

One of the smartest pieces of the puzzle is the way the crew routes work. There are multiple staircases, side deck access points, and internal passageways that let the crew get anywhere they need to without interfering with guest flow. You can go from the laundry to the bridge or from the crew mess to the galley without ever crossing a guest space.

There’s also a massive walk-in freezer down here, and more laundry kit separate from the guest setup. In practice, it means guest service runs one way, and the crew’s daily rhythm runs another. When it’s busy, that really makes a difference.

Altogether you’ve got space for eight crew on the Majesty 140. Three twins aft, a single up forward, and the captain’s cabin near the helm. It’s a full team setup, and one that doesn’t feel like an afterthought. Which, frankly, is not always the case.

Access to the engine room is straight from the aft crew area, and once you’re in, the scale of it hits you. Everything’s big, clean and clearly laid out. The main engines are twin MTU 16V2000s, each delivering 2,600 horsepower. That gives a top speed somewhere around 19 knots, with a comfortable cruising speed at 12 knots. At that pace, you’re looking at a range of roughly 2,000 nm.

Drive is via conventional shafts, with the gearboxes tucked right behind the engines and the props driven through big stainless steel shafts. There’s no pod drive or waterjet complexity here, just proven engineering that’s easier to maintain and service over time.

The generators are no less serious. A pair of 100kW units sit in their own space, set up to provide full redundancy and plenty of power for hotel loads and systems. These are tied into a modern emissions control system, with extra kit installed to meet the latest requirements on exhaust and particulate matter. It’s a clean-running boat, both literally and technically.

One of the most interesting features is the heat recovery system. Instead of letting all the heat from the engine cooling systems go to waste, this yacht uses a glycol loop that runs around the boat. That recovered heat is then used to warm domestic water - so you’re using the heat from the engines to provide hot water for the cabins and crew areas. It’s efficient, quiet, and makes full use of energy that would otherwise be dumped overboard.

Access around the machinery is excellent. You’ve got a clear centreline passage, good overhead height, tool storage and service points placed exactly where they need to be. There’s also a laddered emergency exit that leads up through the deckhead and out of the boat, along with another access point forward. Like the rest of the Majesty 140, the thinking here is belt-and-braces. Redundant systems, multiple routes in and out, and good working space so things can be kept in top condition.

A yacht of this size is never going to be a low-cost exercise, but the Majesty 140 has a few things working in its favour. First and foremost, the systems are conventional. Twin shaft drive engines, accessible machinery spaces, proper access to service points - it all adds up to less hassle and fewer headaches when the boat’s in use or under maintenance.

The smart stuff is mostly under the skin. That heat recovery system, for example, takes energy that would normally go straight out the exhaust and puts it to work heating water throughout the yacht. It’s one of those features that’s easy to overlook, but over time, it chips away at energy use and makes life onboard more efficient.

There’s room onboard for a full-time crew of eight, which is about right for a yacht of this size. That’s enough hands to run the boat with proper round-the-clock coverage, whether it’s in private use or commercial charter. The captain would need to hold a higher-grade professional licence, such as an MCA Master 500 or above, which is standard practice for a yacht of this tonnage and complexity.

Fuel consumption is what you’d expect from two 16-cylinder engines pushing nearly 300 gross tonnes of yacht, but at displacement speeds, the range is very usable. Two thousand miles at 12 knots puts most of the Mediterranean or Caribbean within reach without needing to refuel every other day.

So yes, it’s a serious boat with serious running costs. But it’s also been laid out to work hard and stay reliable. The systems are well thought through, the service access is sensible, and there’s nothing in the spec that feels like it’s going to turn into a problem five years down the line.

In terms of class competition, yachts like the Benetti Oasis 40M has similar guest capacity, long‑range capability and a cruising speed of around 14 knots over 4,000nm or the Ocean Alexander 135 Megayacht which is marginally shorter but close in beam and layout philosophy.

The Majesty 140 is a big yacht, no question. But what stands out isn’t just the volume: it’s how naturally it all works. From the drop-down balconies to the private owner’s terrace, from the open-plan saloon to the beach club rigged for paddleboards and fishing gear, it’s a boat that knows how to do space without making a fuss about it.