Benetti Yachts asked nearly 20 international design firms, including established designers and a few new to the industry, to develop superyacht projects in the 50- to 90-plus-meter range and explore the idea of the yacht of the future. The Benetti Design Innovation Challenge yielded 27 creative and beautifully articulated projects from 16 designers and their staffs.
In 2004, the owner of a 150-foot (46-meter) vessel came to us with a challenge: produce a design for a boat half that size that would be equal if not superior in luxury, performance and functionality to his larger yacht.
We pay homage to the explorers, sturdy displacement yachts that can take yacht owners long distances, but surely will keep them looking stylish anywhere they drop anchor. Plus three designers tell us how they added a wow factor to important areas of a yacht.