40.2m Westship CUPCAKE Heads to No-Reserve Auction

Worth Avenue Yachts has placed the 40.23-metre Westship motor yacht CUPCAKE into a no-reserve auction in partnership with Boathouse Auctions. Live online bidding is scheduled for 6 October 2026, with the yacht offered to the highest bidder and the official viewing period already open in Fort Lauderdale.

The auction creates a different sales process from a conventional negotiated brokerage listing. Worth Avenue says there is no reserve, while Boathouse Auctions lists the 132-foot yacht for the 6 October sale and requires prospective bidders to complete its registration and due-diligence process before they can participate.

CUPCAKE moves from listing to no-reserve auction

Worth Avenue's official listing says the viewing period opened on 5 September 2026 so prospective buyers can inspect the yacht and complete their checks ahead of bidding. Boathouse Auctions says hull and mechanical surveys are due to be available by 12 September, giving registered bidders additional technical material before the sale date.

The Worth Avenue page still displays a $4.45 million price in its underlying yacht data, but the same page explicitly states that CUPCAKE is being sold at auction with no reserve and will go to the highest bidder. The displayed brokerage figure should therefore not be treated as a reserve price or a prediction of the eventual auction result.

Registration is not simply a matter of clicking into the online sale on auction day. Worth Avenue directs bidders to register through the auction platform and states that a $100,000 bidder deposit is required, making advance preparation important for anyone intending to participate rather than merely follow the bidding.

A 40.23-metre American-built yacht

CUPCAKE was built by Westship and is listed as a 2001 yacht with a 2024 refit. Worth Avenue records an overall length of 40.23 metres, an 8.53-metre beam and a 2.26-metre draft, with twin MTU 12V396 engines rated at 2,250hp each.

The yacht accommodates 12 guests in five staterooms, including a full-beam primary suite on the main deck and four guest cabins below. Worth Avenue describes ensuite facilities throughout the guest accommodation and presents the layout as suitable for family cruising as well as charter use, although future commercial operation would depend on the buyer's chosen flag, compliance and operating structure.

Current listing information places CUPCAKE in Fort Lauderdale under the Jamaican flag. That location is important for the auction because physical inspection and due diligence are part of the process, but buyers should confirm the yacht's exact berth and viewing arrangements directly with the brokers before travelling.

Refit and machinery history are central to due diligence

Worth Avenue identifies a mechanical refit in 2024 covering air-conditioning, chillers, hydraulics and stabilisers, together with generator overhauls and interior updates including carpet, wallpaper and lighting. The listing also refers to newer exterior cushions, soft goods, artwork and audiovisual equipment, indicating that the recent work covered both engineering and presentation.

The yacht is equipped with ABT-TRAC zero-speed stabilisation, a bow thruster and two Northern Lights generators according to the brokerage specification. Worth Avenue also records a recent United States flag-state survey completed in February 2026, although the yacht's current listing flag is Jamaica, so bidders should examine the survey documentation and present registry position rather than assuming one automatically substitutes for the other.

Engine-hour information on the listing is dated July 2026, and the machinery section also records maintenance work on the MTU engines in 2025. Those details make the forthcoming survey package particularly relevant because an auction buyer normally needs to understand machinery condition, maintenance history and any recommended work before bidding rather than relying on the opportunity to renegotiate extensively after the hammer falls.

Guest spaces remain part of the appeal

The main salon uses large windows and connects formal dining for ten guests with a full-service bar, while doors open toward an alfresco dining area. Worth Avenue describes a contemporary interior palette of crème and turquoise with mother-of-pearl accents, creating a softer residential character within the yacht's substantial American-built volume.

On the upper levels, the skylounge combines seating, a bar and entertainment space, while the flybridge carries a six-person Jacuzzi, bar and sunbathing areas. The aft deck also provides outdoor dining, and stairs connect down toward the cockpit and water-access area, giving the yacht several separate guest zones rather than concentrating social activity on a single deck.

The primary suite includes a king berth and separate bathroom areas with both shower and tub, while the lower guest accommodation provides a mix of larger double cabins and a more flexible cabin arrangement. Those spaces are already built and in service, so auction buyers are evaluating an existing layout rather than a project that can be substantially reorganised during construction.

What the no-reserve format changes

A no-reserve auction can create a clear deadline and a transparent competitive process, but it does not eliminate the need for conventional yacht due diligence. Prospective bidders still need to assess title, registry, tax position, inventories, class or compliance status where applicable, surveys, machinery condition, crew and operating commitments, and the specific auction terms that determine when a successful bid becomes binding.

The 6 October date also gives CUPCAKE's campaign a defined endpoint that a normal brokerage listing does not have. If the auction proceeds as announced, the market will receive an actual winning bid rather than another asking-price indicator, although any final public reporting should distinguish the hammer price from taxes, buyer fees or other closing costs if the auction platform treats those separately.

For now, the confirmed position is that Worth Avenue Yachts and Boathouse Auctions are offering the 40.23-metre Westship CUPCAKE without reserve, with live online bidding on 6 October 2026. The yacht has a substantial 2024 refit history, five-stateroom accommodation and a current Fort Lauderdale viewing programme, giving prospective buyers several weeks to inspect the vessel and the auction documents before committing capital.

The auction structure may also attract buyers who would not have engaged with the yacht at a fixed asking price, because the final number will be set by registered bidding rather than by a published seller target. That does not make the yacht inexpensive by definition; it simply changes how price discovery will occur on 6 October.