Benetti’s revolutionary new yacht

YACHTING | 2023

With the B.YOND, the Benetti shipyard developed an almost revolutionary model. Streifzug talked about it with Benetti president Paolo Vitelli.

Streifzug: The concept of the B.YOND has never before been implemented on a yacht of this size. Why has no one before you come up with such a split-level layout?
Paolo Vitelli: Because no one has ever asked such geniuses as Stefano Righini – God rest his soul – and me (laughs). But seriously, we have a lot of experience, 35 years of thinking about how to optimize yachts. This B.YOND is perhaps the essence of that.

Streifzug: How did the idea come about?
Paolo Vitelli: Back then, we were the first to put a large GRP yacht on the water, and now we are again the first to bring steel as a material to yachts of this size. We dare to leave the old familiar routes when it makes sense. I wanted a stable yacht and had customers like me in mind who might want to spend a few months a year on the yacht. Comfort, lots of windows, and a close connection to the outside world – these were important guidelines. Stefano was then instrumental in the design. In addition, the yacht is extremely environmentally friendly.

Streifzug: In what way?
Paolo Vitelli: We’re using exhaust gas purification technology that is already used in the automotive industry for Euro 6D diesel engines and combining it with Siemens Energy’s innovative E-Mode hybrid system, which is an based on an integrated add-on
architecture. The result is extremely simple management that enables the switch from mechanical to electric drive and vice versa.