From sandwiches to superyachts, the journey of American billionaire Jimmy John Liautaud, who commissioned Rock.It, is as interesting as the yacht itself. The man who started out with a $25,000 loan for a startup not only turned it into an empire, but he also lived the life to enjoy the fruits of his labor. In fact, the very name of the 198-foot Feadship superyacht reflects Liautaud’s personal work philosophy and life motto. He may have sold the ship to another owner, but the high-energy, fast-paced approach of a high-octane lifestyle is still omnipresent on the vessel, designed through and through by De Voogt Naval Architects. The one thing that has changed is the asking price.
Rock.It is listed on the market with Tom George of DYB Group, offering a generous discount of $1.6 million, dropping from nearly $50 million to $47.9 million dollars. It is an interesting dichotomy that Rock.It displays; a sporty exterior with a luxe, club-like ambience on the inside. The charms of Rock.It are many, but it is best appreciated with attention to its details.
What stands out on Rock.It:
A first glance reveals a sanctuary of mahogany that lends a retro milieu with diagonally arranged sycamore veneers. It is said that no fewer than one hundred and sixty-eight individual staircase panels and one hundred and thirty books of veneer were used to achieve the intended finish. The stones on Rock.It also deserve special mention. The original owner’s bathroom features a sink carved from a marble block weighing five hundred kilograms.
That is a weight equaling a massive adult polar bear and required three days of work on a CNC machine. The bathroom also features a lavish freestanding French-style bathtub, incorporating one hundred and ninety pieces of marble. Beyond the bath, the dining table, which the broker gives a replacement value exceeding $400,000, steals attention with intricate Macassar ebony sunburst veneer. The space is made effortlessly elegant with bespoke furnishings supplied by Frank Pollaro.
The spaces of Rock.It:
Sporty yet spectacular, the pleasure craft of the 62-year-old billionaire worth $2.6 billion is divided between a main salon, no fewer than three bars around the ship, and an owner’s suite that would put five-star resorts to shame. In the salon, entertainment folds down as a television descends from the ceiling, turning the space into a home-style movie lounge. A sundeck offers stunning views and superlative relaxation in a Jacuzzi flanked by sunpads and shaded seating.
The sundeck includes one very interesting design touch, the canopy’s skylight automatically darkens according to sunlight intensity. The ship sleeps 13 guests in 6 en suite cabins, and the vessel is powered by twin 1520 horsepower MTU diesel engines. The 1052 GT motor yacht boasts a top speed of 15 knots and a range of 5300 nautical miles.
The sandwich Czar who commissioned Rock.It:
Jimmy John Liautaud, now worth $2.6 billion according to Forbes, started rocking it at nineteen after he opened his first sandwich shop in a converted two-car garage in Charleston, Illinois, near Eastern Illinois University. He went from selling four sandwiches and 25-cent Cokes to commissioning a four-decker with Feadship in a matter of decades. By 2019, Jimmy John’s had more than 2,800 locations across 43 states. This success was celebrated in the form of the vessel Rock.It, as Jimmy shared, “Rock.It was the reward to my family for all the sacrifices we made along the way.”
